ALBERT

Description: The supply of limiting nutrients to the low latitude ocean is controlled by physical processes linked to climate variations, but methods for reconstructing past nutrient concentrations in the surface ocean are few and indirect. Here, we present laser ablation mass spectrometry results that reveal annual cycles of P/Ca in a 4-year record from the scleractinian coral Pavona gigantea (mean P/Ca = 118 μmol mol−1). The P/Ca cycles track variations in past seawater phosphate concentration synchronously with skeletal Sr/Ca-derived temperature variations associated with seasonal upwelling in the Gulf of Panamá. Skeletal P/Ca varies seasonally by 2–3 fold, reflecting the timing and magnitude of dissolved phosphate variations. Solution cleaning experiments on drilled coral powders show that over 60% of skeletal P occurs in intracrystalline organic phases. Coral skeleton P/Ca holds promise as a proxy record of nutrient availability on time scales of decades to millennia.

Description: Samples collected at hourly intervals on May 18–19, 1980, at three sites 200 km downwind from Mount St. Helens, have made possible a detailed reconstruction of the conditions that contribute to the compositional heterogeneity of mineral and glass components observed in distal tephra layers. The air fall tephra deposited at the sites during the first 7 hours of the May 18 eruption is mostly coarse grained, microlite-rich, nonjuvenile glass and feldspar. Grain-size maxima in this initial tephra can be related to the cataclysmic blast at 0832 and a subsequent pulse of the eruption at 1200. Juvenile, microlite-free glass increases in relative abundance at the sampling sites beginning at about 1900. Such a change between nonjuvenile and juvenile tephra can be related to a 5-km increase in column height associated with the last major pulse of the eruption which occurred at 1700 at the volcano. Electron microprobe study of both microlite-rich and microlite-free pumice in the time series samples reveals significant compositional differences. Interstitial glass in nonjuvenile pumice deposited during the first few hours at the sampling sites is enriched in SiO2 and K2O and depleted in TiO2, FeO*, and MgO relative to juvenile glass. By comparison, major element composition of the least evolved juvenile glass sampled during the last several hours of the eruption displays a slight trend toward less evolved composition. Least squares calculations suggest that the more evolved character of the nonjuvenile glass can be explained by greater fractional crystallization brought about by enhanced cooling in a cryptodome prior to eruption, whereas the temporal changes observed in juvenile glass composition during the last several hours of the eruption suggest the presence of a small, slightly zoned magma chamber at depth. Electron microprobe study of glass-coated ilmenites, magnetites, and plagioclases provides the following estimates of the physical conditions in this reservoir: 865°±50°C, PH2O = 2.2 kbar and -log ƒO2 = 11.7. Analyses of bulk pumice, glass and selected mineral phases from May 25, June 12, July 22, and October 16–18 pumices erupted from Mount St. Helens indicate that the bulk pumice (magma) compositions have become slightly more andesitic with time, while mineral and co-existing glass compositions have changed significantly in post-May 18 eruptions with both being more highly evolved than those associated with the May 18 eruption. An application of the magnetite-ilmenite geothermometer to June 12 and July 22 samples indicates temperatures of 919°±30°C and 930°±50°C, respectively. Least squares calculations suggest that such evolved post-May 18 glass and mineral phases can be derived by fractional crystallization of a magma composition like bulk May 18 pumice into approximately 50% crystals and 50% residual liquid. Such partitioning between crystals and residual liquid appears to have occurred on the scale of centimeters and is interpreted as a consequence of accelerated crystallization under reduced water pressure.

Description: The well-known caldera of Thira (Santorini), Greece, was not formed during a single eruption but is composed of two overlapping calderas superimposed upon a complex volcanic field that developed along a NE trending line of vents. Before the Minoan eruption of 1400 B.C., Thira consisted of three Java shields in the northern half of the island and a flooded depression surrounded by tuff deposits in the southern half. Andesitic lavas formed the overlapping shields of the north and were contemporaneous with and, in many places, interbedded with the southern tuff deposits. Although there appears to be little difference between the composition of magmas erupted, differences in eruption style indicate that most of the activity in the northern half of the volcanic field was subaerial, producing lava flows, whereas in the south, eruptions within a flooded depression produced a sequence of mostly phreatomagmatic tuffs. Many of these tuffs are plastered onto the walls of what appears to have been an older caldera, most probably associated with an eruption of rhyodacitic tephra 100,000 years ago. The Minoan eruption of about 1400 B.C. had four distinct phases, each reflecting a different vent geometry and eruption mechanism. The Minoan activity was preceded by minor eruptions of fine ash. (1) The eruption began with a Plinian phase, from subaerial vent(s) located on the easternmost of the lava shields. (2) Vent(s) grew toward the SW into the flooded depression. Subsequent activity deposited large-scale base surge deposits during vent widening by phreatomagmatic activity. (3) The third eruptive phase was also phreatomagmatic and produced 60% of the volume of the Minoan Tuff. This activity was nearly continuous and formed a large featureless tuff ring with poorly defined bedding. This deposit contains 5–40% lithic fragments that are typical of the westernmost lava shield and appears to have been erupted when caldera collapse began. (4) The last phase consisted of eruption of ignimbrites from vent(s) on the eastern shield, not yet involved in collapse. Collapse continued after eruption of the ignimbrites with foundering of the eastern half of the caldera. Total volume of the collapse was about 19 km3, overlapping the older caldera to form the caldera complex visible today. Intracaldera eruptions have formed the Kameni Islands along linear vents concomitant with vents that may have been sources for the Minoan Tuff.

Description: [1] While recent studies have confirmed the ecological importance of vitamin B12, it is unclear whether the production of this vitamin could be limited by dissolved Co, a trace metal required for B12 biosynthesis, but found at only subnanomolar concentrations in the open ocean. Herein, we demonstrate that the spatial distribution of dissolved B12 (range: 0.13–5 pmol L−1) in the North Atlantic Ocean follows the abundance of total dissolved Co (range: 15–81 pmol L−1). Similar patterns were observed for bacterial productivity (range: 20–103 pmol 3H leucine L−1 hr−1) and algal biomass (range: 0.4–3.9 μg L−1). In contrast, vitamin B1 concentrations (range: 0.7–30 pM) were decoupled from both Co and B12 concentrations. Cobalt amendment experiments carried out in low-dissolved Co waters (∼20 pmol L−1) enhanced B12 production two-fold over unamended controls. This study provides evidence that B12 synthesis could be limited by the availability of Co in some regions of the world ocean.

Description: We present the first comprehensive investigation of the concentrations, fluxes and sources of aerosol trace elements over the Gulf of Aqaba. We found that the mean atmospheric concentrations of crustally derived elements such as Al, Fe and Mn (1081, 683, and 16.7 ng m�3) are about 2–3 times higher than those reported for the neighboring Mediterranean area. This is indicative of the dominance of the mineral dust component in aerosols over the Gulf. Anthropogenic impact was lower in comparison to the more heavily populated areas of the Mediterranean. During the majority of time (69%) the air masses over the Gulf originated from Europe or Mediterranean Sea areas delivering anthropogenic components such as Cu, Cd, Ni, Zn, and P. Airflows derived from North Africa in contrast contained the highest concentrations of Al, Fe, and Sr but generally lower Cu, Cd, Ni, Zn, and P. Relatively high Pb, Ni, and V were found in the local and Arabian airflows suggesting a greater influence of local emission of fuel burning. We used the data and the measured trace metal seawater concentrations to calculate residence times of dissolved trace elements in the upper 50 m surface water of the Gulf (with respect to atmospheric input) and found that the residence times for most elements are in the range of 5–37 years while Cd and V residence times are longer.

Description: Methane (CH4) concentration and stable isotope (δ2H-CH4 and δ13C-CH4) depth distributions show large differences in the water columns of the Earth's largest CH4-containing anoxic basins, the Black Sea and Cariaco Basin. In the deep basins, the between-basin stable isotope differences are large, 83‰ for δ2H-CH4 and 9‰ for δ13C-CH4, and the distributions are mirror images of one another. The major sink in both basins, anaerobic oxidation of CH4, results in such extensive isotope fractionation that little direct information can be obtained regarding sources. Recent measurements of natural 14C-CH4 show that the CH4 geochemistry in both basins is dominated (∼64 to 98%) by inputs of fossil (radiocarbon-free) CH4 from seafloor seeps. We derive open-system kinetic isotope effect equations and use a one-dimensional (vertical) stable isotope box model that, along with isotope budgets developed using radiocarbon, permits a quantitative treatment of the stable isotope differences. We show that two main factors control the CH4 concentration and stable isotope differences: (1) the depth distributions of the input of CH4 from seafloor seeps and (2) anaerobic oxidation of CH4 under open-system steady state conditions in the Black Sea and open-system non-steady-state conditions in the Cariaco Basin.

Description: During a 10-year study more than 2,000 phytoplankton samples were collected from the entire coast of Peru and analyzed. In general, diatoms were the most abundant group of organisms in all seasons. Predominant species were Rhizosolenia delicatula, Skeletonema costatum Thalassiosira subtilis, Thalassionema nitzschioides and several species of the genus Chaetooeros. Dinoflagellates and flagellates were observed frequently during summer. The mean distribution of the phytoplankton concentration during the 10 years shows the existence of several centers with higher cell densities along the coast, coinciding with the areas of more intense and persistent upwelling. Four major centers have been identified: Pimentel (˜6°S), Chimbote (˜9°S), Callao (˜12°S), and Tambo de Mora-Pisco (˜15°S); and two minor centers, Talara (˜4°S) and Ilo (˜17°S). The relative importance of each center seems to change according to the season. The highest phytoplankton concentration tended to be in the northern part of the coast during fall and winter and in the south through spring and summer.

Description: Lake Superior has exhibited a continuous, century-long increase in nitrate whereas phosphate remains at very low levels. Increasing nitrate and low phosphate has led to a present-day severe stoichiometric imbalance; Lake Superior's deepwater NO3−:PO43− molar ratio is 10,000, more than 600 times the mean requirement ratio for primary producers. We examine the rate of [NO3−] increase relative to budgets for NO3− and fixed N. Nitrate in Lake Superior has continued to rise since 1980, though possibly at a reduced rate. We constructed whole-lake NO3− and N budgets and found that NO3− must be generated in the lake at significant rates. Stable O isotope results indicate that most NO3− in the lake originated by in-lake oxidation. Nitrate in the lake is responding not just to NO3− loading but also to oxidation of reduced forms of nitrogen delivered to the lake. The increasing [NO3−]:[PO43−] stoichiometric imbalance in this large lake is largely determined by these in-situ processes.

Description: Loss processes in magnetic nanoparticles are discussed with respect to optimization of the specific loss power (SLP) for application in tumour hyperthermia. Several types of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles representative for different preparation methods (wet chemical precipitation, grinding, bacterial synthesis, magnetic size fractionation) are the subject of a comparative study of structural and magnetic properties. Since the specific loss power useful for hyperthermia is restricted by serious limitations of the alternating field amplitude and frequency, the effects of the latter are investigated experimentally in detail. The dependence of the SLP on the mean particle size is studied over a broad size range from superparamagnetic up to multidomain particles, and guidelines for achieving large SLP under the constraints valid for the field parameters are derived. Particles with the mean size of 18 nm having a narrow size distribution proved particularly useful. In particular, very high heating power may be delivered by bacterial magnetosomes, the best sample of which showed nearly 1 kW g−1 at 410 kHz and 10 kA m−1. This value may even be exceeded by metallic magnetic particles, as indicated by measurements on cobalt particles.

Description: A new version of SODA, which covers the time period 1958–2005, is used to analyze decadal variability of the Pacific Subtropical Cell (STC) circulation. The analysis is based on transport time series across 9°S and 9°N. At the interannual time scale, STC convergence anomalies decrease during El Niños and increase during La Niñas through Sverdrup transport convergence changes. At decadal time scales, the assimilation shows a reduction of interior STC convergence of about 8 Sv from the 1960s to the 1990s and a subsequent rebound into the early 2000s by a similar amount, in agreement with the STC tendencies reported earlier from geostrophic section analysis, and associated with the occurrence and intensity of ENSO events among the decades analyzed. The results are compared with, and differ significantly from, those obtained by the German ECCO (GECCO) assimilation.

Description: Laboratory experiments were carried out in a seawater mesocosm tank to investigate the influence of marine phytoplankton growth on air bubble residence time (BRT). Air bubbles of 10–1000 μm in diameter were injected by flushing a water jet into the top of the tank and BRT was determined acoustically. The tank was filled with seawater containing a natural phytoplankton population and growth stimulated by irradiating with artificial fluorescent light. A second experiment was conducted using a monoculture of the diatom Cylindrotheca closterium. BRT and several phytoplankton growth-related parameters (chlorophyll concentration, dissolved inorganic nutrients, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), oxygen saturation and bacteria numbers) as well as the water viscosity were monitored over periods of up to 24 days. BRT showed a statistically significant covariation with oxygen saturation (r = 0.69, α = 0.01 for natural phytoplankton; r = 0.93, α = 0.01 for the Cylindrotheca closterium) and chlorophyll concentration (r = 0.69, α = 0.05 natural phytoplankton; r = 0.76, α = 0.01 Cylindrotheca closterium) during phytoplankton growth periods. Increases in BRT of a factor 〉2 were found during the chlorophyll maximum, when the water was sufficiently supersaturated with oxygen (~〉110%). No clear relationship was evident between BRT and measurements of DOC or water viscosity. Model experiments with highly oxygen-supersaturated water and artificial polysaccharide compounds indicated that oxygen supersaturation alone is not the main factor causing increased BRT during phytoplankton growth, but it is most likely a combination of the degree of gas saturation and the composition of the organic exudates derived from the microalgal population.

Description: A series of 500 years long coupled general circulation model simulations has been performed, in which the sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in different tropical oceans have been prescribed from climatology. A statistically significant reduction by about one Sverdrup of the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) in the North Atlantic was found when the tropical Pacific SSTs do not vary interannually. Anomalously low salinities originating in the tropical Atlantic due to increased precipitation drive the reduction of the MOC. Climatological SSTs in the tropical Pacific lead to a “La Niña”-like state due to the nonlinear response of the atmosphere to SST anomalies. The shift of the mean atmospheric circulation in the tropical Pacific leads to a cyclonic anomaly over the eastern tropical Atlantic with a corresponding precipitation increase. The results suggest that changes in the SST variability of the tropical Pacific can drive changes in the mean state of remote regions.

Description: The Pacific Subtropical Cell (STC) circulation is being analyzed from transport time series across 9°S and 9°N, obtained from the German ECCO (GECCO) assimilation results for the period 1952–2002. In this estimate, the interior Pacific STC convergence shows significantly less decadal slowdown from the 1960's to the 1990's (∼5Sv), than in previous estimates based on hydrographic sections. In the GECCO results, about half of this STC convergence decrease is compensated by an increase in the equatorward transport of the western boundary currents. Overall, the STC varies primarily on interannual time scale, with relatively short time lags between STC convergence and transport variations of the Equatorial Undercurrent at 140°W.

Description: A Holocene Gulf of Guinea record of riverine runoff, based on Ba/Ca in tests of a shallow-dwelling planktic foraminifer, and sea surface temperature (SST), based on Mg/Ca, reveals centennial-scale instabilities in West African monsoon (WAM) precipitation and eastern equatorial Atlantic (EEA) thermal conditions. The long-term Holocene climate trend is characterized by a warm and wet early-mid Holocene and gradual drying and cooling during the late Holocene. Superimposed on this trend are numerous centennial scale drops in precipitation during the early-mid Holocene. The greatest declines in early Holocene monsoon precipitation were accompanied by significant SST cooling in the EEA and correlate with drops in air temperature over Greenland and fresh water outbursts into the North Atlantic (NA). This observation suggests that early Holocene climate instabilities in the NA were closely linked to changes in the WAM. The strong imprint of NA events in summer monsoon precipitation suggests that these events were not confined to winter-time. The late Holocene does not show large amplitude changes in riverine runoff at the centennial level. The relatively stable late Holocene conditions likely reflect a weakening and stabilization of the monsoon system, probably due to diminished influence of the NA region due to a reduction in ice sheet.

Description: We present a new dust source area map for the Sahara and Sahel region, derived from the spatiotemporal variability of composite images of Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) using the 8.7, 10.8 and 12.0 μm wavelength channels for March 2006–February 2007. Detected dust events have been compared to measured aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and horizontal visibility observations. Furthermore the monthly source area map has been compared with the Ozone Monitoring Instrument aerosol index (AI). A spatial shift of the derived frequency patterns and the local maxima of AI-values can be explained by wind-transport of airborne dust implicitly included in the AI signal. To illustrate the sensitivity of a regional model using the new dust source mask, we present a case study analysis that shows an improvement in reproducing aerosol optical thickness in comparison to the original dust source parameterization.

Description: The intratest variation in the chemical composition of Globorotalia scitula and G. inflata recovered from a sediment trap sample collected at 3000 m in the North Atlantic in early spring has been investigated using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry and electron microprobe. Mg/Ca, Li/Ca, B/Ca, Mn/Ca, and Ba/Ca vary by up to a factor of 10 through the test walls. Water column properties, including temperature and salinity, are well documented at the trap site, and the observed variations are too large to be explained by vertical migration of the foraminifera. However, changes in calcite precipitation rate, crystal structure, or the chemical composition of the internal calcification reservoir also cannot, by themselves, fully account for the pattern of intratest variability. Nevertheless, the average Mg/Ca for each chamber generally produces a Mg/Ca temperature that matches that measured in the water column. The exception is small, morphologically distinct G. inflata tests that have anomalously high Mg/Ca.

Description: Changes of the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) due to surface heat flux variability related to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) are analyzed in various ocean models, i.e., eddying and non‐eddying cases. A prime signature of the forcing is variability of the winter‐time convection in the Labrador Sea. The associated changes in the strength of the MOC near the subpolar front (45°N) are closely related to the NAO‐index, leading MOC anomalies by about 2–3 years in both the eddying and non‐eddying simulation. Further south the speed of the meridional signal propagation depends on model resolution. With lower resolution (non‐eddying case, 4/3° resolution) the MOC signal propagates equatorward with a mean speed of about 0.6 cm/s, similar as spreading rates of passive tracer anomalies. Eddy‐permitting experiments (1/3°) show a significantly faster propagation, with speeds corresponding to boundary waves, thus leading to an almost in‐phase variation of the MOC transport over the subtropical to subpolar North Atlantic.

Description: The long-term data sets of total alkalinity (TA) (1929–2002 A.D.) and δ18O (1966–2002 A.D.) are used to investigate freshwater and brine distributions in the Arctic Ocean. Fractions of sea ice meltwater and other freshwaters (OF) (precipitation, river runoff, and freshwater carried by Pacific water implied as salinity deficit) are calculated on the basis of salinity-TA and salinity-δ18O relationships. Rejected brine during sea ice growth resides in surface water in the central Arctic Ocean, while net melting is found along the surface flow of water from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Distribution of OF at 10 m water depth suggests that Russian runoff leaves the shelf mainly west of the Mendeleyev Ridge, enters into the deep basin, and exits from the ocean through the western part of Fram Strait. The influence of Mackenzie River water is limited in the region and in depth. Accumulation of freshwater in the Canadian Basin is caused by deep penetration of OF with brine, indicating the transport of freshwater by shelf-derived water. The major origin of shelf-derived water entering into the upper halocline layer in the Canadian Basin should be the Chukchi and East Siberian Sea shelves, and the main freshwater sources are the salinity deficit of Pacific water and/or Russian runoff. An increase in OF inventory accompanied by an increase in brine content may suggest an increase of the shelf-derived water supply into the western Canadian Basin in anticyclonic years.

Description: We use traveltime data of local earthquakes and controlled sources observed by a large, temporary, amphibious seismic network to reveal the anatomy of the southcentral Chilean subduction zone (37–39°S) between the trench and the magmatic arc. At this location the giant 1960 earthquake (M = 9.5) nucleated and ruptured almost 1000 km of the subduction megathrust. For the three-dimensional tomographic inversion we used 17,148 P wave and 10,049 S wave arrival time readings from 439 local earthquakes and 94 shots. The resolution of the tomographic images was explored by analyzing the model resolution matrix and conducting extensive numerical tests. The downgoing lithosphere is delineated by high seismic P wave velocities. High vp/vs ratio in the subducting slab reflects hydrated oceanic crust and serpentinized uppermost oceanic mantle. The subducting oceanic crust can be traced down to a depth of 80 km, as indicated by a low velocity channel. The continental crust extends to approximately a 50-km depth near the intersection with the subducting plate. This suggests a wide contact zone between continental and oceanic crust of about 150 km, potentially supporting the development of large asperities. Eastward the crustal thickness decreases again to a minimum of about a 30-km depth. Relatively low vp/vs at the base of the forearc does not support a large-scale serpentinization of the mantle wedge. Offshore, low vp and high vp/vs reflect young, fluid-saturated sediments of forearc basins and the accretionary prism.

Description: Sedimentation rates (corrected for compaction) from along the passive continental margin of Africa between the Equatorial Fracture Zone and Somalia are used to compare the rates of subsidence of the continental crust since early Mesozoic time. Three distinctive subsidence histories can be identified which correspond with basinal areas that have different structural styles: rifted (west coast), sheared (Equatorial and Agulhas fracture zones) and sunk (zones of vertical tectonics in eastern Africa). A comparison of subsidence rates with other tensional margins (NE USA and the North Sea) and a consideration of the plate tectonic history of the African margins leads to the proposal of a geo and thermodynamic model that takes cognizance of the worldwide mid-Cretaceous rheological discontinuity between taphrogenic and epeirogenic basin formation recognized by Kent, and the more generally accepted, purely plate tectonic driven model of margin subsidence. The new suggestion involves a lower Mesozoic worldwide rise in the geothermal gradient in the lithosphere which produces metamorphism of the base of the continental crust and initiates taphrogenesis along lineaments throughout Gondwanaland. A lowering of the geothermal gradient in the lower Cretaceous produces a switch to epeirogenic subsidence, driven solely by sediment loading and thermal contraction, by Aptian/Albian times. The thermal event facilitated continental separation, and sea floor spreading commenced locally at various times along the active taphrogenic belts. Local thermal and tectonic aberrations associated with this phenomenon over print onto the worldwide pattern of marginal basin subsidence. A further rise in the geothermal gradient may have been responsible for renewed taphrogenesis in eastern Africa in Tertiary times.

Description: We have compiled both laboratory and worldwide field data on electrical conductivity to help understand the physical implications of deep crustal electrical profiles. Regional heat flow was used to assign temperatures to each layer in regional electrical conductivity models; we avoided those data where purely conductive heat flow suggested temperatures more than about 1000°C, substantially higher than solidus temperatures and outside the range of validity of heat flow models. The resulting plots of log conductivity σ versus 1/T demonstrate that even low-conductivity layers (LCL) have conductivities several orders of magnitude higher than dry laboratory samples and that the data can be represented by straight line fits. In addition, technically active regions show systematically higher conductivities than do shield areas. Because volatiles are usually lost in laboratory measurements and their absence is a principal difference between laboratory and field conditions, these materials probably account for the relatively higher conductivities of rocks in situ in the crust; free water in amounts of 0.01–0.1% in fracture porosity could explain crustal conductivities. Other possibilities are graphite, hydrated minerals in rare instances, and sulfur in combination with other volatiles. As most of the temperatures are less than 700°C, partial melting seems likely only in regions of highest heat flow where the conductive temperature profiles are inappropriate. Another result is that at a given temperature, crustal high-conductivity layers (HCL) are more conductive by another order of magnitude and show more scatter than do LCL's. Because the differences between HCL's and LCL's are independent of temperature, we must invoke more than temperature increases as a cause for large conductivity increases; increased fluid concentration in situ seems a probable cause for enhanced conductivities in HCL's. From the point of view of these observations, it does not matter whether the fluids are in communication with the surface or trapped at lithostatic pressures.

Description: High interannual variability of summer surface salinity over the Laptev and East Siberian Sea shelves derived from historical records of the 1950s–2000s is attributed to atmospheric vorticity variations. In the cyclonic regime (positive vorticity) the eastward diversion of the Laptev Sea riverine water results in a negative salinity anomaly to the east of the Lena Delta and farther to the East Siberian Sea, and a positive anomaly to the north of the Lena Delta. Anticyclonic (negative) vorticity results in negative salinity anomalies northward from the Lena Delta due to freshwater advection toward the north, and a corresponding salinity increase eastward.

Description: [1] On the basis of the detailed sedimentological record of the key-core PS66/309-1 and a review of open literature, we present an assessment of the paleoenvironmental conditions as well as trigger mechanism of the Hinlopen/Yermak Megaslide north of Spitsbergen. The Svalbard archipelago is characterized by strong inflow of Atlantic water accompanied by rapidly falling sea level, rapidly growing Svalbard-Barents Sea-Ice Sheet, and associated increasing glaciotectonic activity during the time window around 30 calendar kyr B. P. of this catastrophic failure event. Thus the potential trigger mechanisms include sediment buoyancy and excess pore pressure, hydrate stability, and tectonic/glaciotectonic processes. While the common scenarios seem to fail to explain this unique submarine megaslide, we focus on glacial processes and their consequences for the regional tectonic framework. We conclude that the Hinlopen/Yermak Megaslide has been the consequence of the rapid onset of Late Weichselian glaciation resulting in a drastic sea level drop, asymmetrical ice loading, and a forebulge development leading to enhanced tectonic movements along the Hinlopen fault zone. As the final trigger we assume a strong earthquake positioned below or close to the SE Sophia Basin.

Description: Submersible dives on 22 active submarine volcanoes on the Mariana and Tonga-Kermadec arcs have discovered systems on six of these volcanoes that, in addition to discharging hot vent fluid, are also venting a separate CO2-rich phase either in the form of gas bubbles or liquid CO2 droplets. One of the most impressive is the Champagne vent site on NW Eifuku in the northern Mariana Arc, which is discharging cold droplets of liquid CO2 at an estimated rate of 23 mol CO2/s, about 0.1% of the global mid-ocean ridge (MOR) carbon flux. Three other Mariana Arc submarine volcanoes (NW Rota-1, Nikko, and Daikoku), and two volcanoes on the Tonga-Kermadec Arc (Giggenbach and Volcano-1) also have vent fields discharging CO2-rich gas bubbles. The vent fluids at these volcanoes have very high CO2 concentrations and elevated C/3He and δ 13C (CO2) ratios compared to MOR systems, indicating a contribution to the carbon flux from subducted marine carbonates and organic material. Analysis of the CO2 concentrations shows that most of the fluids are undersaturated with CO2. This deviation from equilibrium would not be expected for pressure release degassing of an ascending fluid saturated with CO2. Mechanisms to produce a separate CO2-rich gas phase at the seafloor require direct injection of magmatic CO2-rich gas. The ascending CO2-rich gas could then partially dissolve into seawater circulating within the volcano edifice without reaching equilibrium. Alternatively, an ascending high-temperature, CO2-rich aqueous fluid could boil to produce a CO2-rich gas phase and a CO2-depleted liquid. These findings indicate that carbon fluxes from submarine arcs may be higher than previously estimated, and that experiments to estimate carbon fluxes at submarine arc volcanoes are merited. Hydrothermal sites such as these with a separate gas phase are valuable natural laboratories for studying the effects of high CO2 concentrations on marine ecosystems.

Description: Multibeam sonar surveys have been conducted since their invention in the 1970s; however, mainly reflections from the seafloor were considered so far. More recently, water column imaging with multibeam is becoming of increasing interest for fisheries, buoy, mooring, or gas detection in the water column. Using ELAC SEABEAM 1000 data, we propose a technique to detect gas bubbles (flares) although this system is originally not designed to record water column data. The described data processing represents a case study and can be easily adapted to other multibeam systems. Multibeam data sets from the Black Sea and the North Sea show reflections of gas bubbles that form flares in the water column. At least for reasonably intense gas escape the detection of bubbles is feasible. The multibeam technique yields exact determination of the source position and information about the dimension of the gas cloud in the water. Compared to conventional flare imaging by single-beam echo sounders, the wide swath angle of multibeam systems allows the mapping of large areas in much shorter time.

Description: It is shown that some important aspects of the space-time structure of multidecadal sea surface temperature (SST) variability can be explained by local air-sea interactions. A concept for “Global Hyper Climate Modes” is formulated: surface heat flux variability associated with regional atmospheric variability patterns is integrated by the large heat capacity of the extra-tropical oceans, leading to a continuous increase of SST variance towards longer timescales. Atmospheric teleconnections spread the extra-tropical signal to the tropical regions. Once SST anomalies have developed in the Tropics, global atmospheric teleconnections spread the signal around the world creating a global hyper climate mode. A simple model suggests that hyper climate modes can vary on timescales longer than 1,000 years. Ocean dynamics may amplify theses modes and influence the regional expression of the variability, but are not at the heart of the mechanism which produces the hyper modes.

Description: Multi-Channel Seismic method (MCS), with its ability to image events down to a lateral resolution of 10 m has been successfully applied to address questions in physical oceanography. However, to date, these analyses have overlooked an important detail; the imaged boundaries are dynamic and move on a timescale that can be resolved by the MCS method. An important step in understanding the effect of the movement is calibration against constrained models. We demonstrate in this paper that it is possible using careful interpolation to take high resolution models of dynamic water (160 m x 2 m spatial resolution and 15 min temporal resolution) and generate models for synthetic seismic simulations (20 m x 4 m spatial resolution and 20 sec temporal resolution). We show that moving water, when ignored, will distort analyses of wavenumber spectra estimated from seismic data since the relative movement of water masses and the seismic acquisition vessel will change the apparent slope of spectra. Citation: Vsemirnova, E., R. Hobbs, N. Serra, D. Klaeschen, and E. Quentel (2009), Estimating internal wave spectra using constrained models of the dynamic ocean, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L00D07, doi: 10.1029/2009GL039598.

Description: Uptake of half of the fossil fuel CO2 into the ocean causes gradual seawater acidification. This has been shown to slow down calcification of major calcifying groups, such as corals, foraminifera, and coccolithophores. Here we show that two of the most productive marine calcifying species, the coccolithophores Coccolithus pelagicus and Calcidiscus leptoporus, do not follow the CO2-related calcification response previously found. In batch culture experiments, particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) of C. leptoporus changes with increasing CO2 concentration in a nonlinear relationship. A PIC optimum curve is obtained, with a maximum value at present-day surface ocean pCO2 levels (∼360 ppm CO2). With particulate organic carbon (POC) remaining constant over the range of CO2 concentrations, the PIC/POC ratio also shows an optimum curve. In the C. pelagicus cultures, neither PIC nor POC changes significantly over the CO2 range tested, yielding a stable PIC/POC ratio. Since growth rate in both species did not change with pCO2, POC and PIC production show the same pattern as POC and PIC. The two investigated species respond differently to changes in the seawater carbonate chemistry, highlighting the need to consider species-specific effects when evaluating whole ecosystem responses. Changes of calcification rate (PIC production) were highly correlated to changes in coccolith morphology. Since our experimental results suggest altered coccolith morphology (at least in the case of C. leptoporus) in the geological past, coccoliths originating from sedimentary records of periods with different CO2 levels were analyzed. Analysis of sediment samples was performed on six cores obtained from locations well above the lysocline and covering a range of latitudes throughout the Atlantic Ocean. Scanning electron micrograph analysis of coccolith morphologies did not reveal any evidence for significant numbers of incomplete or malformed coccoliths of C. pelagicus and C. leptoporus in last glacial maximum and Holocene sediments. The discrepancy between experimental and geological results might be explained by adaptation to changing carbonate chemistry.

Description: Time series of lead (Pb) and neodymium (Nd) isotope compositions were measured on three ferromanganese crusts recording the evolution of NE Atlantic water masses over the past 15 Ma. The crusts are distributed along a depth profile (∼700–4600 m) comprising the present-day depths of Mediterranean Outflow Water and North East Atlantic Deep Water. A pronounced increase of the 206Pb/204Pb in the two deeper crusts starting at ∼4 Ma and a decrease in 143Nd/144Nd in all three crusts took place between ∼6–4 Ma and the present. These patterns are similar to isotope time series in the western North Atlantic basin and are consistent with efficient mixing between the two basins. However, the changes occurred 1–3 Ma earlier in the eastern basin indicating that the northeastern Atlantic led the major change in Pb and Nd isotope composition, probably due to a direct supply of Labrador Seawater via a northern route. The Pb isotope evolution during the Pliocene-Pleistocene can generally be explained by mixing between two end-members corresponding to Mediterranean Outflow Water and North East Atlantic Deep Water, but external sources such as Saharan dust are likely to have played a role as well. The Pb isotope composition of the shallowest crust that grew within the present-day Mediterranean Outflow Water does not show significant Pb isotope changes indicating that it was controlled by the same Pb sources throughout the past 15 Ma.

Description: Microwave Limb Sounder and Sounding of the Atmosphere with Broadband Emission Radiometry data provide the first opportunity to characterize the four-dimensional stratopause evolution throughout the life-cycle of a major stratospheric sudden warming (SSW). The polar stratopause, usually higher than that at midlatitudes, dropped by ∼30 km and warmed during development of a major “wave 1” SSW in January 2006, with accompanying mesospheric cooling. When the polar vortex broke down, the stratopause cooled and became ill-defined, with a nearly isothermal stratosphere. After the polar vortex started to recover in the upper stratosphere/lower mesosphere (USLM), a cool stratopause reformed above 75 km, then dropped and warmed; both the mesosphere above and the stratosphere below cooled at this time. The polar stratopause remained separated from that at midlatitudes across the core of the polar night jet. In the early stages of the SSW, the strongly tilted (westward with increasing altitude) polar vortex extended into the mesosphere, and enclosed a secondary temperature maximum extending westward and slightly equatorward from the highest altitude part of the polar stratopause over the cool stratopause near the vortex edge. The temperature evolution in the USLM resulted in strongly enhanced radiative cooling in the mesosphere during the recovery from the SSW, but significantly reduced radiative cooling in the upper stratosphere. Assimilated meteorological analyses from the European Centre for Medium-Range weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and Goddard Earth Observing System Version 5.0.1 (GEOS-5), which are not constrained by data at polar stratopause altitudes and have model tops near 80 km, could not capture the secondary temperature maximum or the high stratopause after the SSW; they also misrepresent polar temperature structure during and after the stratopause breakdown, leading to large biases in their radiative heating rates. ECMWF analyses represent the stratospheric temperature structure more accurately, suggesting a better representation of vertical motion; GEOS-5 analyses more faithfully describe stratopause level wind and wave amplitudes. The high-quality satellite temperature data used here provide the first daily, global, multiannual data sets suitable for assessing and, eventually, improving representation of the USLM in models and assimilation systems.

Description: In recent years, the Indian Ocean (IO) has been discovered to have a much larger impact on climate variability than previously thought. This paper reviews climate phenomena and processes in which the IO is, or appears to be, actively involved. We begin with an update of the IO mean circulation and monsoon system. It is followed by reviews of ocean/atmosphere phenomenon at intraseasonal, interannual, and longer time scales. Much of our review addresses the two important types of interannual variability in the IO, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the recently identified Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). IOD events are often triggered by ENSO but can also occur independently, subject to eastern tropical preconditioning. Over the past decades, IO sea surface temperatures and heat content have been increasing, and model studies suggest significant roles of decadal trends in both the Walker circulation and the Southern Annular Mode. Prediction of IO climate variability is still at the experimental stage, with varied success. Essential requirements for better predictions are improved models and enhanced observations.

Description: Investigations into Fe(II) cycling during two Southern Ocean mesoscale iron enrichment experiments, SOFeX and EIFeX, clearly show the importance of Fe(II) to iron speciation during these experiments. In both cases the added Fe(II) persisted significantly longer than its expected oxidation time indicating a significant Fe reduction process at work. During EIFeX diel studies showed a strong photochemically induced cycle in Fe(II) production in sunlit surface waters. Our results suggest that the photochemical cycling of iron may also be important in unfertilized waters of the Southern Ocean.

Description: Measurements of CH4 concentrations in the bottom water during two discrete sampling periods in subsequent years above different cold seeps at the Pacific margin off Costa Rica indicate large-scale variations of CH4 release. CH4 is emitted from mud extrusions and a slide scar at 1000–2300 m water depth. Maximum CH4 concentrations were found to be lower above all investigated sites in autumn 2003 than in autumn 2002 although seep sites are up to 300 km apart. Tidal and current changes were observed but found to apply only to individual seep sites. Increased seismic activity connected to the moment magnitude (M W ) 6.4 earthquake offshore Costa Rica in June 2002 could have had an impact on all seep sites and thereby caused an increase in CH4 emission. This is supported by the largest variations of CH4 concentration found above mud extrusions located above faults likely more strongly affected by tectonic movements. Even though our data indicate a relation between seismicity and CH4 seepage, the relation is not proven, and future work is needed to comprehensively test this hypothesis.

Description: The observation of spatial and temporal dynamics of the ocean is fundamental to understand global and regional aspects of water mixing. Physical oceanography has traditionally observed ocean structures with in situ measurements, often limited in temporal and/or spatial resolution. In exploration seismology a set of techniques has been developed over the last decades to image and characterize the physical properties of sub-seafloor structures by inversion methods at high horizontal resolution. The two different fields have made contact in seismic oceanography where the well developed methods of marine reflection seismology have been applied to the dynamic ocean. However, one aspect, so far ignored in seismic oceanography, is the dynamical, temporally varying nature of water structures. Here we show that it is possible to estimate temporal variations of reflectors in water structures as an inversion parameter. The new dynamic property reflector movement velocity gives an additional parameter to characterize ocean water dynamics.

Description: Diagenetic processes are known to modify sedimentary records, but they can also reveal important paleoenvironmental changes. Here we investigate variations in sedimentary iron diagenesis and depositional environments for the last 35 ka by analyzing the rock magnetic and geochemical properties of two sediment cores collected in the Santa Barbara Basin (California). In organic-rich sediments, early diagenesis often leads to partial dissolution of detrital iron oxides and stepwise formation of authigenic pyrite (FeS2). The pyritization process takes place following several geochemical pathways, sometimes involving intermediate iron sulfide species such as greigite (Fe3S4). Sedimentary conditions in the basin appear to have recurrently favored preservation of greigite (identified by its magnetic properties) and inhibited its complete transformation into pyrite. The Holocene interval contains a series of centimeter-thick greigite-bearing layers that are associated with large flood deposits, which are known in the basin as ‘‘gray layers.’’ We propose that greigite preservation was enabled in these sediments by their relative enrichment in reactive iron over organic matter and/or hydrogen sulfide (because of their high ratio of terrigenous over organic material), which limited pyritization reactions. Within the glacial deposits, formation and preservation of meter-thick greigite layers occurred in terrigenous-rich and organic-poor sedimentary layers and is proposed to result from a similar diagenetic process to that in the Holocene greigite-bearing layers (dominance of reactive iron over organic matter and/or HS�). The terrigenous enrichments in the glacial greigite-bearing layers are probably related to climatic or sea level changes because they occur at times of massive iceberg releases in the North Atlantic, the so-called Heinrich events.

Description: We assessed interrelations between climatic, meteorological and hydrological factors in the Balearic Sea, and identified drivers of the abundance variability of planktonic copepods over the period 1994–2003. Temporal variability in the total abundance of copepods appears to be indicative of the southern spreading of the Northern Current, and therefore of meridional transport of water masses in the Balearic Sea. The results show that the large-scale atmospheric variability in the North Atlantic Ocean acts as a main driver of regional meteorological variations and hydrographic patterns in the Balearic Sea area. The clearly most novel insight from this study is that the effects of the North Atlantic climate on hydrographic variability and the abundance of copepods in the studied area are noticeable at monthly scales. Thus, the North Atlantic climate influence on the structure and biogeochemical fluxes in the Western Mediterranean pelagic ecosystems deserve more attention that they have been received so far.

Description: Valu Fa Ridge is an intraoceanic back-arc spreading center located at the southern prolongation of the Lau basin. Bathymetric observations as well as detailed sampling have been carried out along the spreading axis in order to trace hydrothermal and volcanic activity and to study magma generation processes. The survey shows that widespread lava flows from recent volcanic eruptions covered most of the Vai Lili hydrothermal vent field; only diffuse low-temperature discharge and the formation of thin layers of siliceous precipitates have been observed. Evidence of present-day hydrothermal activity at the Hine Hina site is indicated by a thermal anomaly in the overlying water column. Our studies did not reveal any signs of hydrothermal activity either above the seismically imaged magma chamber at 22°25′S or across the southern rift fault zone (22°51′S). Lavas recovered along the Valu Fa Ridge range from basaltic andesites to rhyolites with SiO2 contents higher than reported from any other intraoceanic back-arc basin. On the basis of the highly variable degrees of crystal fractionation along axis, the development of small disconnected magma bodies is suggested. In addition, the geochemical character of the volcanic rocks shows that the transition zone from oceanic spreading to propagating rifting is located south of the Hine Hina vent field in the vicinity of 22°35′S.

Description: Here we present the results of local source tomographic inversion beneath central Java. The data set was collected by a temporary seismic network. More than 100 stations were operated for almost half a year. About 13,000 P and S arrival times from 292 events were used to obtain three-dimensional (3-D) Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs models of the crust and the mantle wedge beneath central Java. Source location and determination of the 3-D velocity models were performed simultaneously based on a new iterative tomographic algorithm, LOTOS-06. Final event locations clearly image the shape of the subduction zone beneath central Java. The dipping angle of the slab increases gradually from almost horizontal to about 70°. A double seismic zone is observed in the slab between 80 and 150 km depth. The most striking feature of the resulting P and S models is a pronounced low-velocity anomaly in the crust, just north of the volcanic arc (Merapi-Lawu anomaly (MLA)). An algorithm for estimation of the amplitude value, which is presented in the paper, shows that the difference between the fore arc and MLA velocities at a depth of 10 km reaches 30% and 36% in P and S models, respectively. The value of the Vp/Vs ratio inside the MLA is more than 1.9. This shows a probable high content of fluids and partial melts within the crust. In the upper mantle we observe an inclined low-velocity anomaly which links the cluster of seismicity at 100 km depth with MLA. This anomaly might reflect ascending paths of fluids released from the slab. The reliability of all these patterns was tested thoroughly.

Description: Quantification of fluid fluxes from cold seeps depends on accurate estimates of the spatial validity of flux measurements. These estimates are strongly influenced by the choice of geoacoustic mapping tools. Multibeam bathymetry, side-scan sonar, and Chirp subbottom profiler data of several mound-shaped cold seeps offshore central Costa Rica show great variety in morphology and structure although the features are only a few kilometers apart. Mound 11 (a 35 m high and 1000 m in diameter structure), situated in the SE of the study area, has an irregular morphology but a smooth surface on side-scan sonar data, while mound 12 (30 m high, 600 m across) is a cone of more regular outline but with a rough surface, and mound Grillo (5 m high, 500 m across) shows the same rough surface as mound 12 but without relief. Video observations and sediment cores indicate that the structures are formed by the precipitation of authigenic carbonates and indications for extensive mud extrusion are absent, except for one possible mudflow at mound 11. Different sonar frequencies result in variable estimates of the extent of these mounds with low frequencies suggesting much wider cold seeps, consequently overestimating fluid fluxes. The absence of mud volcanism compared to accretionary prisms where mud volcanism occurs is related to different tectonic styles: strong sediment overpressure and thrust faulting in typical accretionary prisms can generate mud volcanism, while subduction erosion and normal faulting (extension) of the overriding plate at the Costa Rican margin result in fluid venting driven by only slight fluid overpressures.

Description: In 2005 an amphibious seismic network was deployed on the Chilean forearc between 41.75°S and 43.25°S. 364 local events were observed in a 11-month period. A subset of the P and S arrival times were inverted for hypocentral coordinates, 1-D velocity structure and station delays. Main seismic activity occurred predominantly in a belt parallel to the coast of Chiloé Island in a depth range of 12–30 km presumably related to the plate interface. The 30° inclination of the shallow part of the Wadati-Benioff zone is similar to observations further north indicating that oceanic plate age is not controlling the subduction angle of the shallower part for the Chilean subduction zone. The down-dip termination of abundant intermediate depth seismicity at approximately 70 km depth seems to be related to the young age (and high temperature) of the oceanic plate. Crustal seismicity is associated with the Liquiñe-Ofqui fault zone and active volcanoes.

Description: We constructed a high-resolution Mg/Ca record on the planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides sacculifer in order to explore the change in sea surface temperature (SST) due to the shoaling of the Isthmus of Panama as well as the impact of secondary factors like diagenesis and large salinity fluctuations. The study covers the latest Miocene and the early Pliocene (5.6–3.9 Ma) and was combined with δ18O to isolate changes in sea surface salinity (SSS). Before 4.5 Ma, SSTMg/Ca and SSS show moderate fluctuations, indicating a free exchange of surface ocean water masses between the Pacific and the Atlantic. The increase in δ18O after 4.5 Ma represents increasing salinities in the Caribbean due to the progressive closure of the Panamanian Gateway. The increase in Mg/Ca toward values of maximum 7 mmol/mol suggests that secondary influences have played a significant role. Evidence of crystalline overgrowths on the foraminiferal tests in correlation with aragonite, Sr/Ca, and productivity cyclicities indicates a diagenetic overprint on the foraminiferal tests. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry analyses, however, do not show significantly increased Mg/Ca ratios in the crystalline overgrowths, and neither do calculations based on pore water data conclusively result in significantly elevated Mg/Ca ratios in the crystalline overgrowths. Alternatively, the elevated Mg/Ca ratios might have been caused by salinity as the δ18O record of Site 1000 has been interpreted to represent large fluctuations in SSS, and cultivating experiments have shown an increase in Mg/Ca with increasing salinity. We conclude that the Mg/Ca record 〈4.5 Ma can only reliably be considered for paleoceanographical purposes when the minimum values, not showing any evidence of secondary influences, are used, resulting in a warming of central Caribbean surface water masses after 4.5 Ma of ∼2°C.

Description: New 3-D seismic investigations carried out across the Sevastopol mud volcano in the Sorokin Trough present 3-D seismic data of a mud volcano in the Black Sea for the first time. The studies allow us to image the complex three-dimensional morphology of a collapse structured mud volcano and to propose an evolution model. The Sevastopol mud volcano is located above a buried diapiric structure with two ridges and controlled by fluid migration along a deep fault system, which developed during the growth of the diapirs in a compressional tectonic system. Overpressured fluids initiated an explosive eruption generating the collapse depression of the Sevastopol mud volcano. Several cones were formed within the depression by subsequent quiet mud extrusions. Although gas hydrates have been recovered at various mud volcanoes in the Sorokin Trough, no gas hydrates were sampled at the Sevastopol mud volcano. A BSR (bottom-simulating reflector) is missing in the seismic data; however, high-amplitude reflections (bright spots) observed above the diapiric ridge near the mud volcano at a relatively constant depth correspond to the approximate depth of the base of the gas hydrate stability zone (BGHSZ). Thus we suggest that gas hydrates are present locally where gas/fluid flow occurs related to mud volcanism, i.e., above the diapir and close to the feeder channel of the mud volcano. Depth variations of the bright spots of up to 200 ms TWT might be caused by temperature variations produced by variable fluid flow.

Description: Time series of transports in the Agulhas region have been constructed by simulating Lagrangian drifter trajectories in a 1/10 degree two-way nested ocean model. Using these 34 year long time series it is shown that smaller (larger) Agulhas Current transport leads to larger (smaller) Indian-Atlantic inter-ocean exchange. When transport is low, the Agulhas Current detaches farther downstream from the African continental slope. Moreover, the lower inertia suppresses generation of anti-cyclonic vorticity. These two effects cause the Agulhas retroflection to move westward and enhance Agulhas leakage. In the model a 1 Sv decrease in Agulhas Current transport at 32 degrees S results in a 0.7 +/- 0.2 Sv increase in Agulhas leakage

Description: While recent changes in subarctic North Pacific climate had dramatic effects on ecosystems and fishery yields, past climate dynamics and teleconnection patterns are poorly understood due to the absence of century-long high-resolution marine records. We present the first 117-year long annually resolved marine climate history from the western Bering Sea/Aleutian Island region using information contained in the calcitic skeleton of the long-lived crustose coralline red alga Clathromorphum nereostratum, a previously unused climate archive. The skeletal δ18O-time series indicates significant warming and/or freshening of surface waters after the middle of the 20th century. Furthermore, the time series is spatiotemporally correlated with Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and tropical El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indices. Even though the western Bering Sea/Aleutian Island region is believed to be outside the area of significant marine response to ENSO, we propose that an ENSO signal is transmitted via the Alaskan Stream from the Eastern North Pacific, a region of known ENSO teleconnections.

Description: Data sets from satellite observations and a nested high-resolution model are used to study a source region of the Agulhas Current. Altimeter-derived geostrophic surface currents are averaged over varying periods, providing evidence of the persistence of flow patterns in the extension of the southern branch of the East Madagascar Current (SEMC). South of Madagascar, the SEMC separates into one branch toward the Agulhas Current and into a second branch retroflecting and connecting to the Subtropical Indian Ocean Countercurrent (SICC). Good agreement is found between long-term mean patterns of observational and model dynamic heights. Two basic modes are identified in the SEMC extension, with anticyclonic motion favoring retroflection in the northern Mozambique Basin when the extension is in a southwestward direction and cyclonic motion occurring in the case of the SEMC flowing westward along the southern Madagascar slope. A cross-correlation sequence between model SEMC transports and the modal changes in the extension region displays a correlation at about 1-month lag which agrees with eddy propagation time from the SEMC to the outflow region. Mean model SEMC transports are determined using floats released at 21 degrees S, and the contribution of the SEMC to the SICC is obtained using floats injected at 55 degrees E with the model running backward. Almost half of the SEMC volume transport contributes to the Agulhas system, and about 40% of SICC water originates from the SEMC.

Description: The initiation of Northern Hemisphere glaciation in the subarctic North Pacific at ∼2.73 Ma was marked by an abrupt cessation of high opaline accumulation, considered to result from an increased stratification of the water column that should have led to higher utilization of nutrients in the surface ocean. We present a new stable Si isotope-based record of Si utilization that is hard to reconcile with this model. A drop in 30Si/28Si by 0.4‰ at 2.73 Ma is coincident with an increase in bulk N isotope composition. The contrasting utilization records cannot have been both caused by a hydrographic change alone. Excluding a change in the Si:N export ratio, these results either imply a relative increase in silicic acid supplied to the surface waters or a change in its Si isotope composition. While it is impossible to distinguish between these two possibilities, both imply a regional or global change in the Si biogeochemical cycle, potentially caused by an enhanced storage of Si in the underlying deep waters of the Pacific.

Description: The seasonal hydrographic cycle explains about 25–75% of the entire salinity variability spectrum of the Siberian shelf hydrography. Quasi-decadal variations in the seasonal salinity difference over the Laptev and East Siberian sea shelves derived from continuous summer-to-winter historical records from the 1960s–1990s are attributed to atmospheric vorticity quasi-decadal variations. Summer cyclonic vorticity results in riverine water accumulation on the shelf, increasing the salinity summer-to-winter difference. Summer anticyclonic wind pattern enhances fresh water movement from the shelf towards the Arctic Ocean that tends to weaken the seasonal salinity amplitude.

Description: Total alkalinity (AT) was measured during the Meteor 51/2 cruise, crossing the Mediterranean Sea from west to east. AT concentrations were high (∼2600 μmol kg−1) and alkalinity-salinity-correlations had negative intercepts. These results are explained by evaporation coupled with high freshwater AT inputs into coastal areas. Salinity adjustment of AT revealed excess alkalinity throughout the water column compared to mid-basin surface waters. Since Mediterranean waters are supersaturated with respect to calcite and aragonite, the excess alkalinity likely reflects alkalinity inputs to coastal areas close to regions of deep and intermediate water formation. An alkalinity budget shows that main alkalinity inputs come from the Black Sea and from rivers, whereas the Strait of Gibraltar is a net sink. The major sink appears to be carbonate sedimentation. The basin-average net calcification rate and CaCO3 sedimentation was estimated to be 0.38 mol m−2 yr−1. The estimated residence time of AT is ∼160 yr.

Description: Eighty-five young researchers from 20 countries met in Russia to learn about the latest techniques in polar ocean observation and monitoring and to discuss the advantages and limits of various techniques, methods of data transmission, and joint research projects. IMPETUS 2008, the largest workshop ever held for early career scientists in polar marine research, was organized by the Otto Schmidt Laboratory for Polar and Marine Research at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, in Saint Petersburg; the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists; and the Permafrost Young Researchers Network.

Description: In this study we present a global distribution pattern and budget of the minimum flux of particulate organic carbon to the sea floor (JPOCα). The estimations are based on regionally specific correlations between the diffusive oxygen flux across the sediment-water interface, the total organic carbon content in surface sediments, and the oxygen concentration in bottom waters. For this, we modified the principal equation of Cai and Reimers [1995] as a basic monod reaction rate, applied within 11 regions where in situ measurements of diffusive oxygen uptake exist. By application of the resulting transfer functions to other regions with similar sedimentary conditions and areal interpolation, we calculated a minimum global budget of particulate organic carbon that actually reaches the sea floor of ∼0.5 GtC yr−1 (〉1000 m water depth (wd)), whereas approximately 0.002–0.12 GtC yr−1 is buried in the sediments (0.01–0.4% of surface primary production). Despite the fact that our global budget is in good agreement with previous studies, we found conspicuous differences among the distribution patterns of primary production, calculations based on particle trap collections of the POC flux, and JPOCα of this study. These deviations, especially located at the southeastern and southwestern Atlantic Ocean, the Greenland and Norwegian Sea and the entire equatorial Pacific Ocean, strongly indicate a considerable influence of lateral particle transport on the vertical link between surface waters and underlying sediments. This observation is supported by sediment trap data. Furthermore, local differences in the availability and quality of the organic matter as well as different transport mechanisms through the water column are discussed.

Description: The impacts of the tropical Indian and Atlantic Oceans on ENSO are studied using a series of 500 years long GCM simulations, in which the tropical Indian and/or Atlantic Ocean SSTs are fixed. The results indicate that the tropical Indian and/or Atlantic Oceans SST anomalies substantially influence the coupling over the equatorial Pacific. In the absence of SST variability in the tropical Indian and/or Atlantic Ocean, the main ENSO period is shifted by almost one year. The total SST variance in the equatorial Pacific region is reduced if either Indian or Atlantic Ocean variability is present. At the same time the atmospheric ENSO teleconnections are damped more strongly than the SST. The results can be understood in the context of the recharge oscillator model. However, it is difficult to verify the feedback of the Indian and/or Atlantic Oceans onto ENSO only with statistical analyses of the coupled model control integration or observations.

Description: The structure of the subtropical South Indian Ocean Countercurrent (SICC) is revealed by altimeter-derived absolute geostrophic surface velocities. It is a narrow, eastward-flowing current between 22° and 26°S confined to planetary wave trains which propagate westward through the Indian Ocean. Multi-year averaging identifies it as a well-defined current between Madagascar and 80°E, continuing with lower intensity between 90° and 100°E. It virtually coincides with the northern limit of Subtropical Underwater subduction. Geostrophic currents from hydrographic sections closely correspond to these surface patterns. Volume transports of the countercurrent down to 800 dbar are of order (107 m3 s−1). Evidence is provided for a narrow branch of the South Equatorial Current (SEC) approaching Madagascar near 18°S and feeding the southern East Madagascar Current (EMC) which appears to continue westward around the southern tip of Madagascar. It then partially retroflects and nourishes the SICC.

Description: Time series of hydrographic and transient tracer measurements were used to study the variability of Greenland Sea water mass transformation between 1991 and 2000. Increases in tracer inventories indicate active renewal of Greenland Sea Intermediate Water (GSIW) at a rate of 0.1 to 0.2 Sv (1 Sv = 1 × 106 m3 s−1) (10-year average). A temperature maximum (Tmax) was established at the base of the upper layer (500 m) as a consequence of anomalously strong freshwater input into the near-surface layer at the beginning of the 1990s. Tmax rapidly descended to 1500 m by 1995 followed by a much slower rate of descent. GSIW became warmer and less saline compared to the 1980s. During the deepening phase of Tmax, atmospheric data revealed above-average wind stress curl and oceanic heat loss. In addition, high Arctic Ocean sea-ice export and lack of local sea-ice formation have been documented for that period. A combination of all these factors may have evoked the renewal of GSIW with anomalously freshwater from the upper layers. The Tmax layer established a stability maximum that inhibits vertical exchange between intermediate and deeper waters. Temperature and salinity of deep waters continued to increase at rates of 0.01°C yr−1 and 0.001 yr−1, respectively. However, since 1993, decrease in and homogenization of deep water transient tracer concentrations indicate that renewal occurred predominantly by addition of Arctic Ocean waters. In 2000 the water column (500 m to 3400 m) required an additional 60 W m−2 (110 W m−2) over the annual mean heat loss to restore its heat content to 1989 (1971) values.

Description: This study was motivated by a strong warming signal seen in mooring-based and oceanographic survey data collected in 2004 in the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean. The source of this and earlier Arctic Ocean changes lies in interactions between polar and sub-polar basins. Evidence suggests such changes are abrupt, or pulse-like, taking the form of propagating anomalies that can be traced to higher-latitudes. For example, an anomaly found in 2004 in the eastern Eurasian Basin took ∼1.5 years to propagate from the Norwegian Sea to the Fram Strait region, and additional ∼4.5–5 years to reach the Laptev Sea slope. While the causes of the observed changes will require further investigation, our conclusions are consistent with prevailing ideas suggesting the Arctic Ocean is in transition towards a new, warmer state.

Description: The annual onset of snowmelt on sea ice is essential for climate monitoring since it triggers a decrease in surface albedo that feeds back into a stronger absorption of shortwave radiation—a process known as the snowmelt-albedo feedback—and thus strongly modifies the surface energy balance during summer [Curry et al., 1995]. Algorithms designed for the detection of snowmelt on Arctic sea ice and based on longterm passive-microwave data [Anderson, 1997; Drobot and Anderson, 2001] revealed the melt season in the Arctic from 1979 to 1998 to be significantly elongated and the onset of melt to be shifted toward earlier dates [Drobot and Anderson, 2001; Belchansky et al., 2004]. In the Antarctic, however, little effort has been made so far in detecting the length of the summer melt season on sea ice by means of satellite microwave data. This results from the fact that surface melting in the Antarctic differs significantly from corresponding processes in the Arctic [Nicolaus et al., 2006]. The hemispheric differences are supported by extensive field measurements [Massom et al., 2001; Haas et al., 2001 ] and find expression in a reversal of the general surface radar backscatter and brightness temperature (TB) tendencies during summer [Haas, 2001; Kern and Heygster, 2001] : In the Antarctic, sea ice backscatter increases and TB decreases when summer approaches, contrary to the Arctic. Hence, algorithms developed for Arctic sea ice are not applicable on its southern counterpart. As summer air temperatures in the Antarctic rarely rise above 0°C, classical surface melt ponds have never been observed to the extent they appear in the Arctic and the sea ice surface typically remains snow-covered year-round. Drinkwater and Liu [2000] investigate snowmelt on Antarctic sea ice based on a method that identifies a decrease in surface radar backscatter. However, they detect melt to be lasting for only some days and exclusively on first-year ice. Presumably, the backscatter decrease they observe is due to flooding of the snow before the ice underneath finally deteriorates.

Description: This study aims at the determination of a Fram Strait cyclone track and of the cyclone's impact on ice edge, drift, divergence, and concentration. A 24 h period on 13–14 March 2002 framed by two RADARSAT images is analyzed. Data are included from autonomous ice buoys, a research vessel, Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and QuikSCAT satellite, and the operational European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model. During this 24 h period the cyclone moved northward along the western ice edge in the Fram Strait, crossed the northern ice edge, made a left-turn loop with 150 km diameter over the sea ice, and returned to the northern ice edge. The ECMWF analysis places the cyclone track 100 km too far west over the sea ice, a deviation which is too large for representative sea ice simulations. On the east side of the northward moving cyclone, the ice edge was pushed northward by 55 km because of strong winds. On the rear side, the ice edge advanced toward the open water but by a smaller distance because of weaker winds there. The ice drift pattern as calculated from the ice buoys and the two RADARSAT images is cyclonically curved around the center of the cyclone loop. Ice drift divergence shows a spatial pattern with divergence in the loop center and a zone of convergence around. Ice concentration changes as retrieved from SSM/I data follow the divergence pattern such that sea ice concentration increased in areas of divergence and decreased in areas of convergence.

Description: Observations of snow properties, superimposed ice, and atmospheric heat fluxes have been performed on first-year and second-year sea ice in the western Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Snow in this region is particular as it does usually survive summer ablation. Measurements were performed during Ice Station Polarstern (ISPOL), a 5-week drift station of the German icebreaker RV Polarstern. Net heat flux to the snowpack was 8 W m−2, causing only 0.1 to 0.2 m of thinning of both snow cover types, thinner first-year and thicker second-year snow. Snow thinning was dominated by compaction and evaporation, whereas melt was of minor importance and occurred only internally at or close to the surface. Characteristic differences between snow on first-year and second-year ice were found in snow thickness, temperature, and stratigraphy. Snow on second-year ice was thicker, colder, denser, and more layered than on first-year ice. Metamorphism and ablation, and thus mass balance, were similar between both regimes, because they depend more on surface heat fluxes and less on underground properties. Ice freeboard was mostly negative, but flooding occurred mainly on first-year ice. Snow and ice interface temperature did not reach the melting point during the observation period. Nevertheless, formation of discontinuous superimposed ice was observed. Color tracer experiments suggest considerable meltwater percolation within the snow, despite below-melting temperatures of lower layers. Strong meridional gradients of snow and sea-ice properties were found in this region. They suggest similar gradients in atmospheric and oceanographic conditions and implicate their importance for melt processes and the location of the summer ice edge.

Description: The impact of extreme sea ice initial conditions on modelled climate is analysed for a fully coupled atmosphere ocean sea ice general circulation model, the Hadley Centre climate model HadCM3. A control run is chosen as reference experiment with greenhouse gas concentration fixed at pre-industrial conditions. Sensitivity experiments show an almost complete recovery from total removal or strong increase of sea ice after four years. Thus, uncertainties in initial sea ice conditions seem to be unimportant for climate modelling on decadal or longer time scales. When the initial conditions of the ocean mixed layer were adjusted to ice-free conditions, a few substantial differences remained for more than 15 model years. But these differences are clearly smaller than the uncertainty of the HadCM3 run and all the other 19 IPCC fourth assessment report climate model pre-industrial runs. It is an important task to improve climate models in simulating the past sea ice variability to enable them to make reliable projections for the 21st century.

Description: While planning the COAST Expedition to the Siberian Laptev Sea in 2005, the question of how to make a short equilibrium temperature measurement in a dry borehole arose. As a result, an infrared borehole tool was developed and used in three dry boreholes (up to 60.2 m deep) in the coastal transition zone from terrestrial to sub-sea permafrost near Mamontovy Klyk in the western Laptev Sea. A depth versus temperature profile was acquired with equilibration times of 50 × 10−3 s at each depth interval. Comparison with a common resistor string revealed an offset due to limitations of accuracy of the infrared technique and the influence of the probe's massive steel housing. Therefore it was necessary to calibrate the infrared sensor with a high precision temperature logger in each borehole. The results of the temperature measurements show a highly dynamic transition zone with temperature gradients up to −0.092°C/m and heat flow of −218 mW/m. A period of submergence of only 600 years the drilled sub-sea permafrost is approaching the overlying seawater temperature at −1.61°C with a temperature gradient of 0.021°C/m and heat flow of 49 mW/m. Further offshore, 11 km from the coastline, a temperature gradient of 0.006°C/m and heat flow of 14 mW/m occur. Thus the sub-sea permafrost in the Mamontovy Klyk region has reached a critical temperature for the presence of interstitial ice. The aim of this article is to give a brief feasibility study of infrared downhole temperature measurements and to present experiences and results of its successful application.

Description: Microstructure and hydrographic observations, during September 2007 in the boundary current on the East Siberian continental slope, document upper ocean stratification and along-stream water mass changes. A thin warm surface layer overrides a shallow halocline characterized by a ∼40-m thick temperature minimum layer beginning at ∼30 m depth. Below the halocline, well-defined thermohaline diffusive staircases extended downwards to warm Atlantic Water intrusions found at 200–800 m depth. Observed turbulent eddy kinetic energy dissipations are extremely low (ε 〈 10−6 W m−3), such that double diffusive convection dominates the vertical mixing in the upper-ocean. The diffusive convection heat fluxes FHdc ∼1 W m−2, are an order of magnitude too small to account for the observed along-stream cooling of the boundary current. Our results implicate circulation patterns and the influence of shelf waters in the evolution of the boundary current waters.

Description: Snowmelt processes on Antarctic sea ice are examined. We present a simple snowmelt indicator based on diurnal brightness temperature variations from microwave satellite data. The method is validated through extensive field data from the western Weddell Sea and lends itself to the investigation of interannual and spatial variations of the typical snowmelt on Antarctic sea ice. We use in-situ measurements of physical snow properties to show that despite the absence of strong melting, the summer period is distinct from all other seasons with enhanced diurnal variations of snow wetness. A microwave emission model reveals that repeated thawing and refreezing cause the typical microwave emissivity signatures that are found on perennial Antarctic sea ice during summer. The proposed melt indicator accounts for the characteristic phenomenological stages of snowmelt in the Southern Ocean and detects the onset of diurnal snow wetting. An algorithm is presented to map large-scale snowmelt onset based on satellite data from the period between 1988 and 2006. The results indicate strong meridional gradients of snowmelt onset with the Weddell, Amundsen, and Ross Seas showing earliest (beginning of October) and most frequent snowmelt. Moreover, a distinct interannual variability of melt onset dates and large areas of first-year ice where no diurnal freeze thawing occurs at the surface are determined.

Description: Dense Nordic waters enter the North Atlantic through passages in the Greenland-Scotland Ridge at a mean rate of 6 Sv. Subsequent entrainment of ambient water into the sinking plumes downstream of the sills approximately double this flux. Decade-long observations show these fluxes to be stable with no discernible trends. Hydraulic control of the overflows and the buffering effect of the Nordic basins effectively filter out short-term variability of dense water production associated with white noise North Atlantic Oscillation forcing. Simulations with directly forced and coupled atmosphere-ocean models show, under present climate conditions, overflow variability on multi-decadal time scales but no longterm trends.

Description: Wave attenuation is an important physical property of hydrate-bearing sediments that is rarely taken into account in site characterization with seismic data. We present a field example showing improved images of hydrate-bearing sediments on seismic data after compensation of attenuation effects. Compressional quality factors estimated from zero-offset Vertical Seismic Profiling data acquired at Mallik, Northwest Territories, Canada, demonstrate significant wave attenuation for hydrate-bearing sediments. These results are in agreement with previous attenuation estimates obtained from sonic logs and crosshole data at different frequency intervals. The application of an inverse Q-filter to compensate attenuation effects of permafrost and hydrate-bearing sediments improved the resolution of surface 3D seismic data and its correlation with log data, particularly for the shallowest gas hydrate interval. Compensation of the attenuation effects of the permafrost likely explains most of the improvements for the shallow gas hydrate zone. Our results show that characterization of the Mallik gas hydrates with seismic data not corrected for attenuation would tend to overestimate thicknesses and lateral extent of hydrate-bearing strata and hence, the volume of hydrates in place.

Description: High interannual variability of summer surface salinity over the Laptev and East Siberian Sea shelves derived from historical records of the 1950s–2000s is attributed to atmospheric vorticity variations. In the cyclonic regime (positive vorticity) the eastward diversion of the Laptev Sea riverine water results in a negative salinity anomaly to the east of the Lena Delta and farther to the East Siberian Sea, and a positive anomaly to the north of the Lena Delta. Anticyclonic (negative) vorticity results in negative salinity anomalies northward from the Lena Delta due to freshwater advection toward the north, and a corresponding salinity increase eastward.

Description: Identifying the source of atmospheric dust is crucial to better understand the global marine biogeochemical cycle as phytoplankton growth relies on dissolved micronutrient elements available in the open ocean. Mineralogical, geochemical and Sr isotope analyses of a one year-time series (April 2003–April 2004) of deep ocean particle flux at the Madeira Abyssal Plain in the subtropical northeast Atlantic are presented. The lithogenic fraction has a high occurrence of palygorskite and smectite and an absence of kaolinite together with Sr isotopic compositions similar to the Northeast Atlantic aerosols. This indicates the Anti-Atlas Moroccan chain of Paleozoïc age as the source region. The lithogenic fraction supplies 4 times more Fe during a dust event than during the spring-summer aeolian input. A continuous input of only 1% of the lithogenic iron made available over a year period, could lead to an increase in primary productivity of 40% relative to today's value.

Description: CTD measurements carried out in the southern Adriatic Sea and in the western Ionian basin (Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea) during May 2003 by the German research vessel Poseidon (Poseidon cruise 298) and numerical simulations are used to elucidate aspects of the abyssal circulation of this oceanic region. The observations reveal that dense waters of Adriatic origin were strongly diluted along their way on the Italian continental slope, whilst their characteristics remained better preserved in a region located further east. Numerical simulations carried out by means of a nonlinear, reduced-gravity plume model confirm the observations and contribute to explain their cause: The very steep topographic slope along the Italian shelf in the region of the Gulf of Taranto induces strong entrainment of intermediate waters in the bottom layers. Instead, the bottom waters of Adriatic origin which, along their path further east, encounter gentler topographic variations, are weakly diluted by turbulent mixing and, therefore, better preserve their original characteristics. The remarkable differences in the simulated turbulent mixing along these two different paths are accentuated by the presence of a noticeable zonal gradient of potential density existing in the near-bottom layers of the northern Ionian basin.

Description: Gas hydrate samples recovered from a cold vent field offshore Vancouver Island were studied in detail both by macroscopic observations and instrumental methods (powder X-ray diffraction method (PXRD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Raman spectroscopy). It was found that gas hydrates were massive from 2.64 to 2.94 m below seafloor (mbsf), elongated, nodular and tabular from 4.60 to 4.81 mbsf, and vein-like from 5.48 to 5.68 mbsf, showing a trend of decreasing hydrate content with increasing depth. All samples were determined to be structure I hydrate from PXRD, NMR, and Raman spectroscopies. The hydration numbers were estimated to be 6.1 ± 0.2 on average as determined from the methane distribution over the cage sites from NMR and Raman analytical results. Estimates of conversion levels indicated that ∼78% of the water in the massive samples was hydrate, down to a low value of ∼0.4% for the pore hydrate samples. The results are compared with measurements on synthetic hydrates and samples recovered from below the permafrost on the Mallik site. Differences in methane content and lattice parameters for synthetic and natural samples are relatively minor. Additional work is needed to address the presence of minor gas components and the heterogeneity of natural hydrate samples.

Description: Large-scale, catastrophic mass wasting is a major process contributing to the dismantling of oceanic intraplate volcanoes. Recent studies, however, have highlighted a possible feedback relationship between flank collapse, or incipient instability, and subsequent episodes of structural rearrangement and/or renewed volcano growth. The Teno massif, located in northwestern Tenerife (Canary Islands), is a deeply eroded Miocene shield volcano that was built in four major eruptive phases punctuated by two lateral collapses, each removing 〉20–25 km3 of the volcano's north flank. In this paper, we use detailed field observations and petrological and geochemical data to evaluate possible links between large-scale landslides and subsequent volcanism/magmatism during Teno's evolution. Inspection of key stratigraphic sequences reveals that steep angular unconformities, relics of paleolandslide scars, are marked by polymict breccias. Near their base, these deposits typically include abundant juvenile pyroclastic material, otherwise scarce in the region. While some of Teno's most evolved, low-density magmas were produced just before flank collapses, early postlandslide lava sequences are characterized by anomalously high proportions of dense ankaramite flows, extremely rich in clinopyroxene and olivine crystals. A detailed sampling profile shows transitions from low-Mg # lavas relatively rich in SiO2 to lavas with low silica content and comparatively high Mg # after both landslides. Long-term variations in Zr/Nb, normative nepheline, and La/Lu are coupled but do not show a systematic correlation with stratigraphic boundaries. We propose that whereas loading of the growing precollapse volcano promoted magma stagnation and differentiation, the successive giant landslides modified the shallow volcano-tectonic stress field at Teno, resulting in widespread pyroclastic eruptions and shallow magma reservoir drainage. This rapid unloading of several tens of km3 of near-surface rocks appears to have upset magma differentiation processes, while facilitating the remobilization and tapping of denser ankaramite magmas that were stored in the uppermost mantle. Degrees of mantle melting coincidently reached a maximum in the short time interval between the two landslides and declined shortly after, probably reflecting intrinsic plume processes rather than a collapse-induced influence on mantle melting. Our study of Teno volcano bears implications for other oceanic volcanoes where short-term compositional variations may also directly relate to major flank collapse events.

Description: The extent of the Yermak Slide has been revised on the basis of new acoustic and detailed bathymetric data. The true geometry, with an affected area of at least 10,000 km2 and more than 2400 km3 of involved sedimentary material, puts the Yermak Slide among the largest exposed submarine slides worldwide, comparable to the Storegga Slide off central Norway. Details from the side's internal structure give evidence for one main slide event during MIS 3 followed by repeated minor events. The timing coincides with the transition of the Kapp Ekholm Interstadial into Glaciation G of Svalbard (Mangerud et al., 1998) and the buildup phase of the Svalbard-Barents Sea Ice Sheet. Thus the slide occurred during a period of falling sea level, increasing ice volume, and, presumably, increasing glaciotectonic activity. The side's geometry and internal physical appearance point to a tectonically induced partial shelf collapse.

Description: The study compiles the controlling factors for organic matter sedimentation patterns from a suite of organogeochemical parameters in surface sediments off Spitsbergen and direct seabed observations using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). In addition we assess its storage rates as well as the potential of carbon sinks on the northwestern margin of the Barents Sea with short sediment cores from a selected fjord environment (Storfjord). While sedimentation in the fjords is mainly controlled by river/meltwater discharge and coastal erosion by sea ice/glaciers resulting in high supply of terrigenous organic matter, Atlantic water inflow, and thus enhanced marine organic matter supply, characterizes the environment on the outer shelf and slope. Local deviations from this pattern, particularly on the shelf, are due to erosion and out washing of fine-grained material by bottom currents. Spots dominated by marine productivity close to the island have been found at the outer Isfjord and west off Prins Karls Forland as well as off the Kongsfjord/Krossfjord area and probably reflect local upwelling of nutrient-rich Atlantic water–derived water masses. Accumulation rates of marine organic carbon as well as reconstructed primary productivities decreased since the middle of the last century. Negative correlation of the Isfjord temperature record with reconstructed productivities in the Storfjord could be explained by a reduced annual duration of the marginal ice zone in the area due to global warming. Extremely high accumulation rates of marine organic carbon between 5.4 and 17.2 g m−2 yr−1 mark the Storfjord area, and probably high-latitude fjord environments in general, as a sink for carbon dioxide.

Description: This study presents a comparison of sea surface temperature (SST) estimates based on Mg/Ca ratios of Globigerinoides ruber and alkenone unsaturation index (U37 K′) in core sediment recovered from the Gulf of Guinea, eastern equatorial Atlantic. Mg/Ca- and U37 K′-based SST estimates yield fairly comparable results for the time interval 21,000–14,500 years and for the late Holocene. The early and middle Holocene, however, are largely characterized by a discrepant trend, with warm Mg/Ca and cold U37 K′ based SST estimates. This discrepant SST trend is accompanied by low sea surface salinity estimates (high riverine runoff) and biogenic sediment, which is characterized by high biogenic opal content, low carbonate content, and relatively low alkenone concentration. We hypothesize that the discrepancy in the reconstructed SSTs during the middle and early Holocene presumably suggests a period of elevated riverine input of dissolved silica and dominantly siliceous phytoplankton bloom in a low saline and warm surface water, while alkenone producers were likely prevalent in a season of cold SST and low riverine silica input. This study suggests that changes in the local hydrography and nutrient input have strong influence on the U37 K′-based SST estimate that may be unraveled by combining different SST proxies.

Description: We present a modern method used in nonlinear time series analysis to investigate the relation of two oscillating systems with respect to their phases, independently of their amplitudes. We study the difference of the phase dynamics between El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Monsoon on inter-annual time scales. We identify distinct epochs, especially two intervals of phase coherence, 1886–1908 and 1964–1980, corroborating earlier findings from a new point of view. A significance test shows that the coherence is very unlikely to be the result of stochastic fluctuations. We also detect so far unknown periods of coupling which are invisible to linear methods. These findings suggest that the decreasing correlation during the last decades might be a typical epoch of the ENSO/Monsoon system having occurred repeatedly. The high time resolution of the method enables us to present an interpretation of how volcanic radiative forcing could cause the coupling.

Description: An interlaboratory study of Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios in three commercially available carbonate reference materials (BAM RS3, CMSI 1767, and ECRM 752-1) was performed with the participation of 25 laboratories that determine foraminiferal Mg/Ca ratios worldwide. These reference materials containing Mg/Ca in the range of foraminiferal calcite (0.8 mmol/mol to 6 mmol/mol) were circulated with a dissolution protocol for analysis. Participants were asked to make replicate dissolutions of the powdered samples and to analyze them using the instruments and calibration standards routinely used in their laboratories. Statistical analysis was performed in accordance with the International Standardization Organization standard 5725, which is based on the analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique. Repeatability (RSDr%), an indicator of intralaboratory precision, for Mg/Ca determinations in solutions after centrifuging increased with decreasing Mg/Ca, ranging from 0.78% at Mg/Ca = 5.56 mmol/mol to 1.15% at Mg/Ca = 0.79 mmol/mol. Reproducibility (RSDR%), an indicator of the interlaboratory method precision, for Mg/Ca determinations in centrifuged solutions was noticeably worse than repeatability, ranging from 4.5% at Mg/Ca = 5.56 mmol/mol to 8.7% at Mg/Ca = 0.79 mmol/mol. Results of this study show that interlaboratory variability is dominated by inconsistencies among instrument calibrations and highlight the need to improve interlaboratory compatibility. Additionally, the study confirmed the suitability of these solid standards as reference materials for foraminiferal Mg/Ca (and Sr/Ca) determinations, provided that appropriate procedures are adopted to minimize and to monitor possible contamination from silicate mineral phases.

Description: Comparison of eight iron experiments shows that maximum Chl a, the maximum DIC removal, and the overall DIC/Fe efficiency all scale inversely with depth of the wind mixed layer (WML) defining the light environment. Moreover, lateral patch dilution, sea surface irradiance, temperature, and grazing play additional roles. The Southern Ocean experiments were most influenced by very deep WMLs. In contrast, light conditions were most favorable during SEEDS and SERIES as well as during IronEx-2. The two extreme experiments, EisenEx and SEEDS, can be linked via EisenEx bottle incubations with shallower simulated WML depth. Large diatoms always benefit the most from Fe addition, where a remarkably small group of thriving diatom species is dominated by universal response of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. Significant response of these moderate (10–30 μm), medium (30–60 μm), and large (〉60 μm) diatoms is consistent with growth physiology determined for single species in natural seawater. The minimum level of “dissolved” Fe (filtrate 〈 0.2 μm) maintained during an experiment determines the dominant diatom size class. However, this is further complicated by continuous transfer of original truly dissolved reduced Fe(II) into the colloidal pool, which may constitute some 75% of the “dissolved” pool. Depth integration of carbon inventory changes partly compensates the adverse effects of a deep WML due to its greater integration depths, decreasing the differences in responses between the eight experiments. About half of depth-integrated overall primary productivity is reflected in a decrease of DIC. The overall C/Fe efficiency of DIC uptake is DIC/Fe ∼ 5600 for all eight experiments. The increase of particulate organic carbon is about a quarter of the primary production, suggesting food web losses for the other three quarters. Replenishment of DIC by air/sea exchange tends to be a minor few percent of primary CO2 fixation but will continue well after observations have stopped. Export of carbon into deeper waters is difficult to assess and is until now firmly proven and quite modest in only two experiments.

Description: We present the first complete budget of the interannual variability in Arctic springtime ozone taking into account anthropogenic chemical and natural dynamical processes. For the winters 1991/1992 to 2003/2004 the Arctic chemical ozone loss is available from observations. This work investigates the dynamical supply of ozone to the Arctic polar vortex due to mean transport processes for the same winters. The ozone supply is quantified in a vortex-averaged framework using estimates of diabatic descent over winter. We find that the interannual variability of both dynamical ozone supply and chemical ozone loss contribute, in equal shares, to the variability of the total ozone change. Moreover, together they explain nearly all of the interannual variability of Arctic springtime column ozone. Variability in planetary wave activity, characterized by the Eliassen-Palm flux at 100 hPa, contributes significantly to the variability of ozone supply, chemical ozone loss and total springtime ozone.

Description: Observed multidecadal variability (30 yr running means, trends, and moving standard deviations) of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during the instrumental record is compared to that simulated by two different coupled general circulation models in extended-range control experiments. Simulated NAO exhibits strong low frequency fluctuations, even on multi-centennial time scale. Observed multi-decadal NAO variations agree well with the model variability. Trend probability distribution functions, observed and simulated, were not found to be different with statistical significance. Thus, multi-decadal NAO changes similar to those observed during the instrumental record, including the recent increase in 1965–1995, may be internally generated within the coupled atmosphere-ocean system without considering external forcing.

Description: Lake Tahoe is an ultra-oligotrophic subalpine lake that is renowned for its clarity. The region experiences little cloud cover and is one of the most UV transparent lakes in the world. As such, it is an ideal environment to study the role of UV radiation in aquatic ecosystems. Long-term trends in Secchi depths showed that water transparency to visible light has decreased in recent decades, but limited data are available on the UV transparency of the lake. Here we examine how ultraviolet radiation varies relative to longer-wavelength photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400-700 nm, visible wavelengths) horizontally along inshore-offshore transects in the lake and vertically within the water column as well as temporally throughout 2007. UV transparency was more variable than PAR transparency horizontally across the lake and throughout the year. Seasonal patterns of Secchi transparency differed from both UV and PAR, indicating that different substances may be responsible for controlling transparency to UV, PAR, and Secchi. In surface waters, UVA (380 nm) often attenuated more slowly than PAR, a pattern visible in only exceptionally transparent waters with very low dissolved organic carbon. On many sampling dates, UV transparency decreased progressively with depth suggesting surface photobleaching, reductions in particulate matter, increasing chlorophyll a, or some combination of these increased during summer months. Combining these patterns of UV transparency with data on visible light provides a more comprehensive understanding of ecosystem structure, function, and effects of environmental change in highly transparent alpine and subalpine lakes such as Tahoe.

Description: The effect of volcanic activity on submarine hydrothermal systems has been well documented along fast- and intermediate-spreading centers but not from slow-spreading ridges. Indeed, volcanic eruptions are expected to be rare on slow-spreading axes. Here we report the presence of hydrothermal venting associated with extremely fresh lava flows at an elevated, apparently magmatically robust segment center on the slow-spreading southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge near 5°S. Three high-temperature vent fields have been recognized so far over a strike length of less than 2 km with two fields venting phase-separated, vapor-type fluids. Exit temperatures at one of the fields reach up to 407°C, at conditions of the critical point of seawater, the highest temperatures ever recorded from the seafloor. Fluid and vent field characteristics show a large variability between the vent fields, a variation that is not expected within such a limited area. We conclude from mineralogical investigations of hydrothermal precipitates that vent-fluid compositions have evolved recently from relatively oxidizing to more reducing conditions, a shift that could also be related to renewed magmatic activity in the area. Current high exit temperatures, reducing conditions, low silica contents, and high hydrogen contents in the fluids of two vent sites are consistent with a shallow magmatic source, probably related to a young volcanic eruption event nearby, in which basaltic magma is actively crystallizing. This is the first reported evidence for direct magmatic-hydrothermal interaction on a slow-spreading mid-ocean ridge.

Description: A new 46-year hindcast dataset for seasonal-to-annual ensemble predictions has been created using a multi-model ensemble of 5 state-of-the-art coupled atmosphere-ocean circulation models. The multi-model outperforms any of the single-models in forecasting tropical Pacific SSTs because of reduced RMS errors and enhanced ensemble dispersion at all lead-times. Systematic errors are considerably reduced over the previous generation (DEMETER). Probabilistic skill scores show higher skill for the new multi-model ensemble than for DEMETER in the 4–6 month forecast range. However, substantially improved models would be required to achieve strongly statistical significant skill increases. The combination of ENSEMBLES and DEMETER into a grand multi-model ensemble does not improve the forecast skill further. Annual-range hindcasts show anomaly correlation skill of ∼0.5 up to 14 months ahead. A wide range of output from the multi-model simulations is becoming publicly available and the international community is invited to explore the full scientific potential of these data.

Description: [1] The present geological setting west of Svalbard closely parallels the situation off mid-Norway after the last glaciation, when crustal unloading by melting of ice induced very large earthquakes. Today, on the modern Svalbard margin, increasing bottom water temperatures are destabilizing marine gas hydrates, which are held in continental margin sediments consisting of interlayered contourite deposits and glacigenic debris flows. Both unloading earthquakes and hydrate failure have been identified as key factors causing several megalandslides off Norway during early Holocene deglaciation. The most prominent event was the Storegga Slide 8200 years B.P. which caused a tsunami up to 23 m high on the Faroe and Shetland islands. Here we show by numerical tsunami modeling that a smaller submarine landslide west of Svalbard, 100 m high and 130 km wide, would cause a tsunami capable of reaching northwest Europe and threatening coastal areas. A tsunami warning system based on tiltmeters would give a warning time of 1–4 h.

Description: This study proposes a mechanism that explains the marked shift in the correlation between the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the isotopic composition (δ18Oc) of a Porites coral from the Chagos Archipelago (71°E/5°S). Only after the mid‐1970s a strong ENSO signal emerges in the δ18Oc during the analyzed period 1950–1994. In the 1970s, the increasing sea surface temperature (SST) shifted the mean SST closer to the deep convection threshold at about 28.5°C. ENSO‐related SST variability largely controls the deep convection and precipitation in the central equatorial Indian Ocean (CEIO) when the SST is at this critical level. The anomalies in the precipitation induce changes in the isotopic composition of the surface ocean waters. The precipitation signal amplifies the SST signal in the coral δ18Oc and raises the correlation to ENSO. The presented results have important implications for the reconstruction of ENSO indices from corals within the Indian Ocean.

Description: The Arctic Ocean is the missing piece for any global model. Records of processes at both long and short timescales will be necessary to predict the future evolution of the Arctic Ocean through what appears to be a period of rapid climate change. Ocean monitoring is impoverished without the long-timescale records available from paleoceanography and the boundary conditions that can be obtained from marine geology and geophysics. The past and the present are the key to our ability to predict the future.

Description: Surface seawater pCO2 and related parameters were measured at high frequency onboard the volunteer observing ship M/V Falstaff in the North Atlantic Ocean between 36° and 52°N. Over 90,000 data points were used to produce monthly CO2 fluxes for 2002/2003. The air-sea CO2 fluxes calculated by two different averaging schemes were compared. The first approach used gas transfer velocity determined from wind speed retrieved at the location of the ship and called colocated winds, while for the second approach a monthly averaged gas transfer velocity was calculated from the wind for each grid pixel including the variability in wind. The colocated wind speeds determined during the time of passage do not capture the monthly wind speed variability of the grid resulting in fluxes that were 47% lower than fluxes using the monthly averaged wind products. The Falstaff CO2 fluxes were in good agreement with a climatology using averaged winds. Over the entire region they differed by 2–5%, depending on the time-dependent correction scheme to account for the atmospheric in increase in pCO2. However, locally the flux differences between the ship measurements and the climatology were greater, especially in regions north of 45°N, like the eastern sector. A comparison of two wind speed products showed that the annual CO2 sink is 4% less when using 6 hourly NCEP/NCAR wind speeds compared to the QuikSCAT wind speed data.

Description: Hydroxylamine (NH(2)OH) is an intermediate of the marine nitrogen cycle and in marine environments dissolved NH(2)OH is short-lived. In order to investigate the distribution of NH(2)OH under varying oxygen conditions, its seasonal variability was investigated on a monthly basis from July 2005 to May 2006 at the time series station Boknis Eck located in the Eckernforde Bay (southwestern Baltic Sea). NH(2)OH concentrations were generally low and close to the detection limit. However, a pronounced increase was observed after the seasonal thermohaline stratification period with low oxygen/anoxic conditions in the deep layers was terminated in November 2005. The increase of NH(2)OH was associated with the re-oxygenation of the water column. We conclude that NH(2)OH was produced in-situ during nitrification. We suggest that the detection of significant amounts of NH(2)OH can be used as an indicator for a "fresh" nitrifying system.

Description: Bubbles evolving from active gas seeps can be traced by hydroacoustic imaging up to 1000 m high in the Black Sea water column. Although methane concentrations are not distinguishable between the water column above the deep seep and reference sites, atmospheric noble gas measurements clearly show the constant input of gases (mainly methane) via seepage into the Black Sea. Archaea (ANME-1, ANME-2) and methanotrophic bacteria detected with specific 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes are related to active gas seeps in the oxic and anoxic water column. It is suggested that methane seeps have a much greater influence on the Black Sea methane budget than previously acknowledged and that ANME-1 and ANME-2 are injected via gas bubbles from the sediment into the anoxic water column mediating methane oxidation. Our results show further that only minor amounts of methane evolving from Black Sea gas seeps reach the atmosphere due to the very effective microbial barrier. Hence only major thermodynamically and/or tectonically triggered gas hydrate dissociation has the potential to induce rapid climate changes as suggested by the “clathrate gun hypothesis.”

Description: The zonal equatorial circulation of the upper 700 m in the central tropical Atlantic is studied based on 11 cross-equatorial ship sections taken at 23–29°W during 1999 to 2005 and on data from a pair of moored Acoustic Doppler current profilers deployed on the equator at 23°W during February 2004 to May 2005. The observations on the equator reveal the existence of two mean westward cores of the Equatorial Intermediate Current below the Equatorial Undercurrent. In contrast to the 2002 moored observations at the same position the intraseasonal variability during the mooring period is dominated by zonal instead of meridional velocity fluctuations.

Description: The dynamics and predictability of the decadal to multidecadal Atlantic merid­ional overturning circulation (MOC) variability are described from observations and models. The investigation focuses on two modes that involve the MOC: One mode exhibits a quasi-decadal period, while the other is multidecadal. The two modes have completely different underlying dynamics, which is reflected in their rather different spatial characteristics. While the quasi-decadal mode represents a damped mode of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system, the multidecadal mode can be basically understood as the MOC response to the multidecadal forcing by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). "Perfect model" predictability studies indicate a rather high predictability potential of the MOC variability on decadal timescales. Variations of the MOC are associated with variations in the meridional heat trans­port that drive sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies. SST anomalies in the North Atlantic thus exhibit a similar decadal predictability potential as the MOC. The decadal predictability carries over to the atmosphere. The probability density function of European surface air temperature anomalies, for instance, changes sig­nificantly with the state of the MOC. A reconstruction of the MOC for the 20th cen­tury from observed SSTs shows considerable variability on decadal timescales, but no strong sustained long-term trend. Furthermore, an assessment of the observed hydrographical changes in the Nordic Seas, with the aid of ocean general circula­tion model experiments and the analysis of recent scenario integrations with global climate models, indicates that the expected anthropogenic weakening of the MOC may not exceed the level of the internal variability within the next decades.

Description: The investigations carried out between 2002 and 2004 during six field experiments within the Operational Radar and Optical Mapping in monitoring hydrodynamic, morphodynamic and environmental parameters for coastal management (OROMA) project aimed to improve the effectiveness of new remote sensing monitoring technologies such as shipborne imaging radars in coastal waters. The coastal monitoring radar of the GKSS Research Center, Geesthacht, Germany, is based on a Kelvin Hughes RSR 1000 X band (9.42 GHz) vertical (VV) polarized river radar and was mounted on board the research vessel Ludwig Prandtl during the experiments in the Lister Tief, a tidal inlet of the German Bight in the North Sea. The important progress realized in this investigation is the availability of calibrated X band radar data. Another central point of the study is to demonstrate the applicability of the quasi-specular scattering theory in combination with the weak hydrodynamic interaction theory for the radar imaging mechanism of the seabed. Radar data have been taken at very low grazing angles ≤2.6° of flood and ebb tide–oriented sand wave signatures at the sea surface during ebb tidal current phases. Current speeds perpendicular to the sand wave crest ≤0.6 m s−1 have been measured at wind speeds ≤4.5 m s−1 and water depths ≤25 m. The difference between the maximum measured and simulated normalized radar cross section (NRCS) modulation of the ebb tide–oriented sand wave is 27%. For the flood tide–oriented sand wave, a difference of 21% has been calculated. The difference between the minimum measured and simulated NRCS modulation of the ebb tide–oriented sand wave is 10%, and for the flood tide–oriented sand wave, a value of 43% has been derived. Phases of measured and simulated NRCS modulations correspond to asymmetric sand wave slopes. The results of the simulated NRCS modulation show the qualitative trend but do not always quantitatively match the measured NRCS modulation profiles because the quasi-specular scattering theory at very low grazing angle is a first-order theory.

Description: There is growing concern about the transfer of methane originating from water bodies to the atmosphere. Methane from sediments can reach the atmosphere directly via bubbles or indirectly via vertical turbulent transport. This work quantifies methane gas bubble dissolution using a combination of bubble modeling and acoustic observations of rising bubbles to determine what fraction of the methane transported by bubbles will reach the atmosphere. The bubble model predicts the evolving bubble size, gas composition, and rise distance and is suitable for almost all aquatic environments. The model was validated using methane and argon bubble dissolution measurements obtained from the literature for deep, oxic, saline water with excellent results. Methane bubbles from within the hydrate stability zone (typically below ∼500 m water depth in the ocean) are believed to form an outer hydrate rim. To explain the subsequent slow dissolution, a model calibration was performed using bubble dissolution data from the literature measured within the hydrate stability zone. The calibrated model explains the impressively tall flares (〉1300 m) observed in the hydrate stability zone of the Black Sea. This study suggests that only a small amount of methane reaches the surface at active seep sites in the Black Sea, and this only from very shallow water areas (〈100 m). Clearly, the Black Sea and the ocean are rather effective barriers against the transfer of bubble methane to the atmosphere, although substantial amounts of methane may reach the surface in shallow lakes and reservoirs.

Description: The majority of known high-temperature hydrothermal vents occur at mid-ocean ridges and back-arc spreading centers, typically at water depths from 2000 to 4000 meters. Compared with 30 years of hydrothermal research along spreading centers in the deep parts of the ocean, exploration of the approximately 700 submarine arc volcanoes is relatively recent [de Ronde et al., 2003]. At these submarine arc volcanoes, active hydrothermal vents are located at unexpectedly shallow water depth (95% at 〈1600-meter depth), which has important consequences for the style of venting, the nature of associated mineral deposits, and the local biological communities. As part of an ongoing multinational research effort to study shallow submarine volcanic arcs, two hydrothermal systems in the submerged part of the Aeolian arc have been investigated in detail during research cruises by R/V Poseidon (July 2006) and R/V Meteor (August 2007). Comprehensive seafloor video surveys were conducted using a remotely operated vehicle, and drilling to a depth of 5 meters was carried out using a lander-type submersible drill. This research has resulted in the first detailed, three-dimensional documentation of shallow submarine hydrothermal systems on arc volcanoes

Description: We reconstruct the hydrologic history of the tropical western Indian Ocean by calculating the δ18Oseawater from coupled coral Sr/Ca and δ18O measurements in a massive Porites coral from Mayotte (Comoros) between 1881 and 1994. We found that the precipitation-evaporation balance varies naturally on time scales of 5–6 years and 18–25 years. High (low) SSTs are associated with positive (negative) δ18Oseawater implying that atmospheric variability is linked with remote climate modes in the Indian Ocean and the tropical/extratropical Pacific Ocean. Warm El Niño-Southern Oscillation events are associated with a negative freshwater balance at Mayotte. This case study demonstrates that a much denser network of δ18Oseawater reconstructions is crucial for understanding the spatial patterns of hydrological conditions.

Description: Observations and model results both indicate increasing oxygen minimum zones (OMZ) in the tropical oceans. Here we report on record low dissolved oxygen minimum concentrations in the eastern tropical North Atlantic in fall of 2008, with less than 40 mu mol kg(-1) in the core of the OMZ. There we find a deoxygenation rate of similar to 0.5 mu mol kg(-1) a(-1) during the last decades on two repeat sections at 7.5 and 11 degrees N. The potential temperature and salinity in the surface and central water layers increased on both sections compared to previous observations. However, in contrast to the oxygen decrease in the core of the OMZ, increasing oxygen concentrations were observed in the central water layer above the OMZ. The observed deoxygenation was thus restricted to the core of the oxygen minimum layer. It remains unclear whether the vertical expansion of the oxygen minimum represents a long time trend or decadal variations

Description: Wide–angle reflection seismic experiments were performed at the Storegga slide offshore Norway in 2002 with the goal to quantify the amount of gas hydrate and free gas in the sediment. Twenty‐two stations with Ocean Bottom Hydrophones (OBH) and Seismometers (OBS) were deployed for a 2D and a 3D experiment. Kirchhoff depth migration is used to transform the seismic wide–angle data into images of the sediment layers and to obtain P wave velocity–depth functions. The gas hydrate and free gas saturations are estimated from the elastic properties of the sediment on the basis of the Frenkel–Gassmann equations. There is 5–15% gas hydrate in the pore space of the sediment in the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). The free gas saturation takes the value of 0.8% for a homogeneous distribution of gas in the pore water and 7% for the model of a patchy gas distribution.

Description: Primary production and calcification in response to different partial pressures of CO2 (PCO2) (“glacial,” “present,” and “year 2100” atmospheric CO2 concentrations) were investigated during a mesocosm bloom dominated by the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi. The day-to-day dynamics of net community production (NCP) and net community calcification (NCC) were assessed during the bloom development and decline by monitoring dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA), together with oxygen production and 14C incorporation. When comparing year 2100 with glacial PCO2 conditions we observed: (1) no conspicuous change of net community productivity (NCPy); (2) a delay in the onset of calcification by 24 to 48 hours, reducing the duration of the calcifying phase in the course of the bloom; (3) a 40% decrease of NCC; and (4) enhanced loss of organic carbon from the water column. These results suggest a shift in the ratio of organic carbon to calcium carbonate production and vertical flux with rising atmospheric PCO2.