ALBERT

Description: Three volcanic arcs have been the source of New Zealand's volcanic activity since the Neogene: Northland arc, Coromandel Volcanic Zone (CVZ) and Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ). The eruption chronology for the Quaternary, sourced by the TVZ, is well studied and established, whereas the volcanic evolution of the precursor arc systems, like the CVZ (central activity c. 18 to 2 Ma), is poorly known due to limited accessibility to, or identification of, onshore volcanic deposits and their sources. Here, we investigate the marine tephra record of the Neogene, mostly sourced by the CVZ, of cores from IODP Exp. 375 (Sites U1520 and U1526), ODP Leg 181 (Sites 1123, 1124 and 1125), IODP Leg 329 (Site U1371) and DSDP Leg 90 (Site 594) offshore of New Zealand. In total, we identify 306 primary tephra layers in the marine sediments. Multi-approach age models (e.g. biostratigraphy, zircon ages) are used in combination with geochemical fingerprinting (major and trace element compositions) and the stratigraphic context of each marine tephra layer to establish 168 tie-lines between marine tephra layers from different holes and sites. Following this approach, we identify 208 explosive volcanic events in the Neogene between c. 17.5 and 2.6 Ma. This is the first comprehensive study of New Zealand's Neogene explosive volcanism established from tephrochronostratigraphic studies, which reveals continuous volcanic activity between c. 12 and 2.6 Ma with an abrupt compositional change at c. 4.5 Ma, potentially associated with the transition from CVZ to TVZ. Key Points New Zealand's Neogene explosive volcanism based on the marine tephra record Geochemical fingerprinting of marine tephra layers across the study area to establish volcanic events Insights into geochemical variations with time, repose times and spatiotemporal distribution

Description: Mapping and sampling four sections of the slow-spreading Reykjanes Ridge provide insight into how tectonic and volcanic activity varies with distance from the Iceland plume. The studied areas are characterized by significant variations in water depth, lava chemistry, crustal thickness, thermal structure, and ridge morphology. For each study area, fault pattern and dimension, tectonic strain, seamount morphology, and density are inferred from 15 m-resolution bathymetry. These observations are combined with geochemical analysis from glass samples and sediment thickness estimations along Remotely Operated Vehicle-dive videos. They reveal that (a) tectonic and volcanic activity along the Reykjanes Ridge, do not systematically vary with distance from the plume center. (b) The tectonic geometry appears directly related to the deepening of the brittle/ductile transition and the maximum change in tectonic strain related to the rapid change in crustal thickness and the transition between axial-high and axial valley (∼59.5°N). (c) Across-axis variations in the fault density and sediment thickness provide similar widths for the neo-volcanic zone except in regions of increased seamount emplacement. (d) The variations in seamount density (especially strong for flat-topped seamounts) are not related to the distance from the plume but appear to be correlated with the interaction between the V-shape ridges (VSR) flanking the ridge and the ridge axis. These observations are more compatible with the buoyant upwelling melting instability hypothesis for VSR formation and suggest that buoyant melting instabilities create many small magma batches which by-pass the normal subaxial magmatic plumbing system, erupting over a wider-than-normal area. Key Points The distance from the plume center is not the only factor controlling tectonic and volcanic activity along the Reykjanes Ridge Fault dimensions are primarily controlled by the variation of crustal thermal structure with distance from the hotspot Flat-topped seamount abundances peak where a V-shaped ridge intersects the axis, consistent with a buoyant upwelling melting instability

Description: This dataset provides abundance data for macrofaunal taxa determined from sediment samples collected in the Weddell Sea (mostly South-Eastern). A minimum of three samples (cores) were collected at each station with a MUC10 multicorer or a giant box corer during PS96. Sediment cores were sliced into depth layers (stations 017, 026, 061, 072: 0–2cm, 2–5cm, 5– bottom; stations 001, 037, 048: 0–1cm, 1–2cm, 2–3cm, 3–4cm, 4–5cm, 5– bottom) and preserved in 4%-borax-buffered formaldehyde solution prior to sieving (sieve size 500 µm, 1000 µm) and counting (detailed methods in Säring et al. submitted). Abundance is presented per depth layer (note different slice volume) as ind./m². Data from different size fractions are available upon request. Macrofauna communities included individuals from 18 higher taxa. The macrofauna abundance data are part of a larger ecological study on meio- and macrofauna communities and their relation to environmental conditions and remineralisation at the sediment-water interface (see Related to below). For the larger study, sediment cores from which macrofauna abundance data are deposited here were also used for microcosm incubations: Untreated incubations (Benthic ecosystem Function Experiments BEFEx), and incubations with and without microalgae addition (Algae Feeding Experiment AFEx). Cores from BEFEx and AFEx without algae are labeled with NT (not treated), cores from AFEx with algae are labeled as T (treated).

Description: This dataset provides abundance data for meiofauna taxa determined from sediment samples collected in the Weddell Sea (mostly South-Eastern). A minimum of three samples (cores) were collected at each station with a MUC10 multicorer or taken from a giant box corer during PS96. Sediment cores were sliced into depth layers (stations 017, 026, 061, 072: 0–2cm, 2–5cm, 5– bottom; stations 001, 037, 048: 0–1cm, 1–2cm, 2–3cm, 3–4cm, 4–5cm, 5– bottom) and preserved in 4%-borax-buffered formaldehyde solution prior to sieving (upper sieve size 500 µm, lower sieve size 32 µm) and counting (detailed methods in Säring et al. submitted). Abundance is presented per depth layer from the top 5 cm (note different slice volume) as ind./10 cm². Meiofauna communities included individuals from 22 higher taxa. The meiofauna abundance data are part of a larger ecological study on meio- and macrofauna communities and their relation to environmental conditions and remineralisation at the sediment-water interface (see “Related to” below). For the larger study, sediment cores from which meiofauna abundance data are deposited here were also used for microcosm incubations: Untreated incubations (Benthic ecosystem Function Experiments BEFEx), and incubations with and without microalgae addition (Algae Feeding Experiment AFEx). Cores from BEFEx and AFEx without algae are labeled with NT (not treated), cores from AFEx with algae are labeled as T (treated).

Description: Around the Antarctic Peninsula (North-Western Weddell Sea, Bransfield Strait, Drake Passage) water samples for measurements of chlorophyll-a were collected with Niskin bottles mounted on a CTD rosette. At each station samples were taken at two depths, the chlorophyll-a maximum (Cmax, defined as the water depth with maximum fluorescence detected during in-situ profiles) and close to the seafloor (bottom). Water samples were poured over a 100-µm sieve to remove larger particles and filtered over glass fibre filters GF/C at approximately 250 mbar. Colouring of filters determined the amount of sea water used (3–5l). Filters were stored at −80°C. Chloroplastic pigments were extracted with 10ml acetone (90%), determined using a fluorimeter and expressed in µg/l. For details see Hauquier et al. (2015) and Veit-Köhler et al. (2018).

Description: During R/V Maria S. Merian cruise MSM97/2 a sensor box (AddOn Box) was attached to a PocketFerryBox (4H Jena, Germany) in-line obtaining waters from the ships two autonomous measurement systems (RSWS). For the measurement of underway absorption spectra to calculate optical nitrate, the AddOn Box was equipped with two UV-process spectrophotometer (ProPS and OPUS, TriOS Mess- und Datentechnik GmbH, Germany). Data were recorded continuously in a ten-minute interval along the cruise track with an optical path length of 10 mm. The integration time was 256 ms. The ProPS photometer is equipped with a Deuterium lamp as light source whereas the OPUS photometer is equipped with a Xenon flash lamp. Baseline calibrations were done for both UV-photometer using ultrapure water. For the ProPS, the calibration was done in the laboratory before the cruise whereas the calibration for the OPUS was done by the manufacturer. The water inlet of the RSWS is allocated at approx. 6.5 m below the sea surface. While one box is measuring, the other box is being cleaned. The boxes switch after a user-defined measuring and cleaning interval. On MSM97/2, the boxes were alternating every 12 hours, including one short cleaning procedure during measurements after 4 hours. Absorption spectra obtained by the AddOn Box during the alternation process of the two RSWS, as well as during the internal cleaning procedure are not included. Spectra from station work are included. Within this dataset, absorption spectra were cut to a relevant wavelength range (from 189-360 nm (ProPS) and 199-360 nm (OPUS) to 210-260 nm). No further correction was done for the absorbance spectra in this processing step. After the cruise, gathered absorption spectra were used to improve current processing algorithms of optical nitrate detection for coastal and open ocean waters. Processing was performed according to Zielinski et al. (2011) and Frank et al. (2014) using MATLAB (R2018a). Detailed processing steps for the calculation of optical nitrate can be found on Zenodo (doi 10.5281/zenodo.4091420 ). Temperature and salinity data are necessary to compute nitrate values from derived UV-spectra and were taken from the attached PocketFerryBox using a SBE45 probe (Sea Bird Scientific, USA). A linear CDOM-offset correction was carried out. Nitrate reference spectra and salinity reference spectra were measured in the laboratory before the cruise. Corresponding nitrate reference samples using wet chemical analysis will be published separately.

Description: Raw data including physical oceanography from mooring DS-2-17 recovered during Maria S. Merian cruise MSM76.