ALBERT

Description: All around the world, beneath the seafloor, there are huge volumes of natural gas. But these are not the normal gas reservoirs that we collect to use for cooking, heating our homes, and making electricity in power stations. This gas is locked up in what we call gas hydrates. Gas hydrates are a solid form of water, rather like ice, that contains gas molecules locked up in a “cage” of water molecules. Gas hydrates are found on continental shelves around the world and in permafrost in the arctic. We are interested in gas hydrates because they could be used as a future source of natural gas. They are also important because they can cause large landslides on the seafloor, damaging offshore pipelines and cables and contributing to the formation of tsunami waves.

Description: Did you know that we have better maps of the moon, Mars, and Venus than we do of the seafloor on Earth? Since oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface, understanding what the seafloor looks like, and where different processes, such as ocean currents are active, is hugely important. Mapping the seafloor helps us to work out things like where different types of fish live, where we might find resources, such as rare metals and fossil fuels, and whether there is a risk of underwater landslides happening that might cause a tsunami. Mapping the seafloor is very challenging, because we cannot use the same techniques that we would use on land. To map the deep ocean, we use a tool called a multibeam echo-sounder, which is attached to a ship or a submarine vessel.

Description: Recent surveys of marine microbial diversity have identified a previously unrecognized lineage of diplonemid protists as being among the most diverse heterotrophic eukaryotes in global oceans. Despite their monophyly (and assumed importance), they lack a formal taxonomic description, and are informally known as deep-sea pelagic diplonemids (DSPDs) or marine diplonemids. Recently, we documented morphology and molecular sequences from several DSPDs, one of which is particularly widespread and abundant in environmental sequence data. To simplify the communication of future work on this important group, here we formally propose to erect the family Eupelagonemidae to encompass this clade, as well as a formal genus and species description for the apparently most abundant phylotype, Eupelagonema oceanica, for which morphological information and single-cell amplified genome data are currently available. © 2018 International Society of Protistologists

Description: Spores of the dinoflagellate Chytriodinium are known to infest copepod eggs causing their lethality. Despite the potential to control the population of such an ecologically important host, knowledge about Chytriodinium parasites is limited: we know little about phylogeny, parasitism, abundance, or geographical distribution. We carried out genome sequence surveys on four manually isolated sporocytes from the same sporangium, which seemed to be attached to a copepod nauplius, to analyze the phylogenetic position of Chytriodinium based on SSU and concatenated SSU/LSU rRNA gene sequences, and also characterize two genes related to the plastidial heme pathway, hemL and hemY. The results suggest the presence of a cryptic plastid in Chytriodinium and a photosynthetic ancestral state of the parasitic Chytriodinium/Dissodinium clade. Finally, by mapping Tara Oceans V9 SSU amplicon data to the recovered SSU rRNA gene sequences from the sporocytes, we show that globally, Chytriodinium parasites are most abundant within the pico/nano- and mesoplankton of the surface ocean and almost absent within microplankton, a distribution indicating that they generally exist either as free-living spores or host-associated sporangia. © 2018 International Society of Protistologists

Description: Heteroplasmy occurs when copies of an organellar genome (plastid or mitochondrial) differ from one another either within a cell or among cells within an individual. This phenomenon was first discovered in plastids over 100 years ago, though ‘heteroplasmy’ was not formally defined until decades later. Mitochondrial and plastid heteroplasmy have since been discovered in diverse taxa, including numerous plants, particularly those with the gynodioecious breeding system. Though heteroplasmy can arise through mutations in organellar genomes, biparental inheritance of organelles often generates heteroplasmy. This article is intended to summarise the cytoploid nature of organellar genomes and different aspects of mitochondrial and plastid heteroplasmy, from its discovery, to the development of detection methods. We will also discuss the effects of heteroplasmy on individuals, populations, and species, with regard to fitness, cytonuclear interactions, and genome evolution. Finally, we highlight a few research questions which we consider in need of further investigation to understand the prevalence and effects of heteroplasmy in natural settings.

Description: Although narrow‐azimuth towed‐streamer data provides good image quality for structural interpretation, it is generally accepted that for wide‐azimuth marine surveys seabed receivers deliver superior seismic reflection measurements and seismically derived reservoir attributes. However, seabed surveys are not widely used due to the higher acquisition costs when compared to streamer acquisition. In recent years, there have been significant engineering efforts to automate receiver deployment and retrieval in order to minimize the cost differential and conduct cost‐efficient seabed receiver seismic surveys. These engineering efforts include industrially engineered nodes, nodes‐on‐a‐rope deployment schemes and even robotic nodes, which swim to and from the deployment location. This move to automation is inevitable, leading to robotization of seismic data acquisition for exploration and development activities in the oil and gas industry. We are developing a robotic‐based technology, which utilizes autonomous underwater vehicles as seismic sensors without the need of using a remotely operated vehicle for deployment and retrieval. In this paper, we describe the autonomous underwater vehicle evolution throughout the project years from initial heavy and bulky nodes to fully autonomous light and flexible underwater receivers. Results obtained from two field pilot tests using different generations of autonomous underwater vehicles indicate that the seismic coupling, and navigation based on underwater acoustics are very reliable and robust.

Description: Regional climate modeling bridges the gap between the coarse resolution of current global climate models and the regional-to-local scales, where the impacts of climate change are of primary interest. Here, we present a review of the added value of the regional climate modeling approach within the scope of paleoclimate research and discuss the current major challenges and perspectives. Two time periods serve as an example: the Holocene, including the Last Millennium, and the Last Glacial Maximum. Reviewing the existing literature reveals the benefits of regional paleo climate modeling, particularly over areas with complex terrain. However, this depends largely on the variable of interest, as the added value of regional modeling arises from a more realistic representation of physical processes and climate feedbacks compared to global climate models, and this affects different climate variables in various ways. In particular, hydrological processes have been shown to be better represented in regional models, and they can deliver more realistic meteorological data to drive ice sheet and glacier modeling. Thus, regional climate models provide a clear benefit to answer fundamental paleoclimate research questions and may be key to advance a meaningful joint interpretation of climate model and proxy data.

Description: A marine seismic method based on continuous source and receiver wavefields has been developed. The method requires continuous recording of the seismic data. The source that may consist of multiple source elements can emit signals continuously while moving. The ideal source wavefield to be used with this method should be as white as possible both in a temporal and a spatial sense to avoid deep notches in the spectrum enabling a stable multi‐dimensional deconvolution. White noise has such properties. However, equipment that can generate white noise does not exist. In order to generate a continuous source wavefield that is approaching the properties of white noise using existing equipment onboard marine seismic vessels, individual air‐guns can be triggered with short randomized time intervals in a near‐continuous fashion. The main potential benefits with the method are to reduce the environmental impact of marine seismic surveys and to improve acquisition efficiency. The peak sound pressure levels are significantly reduced by triggering one air‐gun at a time compared to conventional marine seismic sources. Sound exposure levels are also reduced in most directions. Since the method is based on continuous recording of seismic data and the air‐guns are triggered based on time and not based on position, there are less vessel speed limitations compared to conventional marine seismic data acquisition. Also, because the source wavefield is spread out in time, the wavefields emitted from source elements in different cross‐line positions can be designed such that the emitted wavefield is spatially white in this direction. This means that source elements in multiple cross‐line positions can be operated simultaneously, potentially improving the cross‐line sampling and/or the acquisition efficiency.

Description: We investigate the role of the tropics, the stratosphere, and atmosphere‐ocean coupling for seasonal forecasts of strong, potentially damaging, Northern Hemisphere extratropical winter wind storm frequencies. This is done by means of relaxation experiments with the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts model, which allow us to prescribe perfect forecasts for specific parts of the coupled atmosphere‐ocean system. We find that perfect predictions of the Northern Hemisphere stratosphere significantly enhance winter storm predictive skill between eastern Greenland and Northern Europe. Correct seasonal predictions of the occurrence of stratospheric sudden warmings play a decisive role. The importance of correctly predicting the tropics and of two‐way atmosphere‐ocean coupling, both for forecasting stratospheric sudden warming risk and, correspondingly, severe winter storm frequency, is noted.

Description: The northern part of the South China Sea is characterized by widespread occurrence of bottom simulating reflectors (BSR) indicating the presence of marine gas hydrate. Because the area covers both a tectonically inactive passive margin and the termination of a subduction zone, the influence of tectonism on the dynamics of gas hydrate systems can be studied in this region. Geophysical data show that there are multiple thrust faults on the active margin while much fewer and smaller faults exist in the passive margin. This tectonic difference matches with a difference in the geophysical characteristics of the gas hydrate systems. High hydrate saturation derived from ocean bottom seismometer data and controlled source electromagnetic data and conspicuous high‐amplitude reflections in P‐Cable 3D seismic data above the BSR are found in the anticlinal ridges of the active margin. In contrast all geophysical evidence for the passive margin points to normal to low hydrate saturations. Geochemical analyses of gas samples collected at seep sites on the active margin show methane with heavy δ13C isotope composition, while gas collected at the passive margin shows light carbon isotope composition. Thus, we interpret the passive margin as a typical gas hydrate province fuelled by biogenic production of methane and the active margin gas hydrate system as a system that is fuelled not only by biogenic gas production but also by additional advection of thermogenic methane from the subduction system.

Description: The mechanisms controlling the variability of oxygen levels in the ocean are poorly quantified. We focus here on the impact of wind synoptic variability associated with tropical convective regions and extra‐tropical storms. Removing the wind higher frequencies of variability (2 days – 1 month) in an atmosphere reanalysis used to force an ocean model decreases wind stress by up to 20% in the tropics and 50% in the mid‐latitudes, weakening wind‐driven ocean circulation by 20%. Oxygen levels decrease by up to 10 mmol.m‐3 in tropical oceans and 30 mmol.m‐3 in subtropical gyres mainly due to changes in advective processes. While a large part of the tropical oxygen anomaly has local origins, changes in oxygen levels in the subtropical gyres modulate tropical oxygen distribution. Our study suggests that the “storminess” of the ocean is an important parameter that could determine the future evolution of poorly oxygenated regions.

Description: The Benguela Upwelling system (BUS) is the most productive of all eastern boundary upwelling ecosystems and it hosts a well‐developed oxygen minimum zone. As such, the BUS is a potential hotspot for production of N2O, a potent greenhouse gas derived from microbially‐driven decay of sinking organic matter. Yet, the extent at which near‐surface waters emit N2O to the atmosphere in the BUS is highly uncertain. Here we present the first high‐resolution surface measurements of N2O across the northern part of the BUS (nBUS). We found strong gradients with a three‐fold increase in N2O concentrations near the coast as compared with open ocean waters. Our observations show enhanced sea‐to‐air fluxes of N2O (up to 1.67 nmol m−2 s−1) in association with local upwelling cells. Based on our data we suggest that the nBUS can account for 13% of the total coastal upwelling source of N2O to the atmosphere.

Description: Hydroxylamine (NH 2 OH), a short-lived intermediate in the nitrogen cycle, is a potential precursor of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) in the ocean. However, measurements of NH 2 OH in the ocean are sparse. Here we present a data set of depth profiles of NH 2 OH from the equatorial Atlantic Ocean and the eastern tropical South Pacific and compare it to N 2 O, nitrate, and nitrite profiles under varying oxygen conditions. The presence of NH 2 OH in surface waters points toward surface nitrification in the upper 100 m. Overall, we found a ratio of 1:3 between NH 2 OH and N 2 O in open ocean areas when oxygen concentrations were 〉50 μmol/L. In the equatorial Atlantic Ocean and the open ocean eastern tropical South Pacific, where nitrification is the dominant N 2 O production pathway, stepwise multiple regressions demonstrated that N 2 O, NH 2 OH, and nitrate concentrations were highly correlated, suggesting that NH 2 OH is a potential indicator for nitrification.

Description: Ocean acidification (OA) is affecting marine ecosystems through changes in carbonate chemistry that may influence consumers of phytoplankton, often via trophic pathways. Using a mesocosm approach, we investigated OA effects on a subtropical zooplankton community during oligotrophic, bloom, and post-bloom phases under a range of different pCO2 levels (from ∼400 to ∼1480 μatm). Furthermore, we simulated an upwelling event by adding 650 m-depth nutrient-rich water to the mesocosms, which initiated a phytoplankton bloom. No effects of pCO2 on the zooplankton community were visible in the oligotrophic conditions before the bloom. The zooplankton community responded to phytoplankton bloom by increased abundances in all treatments, although the response was delayed under high-pCO2 conditions. Microzooplankton was dominated by small dinoflagellates and aloricate ciliates, which were more abundant under medium- to high-pCO2 conditions. The most abundant mesozooplankters were calanoid copepods, which did not respond to CO2 treatments during the oligotrophic phase of the experiment but were found in higher abundance under medium- and high-pCO2 conditions toward the end of the experiment, most likely as a response to increased phyto- and microzooplankton standing stocks. The second most abundant mesozooplankton taxon were appendicularians, which did not show a response to the different pCO2 treatments. Overall, CO2 effects on zooplankton seemed to be primarily transmitted through significant CO2 effects on phytoplankton and therefore indirect pathways. We conclude that elevated pCO2 can change trophic cascades with significant effects on zooplankton, what might ultimately affect higher trophic levels in the future.

Description: Radiative forcing from volcanic aerosol impacts surface temperatures; however, the background climate state also affects the response. A key question thus concerns whether constraining forcing estimates is more important than constraining initial conditions for accurate simulation and attribution of posteruption climate anomalies. Here we test whether different realistic volcanic forcing magnitudes for the 1815 Tambora eruption yield distinguishable ensemble surface temperature responses. We perform a cluster analysis on a superensemble of climate simulations including three 30-member ensembles using the same set of initial conditions but different volcanic forcings based on uncertainty estimates. Results clarify how forcing uncertainties can overwhelm initial-condition spread in boreal summer due to strong direct radiative impact, while the effect of initial conditions predominate in winter, when dynamics contribute to large ensemble spread. In our setup, current uncertainties affecting reconstruction-simulation comparisons prevent conclusions about the magnitude of the Tambora eruption and its relation to the “year without summer.”

Description: Increasing global energy demands have led to the ongoing intensification of hydrocarbon extraction from marine areas. Hydrocarbon extractive activities pose threats to native marine biodiversity, such as noise, light, and chemical pollution, physical changes to the sea floor, invasive species, and greenhouse gas emissions. Here, we assessed at a global scale the spatial overlap between offshore hydrocarbon activities and marine biodiversity (〉25,000 species, nine major ecosystems, and marine protected areas), and quantify the changes over time. We discovered that two-thirds of global offshore hydrocarbon activities occur in areas within the top 10% for species richness, range rarity, and proportional range rarity values globally. Thus, while hydrocarbon activities are undertaken in less than one percent of the ocean's area, they overlap with approximately 85% of all assessed species. Of conservation concern, 4% of species with the largest proportion of their range overlapping hydrocarbon activities are range restricted, potentially increasing their vulnerability to localized threats such as oil spills. While hydrocarbon activities have extended to greater depths since the mid-1990s, we found that the largest overlap is with coastal ecosystems, particularly estuaries, saltmarshes and mangroves. Furthermore, in most countries where offshore hydrocarbon exploration licensing blocks have been delineated, they do not overlap with marine protected areas (MPAs). Although this is positive in principle, many countries have far more licensing block areas than protected areas, and in some instances, MPA coverage is minimal. These findings suggest the need for marine spatial prioritization to help limit future spatial overlap between marine conservation priorities and hydrocarbon activities. Such prioritization can be informed by the spatial and quantitative baseline information provided here. In increasingly shared seascapes, prioritizing management actions that set both conservation and development targets could help minimize further declines of biodiversity and environmental changes at a global scale.

Description: Rapid mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is affecting sea level and, through increased freshwater and sediment discharge, ocean circulation, sea-ice, biogeochemistry, and marine ecosystems around Greenland. Key to interpreting ongoing and projecting future ice loss, and its impact on the ocean, is understanding exchanges of heat, freshwater, and nutrients that occur at the GrIS marine margins. Processes governing these exchanges are not well understood because of limited observations from the regions where glaciers terminate into the ocean and the challenge of modeling the spatial and temporal scales involved. Thus, notwithstanding their importance, ice sheet/ocean exchanges are poorly represented or not accounted for in models used for projection studies. Widespread community consensus maintains that concurrent and long-term records of glaciological, oceanic, and atmospheric parameters at the ice sheet/ocean margins are key to addressing this knowledge gap by informing understanding, and constraining and validating models. Through a series of workshops and documents endorsed by the community-at-large, a framework for an international, collaborative, Greenland Ice sheet-Ocean Observing System (GrIOOS), that addresses the needs of society in relation to a changing GrIS, has been proposed. This system would consist of a set of ocean, glacier, and atmosphere essential variables to be collected at a number of diverse sites around Greenland for a minimum of two decades. Internationally agreed upon data protocols and data sharing policies would guarantee uniformity and availability of the information for the broader community. Its development, maintenance, and funding will require close international collaboration. Engagement of end-users, local people, and groups already active in these areas, as well as synergy with ongoing, related, or complementary networks will be key to its success and effectiveness.

Description: Genetic data have great potential for improving fisheries management by identifying the fundamental management units—that is, the biological populations—and their mixing. However, so far, the number of practical cases of marine fisheries management using genetics has been limited. Here, we used Atlantic cod in the Baltic Sea to demonstrate the applicability of genetics to a complex management scenario involving mixing of two genetically divergent populations. Specifically, we addressed several assumptions used in the current assessment of the two populations. Through analysis of 483 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distributed across the Atlantic cod genome, we confirmed that a model of mechanical mixing, rather than hybridization and introgression, best explained the pattern of genetic differentiation. Thus, the fishery is best monitored as a mixed-stock fishery. Next, we developed a targeted panel of 39 SNPs with high statistical power for identifying population of origin and analyzed more than 2,000 tissue samples collected between 2011 and 2015 as well as 260 otoliths collected in 2003/2004. These data provided high spatial resolution and allowed us to investigate geographical trends in mixing, to compare patterns for different life stages and to investigate temporal trends in mixing. We found similar geographical trends for the two time points represented by tissue and otolith samples and that a recently implemented geographical management separation of the two populations provided a relatively close match to their distributions. In contrast to the current assumption, we found that patterns of mixing differed between juveniles and adults, a signal likely linked to the different reproductive dynamics of the two populations. Collectively, our data confirm that genetics is an operational tool for complex fisheries management applications. We recommend focussing on developing population assessment models and fisheries management frameworks to capitalize fully on the additional information offered by genetically assisted fisheries monitoring.

Description: Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA) is a multinational program initiated in 1997 in the tropical Atlantic to improve our understanding and ability to predict ocean-atmosphere variability. PIRATA consists of a network of moored buoys providing meteorological and oceanographic data transmitted in real time to address fundamental scientific questions as well as societal needs. The network is maintained through dedicated yearly cruises, which allow for extensive complementary shipboard measurements and provide platforms for deployment of other components of the Tropical Atlantic Observing System. This paper describes network enhancements, scientific accomplishments and successes obtained from the last 10 years of observations, and additional results enabled by cooperation with other national and international programs. Capacity building activities and the role of PIRATA in a future Tropical Atlantic Observing System that is presently being optimized are also described.

Description: The tropical Atlantic is home to multiple coupled climate variations covering a wide range of timescales and impacting societally relevant phenomena such as continental rainfall, Atlantic hurricane activity, oceanic biological productivity, and atmospheric circulation in the equatorial Pacific. The tropical Atlantic also connects the southern and northern branches of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and receives freshwater input from some of the world’s largest rivers. To address these diverse, unique, and interconnected research challenges, a rich network of ocean observations has developed, building on the backbone of the Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA). This network has evolved naturally over time and out of necessity in order to address the most important outstanding scientific questions and to improve predictions of tropical Atlantic severe weather and global climate variability and change. The tropical Atlantic observing system is motivated by goals to understand and better predict phenomena such as tropical Atlantic interannual to decadal variability and climate change; multidecadal variability and its links to the meridional overturning circulation; air-sea fluxes of CO2 and their implications for the fate of anthropogenic CO2; the Amazon River plume and its interactions with biogeochemistry, vertical mixing, and hurricanes; the highly productive eastern boundary and equatorial upwelling systems; and oceanic oxygen minimum zones, their impacts on biogeochemical cycles and marine ecosystems, and their feedbacks to climate. Past success of the tropical Atlantic observing system is the result of an international commitment to sustained observations and scientific cooperation, a willingness to evolve with changing research and monitoring needs, and a desire to share data openly with the scientific community and operational centers. The observing system must continue to evolve in order to meet an expanding set of research priorities and operational challenges. This paper discusses the tropical Atlantic observing system, including emerging scientific questions that demand sustained ocean observations, the potential for further integration of the observing system, and the requirements for sustaining and enhancing the tropical Atlantic observing system.

Description: Ultraslow spreading ridges account for one-third of the global mid-ocean ridges. Their impact on the diversity and connectivity of benthic deep-sea microbial assemblages is poorly understood, especially for hydrothermally inactive, magma-starved ridges. We investigated bacterial and archaeal diversity in sediments collected from an amagmatic segment (10∘–17∘E) of the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) and in the adjacent northern and southern abyssal zones of similar water depths within one biogeochemical province of the Indian Ocean. Microbial diversity was determined by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. Our results show significant differences in microbial communities between stations outside and inside the SWIR, which were mostly explained by environmental selection. Community similarity correlated significantly with differences in chlorophyll a content and with the presence of upward porewater fluxes carrying reduced compounds (e.g., ammonia and sulfide), suggesting that trophic resource availability is a main driver for changes in microbial community composition. At the stations in the SWIR axial valley (3,655–4,448 m water depth), microbial communities were enriched in bacterial and archaeal taxa common in organic matter-rich subsurface sediments (e.g., SEEP-SRB1, Dehalococcoida, Atribacteria, and Woesearchaeota) and chemosynthetic environments (mainly Helicobacteraceae). The abyssal stations outside the SWIR communities (3,760–4,869 m water depth) were dominated by OM1 clade, JTB255, Planctomycetaceae, and Rhodospirillaceae. We conclude that ultraslow spreading ridges create a unique environmental setting in sedimented segments without distinct hydrothermal activity, and play an important role in shaping microbial communities and promoting diversity, but also in connectivity among deep-sea habitats.

Description: Parasites are one of the strongest selective agents in nature. They select for hosts that evolve counter‐adaptive strategies to cope with infection. Helminth parasites are special because they can modulate their hosts’ immune responses. This phenomenon is important in epidemiological contexts, where coinfections may be affected. How different types of hosts and helminths interact with each other is insufficiently investigated. We used the three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) – Schistocephalus solidus model to study mechanisms and temporal components of helminth immune modulation. Sticklebacks from two contrasting populations with either high resistance (HR) or low resistance (LR) against S. solidus, were individually exposed to S. solidus strains with characteristically high growth (HG) or low growth (LG) in G. aculeatus. We determined the susceptibility to another parasite, the eye fluke Diplostomum pseudospathaceum, and the expression of 23 key immune genes at three time points after S. solidus infection. D. pseudospathaceum infection rates and the gene expression responses depended on host and S. solidus type and changed over time. Whereas the effect of S. solidus type was not significant after three weeks, T regulatory responses and complement components were upregulated at later time points if hosts were infected with HG S. solidus. HR hosts showed a well orchestrated immune response, which was absent in LR hosts. Our results emphasize the role of regulatory T cells and the timing of specific immune responses during helminth infections. This study elucidates the importance to consider different coevolutionary trajectories and ecologies when studying host‐parasite interactions.

Description: Seafloor massive sulphide (SMS) deposits are of increasing economic interest in order to satisfy the relentless growth in worldwide metal demand. The Trans‐Atlantic Geotraverse (TAG) hydrothermal field at 26°N on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge hosts several such deposits. This study presents new controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM), bathymetric and magnetic results from the TAG field. Potential SMS targets were selected based on their surface expressions in high‐resolution bathymetric data. High‐resolution reduced‐to‐the‐pole magnetic data show negative anomalies beneath and surrounding the SMS deposits, revealing large areas of hydrothermal alteration. CSEM data, sensitive to the electrical conductivity of SMS mineralization, further reveal a maximum thickness of up to 80 m and conductivities of up to 5 S/m. SMS samples have conductivities of up to a few thousand S/m, suggesting that remotely inferred conductivities represent an average of metal sulphide ores combined with silicified and altered host basalt that likely dominates at greater depths.

Description: Oceanic oxygen decline due to anthropogenic climate change is a matter of growing concern. A quantitative oxygen proxy is highly desirable in order to identify and monitor recent dynamics as well as to reconstruct pre-Anthropocene changes in amplitude and extension of oxygen depletion. Geochemical proxies like foraminiferal I/Ca ratios seem to be promising redox proxies. Nevertheless, recent studies on microanalyses of benthic foraminiferal I/Ca ratios at the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) measured with secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) revealed a possible association of iodine with organic accumulations within the test. Here, we present a new study on the micro-distribution of nitrogen, sulfur, and iodine within the test walls of Uvigerina striata from the Peruvian OMZ measured with Nano-SIMS. A quantification of the foraminiferal I/Ca ratios from our NanoSIMS study is in good agreement with quantitative results from a previous SIMS study. Additionally, we compared uncleaned specimens with specimens that have been treated with an oxidative cleaning procedure. Both nitrogen and sulfur, which are used as tracer for organic matter, show a patchy distribution within the test walls of the uncleaned specimens and a statistically significant correlation with the iodine distribution. This patchy organic-rich phase has a different geochemical signature than the pristine calcitic parts of the test and another phase that shows a banding-like structure and that is characterized by a strong sulfur enrichment. All three elements, sulfur, nitrogen, and iodine, are strongly depleted in the cleaned specimens, even within the massive parts of the test walls that lack the connection with the test pores. These results indicate that the organic parts of the test walls are located inside a microporous framework within the foraminiferal calcite. This has to be considered in the interpretation of geochemical proxies on foraminiferal calcite, especially for microanalytical methods, since the chemical signature of these organic parts likely alters some element-to-calcium ratios within the foraminiferal test.

Description: The climate of the last two millennia was characterised by decadal to multi‐centennial variations which were recorded in terrestrial records and had important societal impacts. The cause of these climatic events is still under debate but changes in the North Atlantic circulation have often been proposed to play an important role. In this review we compile available high‐resolution paleoceanographic datasets from the northern North Atlantic and Nordic Seas. The records are grouped into regions related to modern ocean conditions and their variability is discussed. We additionally discuss our current knowledge from modelling studies, with a specific focus on the dynamical changes that are not well inferred from the proxy records. An illustration is provided through the analysis of two climate model ensembles and an individual simulation of the last millennium. This review thereby provides an up‐to‐date paleo‐perspective on the North Atlantic multidecadal to multi‐centennial ocean variability across the last two millennia.

Description: Marine sponges (Phylum Porifera) are globally distributed within marine and freshwater ecosystems. In addition, sponges host dense and diverse prokaryotic communities, which are potential sources of novel bioactive metabolites and other complex compounds. Those sponge-derived natural products can span a broad spectrum of bioactivities, from antibacterial and antifungal to antitumor and antiviral compounds. However, most analyses concerning sponge-associated prokaryotes have mainly focused on conveniently accessible relatively shallow sampling locations for sponges. Hence, knowledge of community composition, host-relatedness and biotechnological potential of prokaryotic associations in temperate and cold-water sponges from greater depths (mesophotic to mesopelagic zones) is still scarce. Therefore, we analyzed the prokaryotic community diversity of four phylogenetically divergent sponge taxa from mesophotic to mesopelagic depths of Antarctic shelf at different depths and locations in the region of the South Shetland Islands using 16S rRNA gene amplicon-based sequencing. In addition, we predicted functional profiles applying Tax4Fun from metagenomic 16S rRNA gene data to estimate their biotechnological capability and possible roles as sources of novel bioactive compounds. We found indications that cold and deep-water sponges exhibit host-specific prokaryotic communities, despite different sampling sites and depths. Functional prediction analysis suggests that the associated prokaryotes may enhance the roles of sponges in biodegradation processes of xenobiotics and their involvement in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.

Description: In the course of the ongoing global intensification and diversification of human pressures, the study of variation patterns of biological traits along environmental gradients can provide relevant information on the performance of species under shifting conditions. The pronounced salinity gradient, co‐occurrence of multiple stressors, and accelerated rates of change make the Baltic Sea and its transition to North Sea a suitable region for this type of study. Focusing on the bladderwrack Fucus vesiculosus, one of the main foundation species on hard‐bottoms of the Baltic Sea, we analyzed the phenotypic variation among populations occurring along 2,000 km of coasts subjected to salinities from 4 to 〉30 and a variety of other stressors. Morphological and biochemical traits, including palatability for grazers, were recorded at 20 stations along the Baltic Sea and four stations in the North Sea. We evaluated in a common modeling framework the relative contribution of multiple environmental drivers to the observed trait patterns. Salinity was the main and, in some cases, the only environmental driver of the geographic trait variation in F. vesiculosus. The decrease in salinity from North Sea to Baltic Sea stations was accompanied by a decline in thallus size, photosynthetic pigments, and energy storage compounds, and affected the interaction of the alga with herbivores and epibiota. For some traits, drivers that vary locally such as wave exposure, light availability or nutrient enrichment were also important. The strong genetic population structure in this macroalgae might play a role in the generation and maintenance of phenotypic patterns across geographic scales. In light of our results, the desalination process projected for the Baltic Sea could have detrimental impacts on F. vesiculosus in areas close to its tolerance limit, affecting ecosystem functions such as habitat formation, primary production, and food supply.

Description: N2-fixing cyanobacteria mediate H2 fluxes through the opposing processes of H2 evolution, which is a by-product of the N2 fixation reaction, and H2 uptake, which is driven by uptake hydrogenases. Here, we used microelectrodes to characterize H2 and O2 dynamics in single natural colonies of the globally important N2 fixer Trichodesmium collected from the Gulf of Eilat. We observed gradually changing H2 dynamics over the course of the day, including both net H2 evolution and net H2 uptake, as well as large differences in H2 fluxes between individual colonies. Net H2 uptake was observed in colonies amended with H2 in both light and dark. Net H2 evolution was recorded in the light only, reflecting light-dependent N2 fixation coupled to H2 evolution. Both net H2 evolution and H2 uptake rates were higher before 2 pm than later in the day. These pronounced H2 dynamics in the morning coincided with strong net O2 uptake and the previously reported diel peak in N2 fixation. Later in the afternoon, when photosynthesis rates determined by O2 measurements were highest, and N2 fixation rates decrease according to previous studies, the H2 dynamics were also less pronounced. Thus, the observed diel variations in H2 dynamics reflect diel changes in the rates of O2 consumption and N2 fixation. Remarkably, the presence of H2 strongly stimulated the uptake of mineral iron by natural colonies. The magnitude of this effect was dependent on the time of day, with the strongest response in incubations that started before 2 pm, i.e., the period that covered the time of highest uptake hydrogenase activity. Based on these findings, we propose that by providing an electron source for mineral iron reduction in N2-fixing cells, H2 may contribute to iron uptake in Trichodesmium colonies.

Description: Heme b is an iron-containing co-factor in hemoproteins. Heme b concentrations are low (〈1 pmol L-1) in iron limited phytoplankton in cultures and in the field. Here, we determined heme b in marine particulate material (〉0.7 μm) from the North Atlantic Ocean (GEOVIDE cruise – GEOTRACES section GA01), which spanned several biogeochemical regimes. We examined the relationship between heme b abundance and the microbial community composition, and its utility for mapping iron limited phytoplankton. Heme b concentrations ranged from 0.16 to 5.1 pmol L-1 (median = 2.0 pmol L-1, n = 62) in the surface mixed layer (SML) along the cruise track, driven mainly by variability in biomass. However, in the Irminger Basin, the lowest heme b levels (SML: median = 0.53 pmol L-1, n = 12) were observed, whilst the biomass was highest (particulate organic carbon, median = 14.2 μmol L-1, n = 25; chlorophyll a: median = 2.0 nmol L-1, n = 23) pointing to regulatory mechanisms of the heme b pool for growth conservation. Dissolved iron (DFe) was not depleted (SML: median = 0.38 nmol L-1, n = 11) in the Irminger Basin, but large diatoms (Rhizosolenia sp.) dominated. Hence, heme b depletion and regulation is likely to occur during bloom progression when phytoplankton class-dependent absolute iron requirements exceed the available ambient concentration of DFe. Furthermore, high heme b concentrations found in the Iceland Basin and Labrador Sea (median = 3.4 pmol L-1, n = 20), despite having similar DFe concentrations to the Irminger Basin, were attributed to an earlier growth phase of the extant phytoplankton populations. Thus, heme b provides a snapshot of the cellular activity in situ and could both be used as indicator of iron limitation and contribute to understanding phytoplankton adaptation mechanisms to changing iron supplies.

Description: Key Points: • A regional ocean model is used to examine multidecadal shelf temperature changes on the Agulhas Bank • There are distinct shelf temperature regime changes in 1966 and 1996 • These regime shifts are caused by changes in coastal upwelling linked to large-scale wind variability The Agulhas Bank is an important area for the spawning of small pelagic fish and other species. Here, within a NEMO ocean model, we investigate changes in temperature over the Bank on multidecadal time scales. In agreement with previous observational studies, a shift to colder temperatures is found in 1997. The model also simulates an earlier shift from colder to warmer temperatures in 1966. These shifts are coastally confined and shown, using a climatologically forced model run as a control, to be driven by a north‐south migration in the large‐scale wind belts, rather than by changes in downward heat fluxes or changes in the Agulhas Current itself. The zonal wind changes on the Agulhas Bank show a significant relationship with the Southern Annular Mode, showing some promise for future predictability of cold and warm regimes on the Agulhas Bank. Thus, while the Agulhas Current has been shown in previous work to have a large impact on intra‐annual and interannual temperature variability, this work shows that multidecadal variability in temperature on the shelf is likely to be wind forced.

Description: Gravitational sinking of photosynthetically fixed particulate organic carbon (POC) constitutes a key component of the biological carbon pump. The fraction of POC leaving the surface ocean depends on POC sinking velocity (SV) and remineralization rate (Cremin), both of which depend on plankton community structure. However, the key drivers in plankton communities controlling SV and Cremin are poorly constrained. In fall 2014, we conducted a 6 weeks mesocosm experiment in the subtropical NE Atlantic Ocean to study the influence of plankton community structure on SV and Cremin. Oligotrophic conditions prevailed for the first 3 weeks, until nutrient‐rich deep water injected into all mesocosms stimulated diatom blooms. SV declined steadily over the course of the experiment due to decreasing CaCO3 ballast and – according to an optical proxy proposed herein – due to increasing aggregate porosity mostly during an aggregation event after the diatom bloom. Furthermore, SV was positively correlated with the contribution of picophytoplankton to the total phytoplankton biomass. Cremin was highest during a Synechococcus bloom under oligotrophic conditions and in some mesocosms during the diatom bloom after the deep‐water addition while it was particularly low during harmful algal blooms. The temporal changes were considerably larger in Cremin (max. 15‐fold) than in SV (max. 3‐fold). Accordingly, estimated POC transfer efficiency to 1000 m was mainly dependent on how the plankton community structure affected Cremin. Our approach revealed key players and interactions in the plankton food web influencing POC export efficiency thereby improving our mechanistic understanding of the biological carbon pump. Key points Sinking velocity was higher during oligotrophy than during blooms which is linked to ballast, porosity, and phytoplankton size structure Remineralization was highly variable but tended to be higher during Synechococcus or diatom blooms and lower during harmful algal blooms Plankton community structure had a considerably larger influence on particle remineralization rate than on sinking velocity

Description: The physiological processes driving the rapid rates of calcification in larval bivalves are poorly understood. Here, we use a calcification substrate-limited approach (low dissolved inorganic carbon, CT) and mRNA sequencing to identify proteins involved in bicarbonate acquisition during shell formation. As a secondary approach, we examined expression of ion transport and shell matrix proteins (SMPs) over the course of larval development and shell formation. We reared four families of Mytilus edulis under ambient (ca. 1865 µmol/kg) and low CT (ca. 941 µmol/kg) conditions and compared expression patterns at six developmental time points. Larvae reared under low CT exhibited a developmental delay, and a small subset of contigs was differentially regulated between ambient and low CT conditions. Of particular note was the identification of one contig encoding an anion transporter (SLC26) which was strongly upregulated (2.3–2.9 fold) under low CT conditions. By analyzing gene expression profiles over the course of larval development, we are able to isolate sequences encoding ion transport and SMPs to enhance our understanding of cellular pathways underlying larval calcification processes. In particular, we observe the differential expression of contigs encoding SLC4 family members (sodium bicarbonate cotransporters, anion exchangers), calcium-transporting ATPases, sodium/calcium exchangers, and SMPs such as nacrein, tyrosinase, and transcripts related to chitin production. With a range of candidate genes, this work identifies ion transport pathways in bivalve larvae and by applying comparative genomics to investigate temporal expression patterns, provides a foundation for further studies to functionally characterize the proteins involved in larval calcification.

Description: Mid‐ocean ridge axes are marked by segmentation of the axes and underlying magmatic systems. Fine‐scale segmentation has mainly been studied along fast‐spreading ridges. Here we offer insight into the third‐ and fourth‐order segmentation of intermediate‐spreading ridges and their temporal evolution. The Alarcón Rise and the Endeavour Segment have similar spreading rates (49 and 52.5 mm/year, respectively) but contrasting morphologies that vary from an axial high with a relatively narrow axial summit trough to an axial valley. One‐meter resolution bathymetry acquired by autonomous underwater vehicles, lava geochemistry, and ages from sediment cores is combined with available seismic reflection profiles to analyze variations in (1) geometry and orientation of the axial summit trough or valley, (2) seafloor depth near the axis, and (3) distribution of hydrothermal vents, (4) lava chemistry, and (5) flow ages between contiguous axes. Along both intermediate‐spreading segments, third‐ and fourth‐order discontinuities and associated segments are similar in dimension to what has been observed along fast‐spreading ridges. The Alarcón Rise and the Endeavour Segment also allow the study of the evolution of fine‐scale segmentation over periods of 300 to 4,000 years. Comparison between old and young axes reveals that the evolution of fine‐scale segmentation depends on the intensity of the magmatic activity. High magmatic periods are associated with rapid evolution of third‐order segments, while low magmatic activity periods, dominated by tectonic deformation and/or hydrothermal activity, are associated with little to no change in segmentation.

Description: The subterranean flow of water through sand barriers between coastal lagoons and the sea, driven by a positive hydraulic gradient, is a net new pathway for solute transfer to the sea. On the sea side of sand barriers, seawater circulation in the swash-zone generates a flux of recycled and new solutes. The significance and temporal variability of these vectors to the French Mediterranean Sea is unknown, despite lagoons constituting ~ 50% of the coastline. A one-dimensional Ra-224(ex)/Ra-223 reactive-transport model was used to quantify water flow between a coastal lagoon (La Palme) and the sea over a 6-month period. Horizontal flow between the lagoon and sea decreased from ~ 85 cm d(-1) during May 2017 (0.3 m(3) d(-1) m(-1) of shoreline) to ~ 20 cm d(-1) in July and was negligible in the summer months thereafter due to a decreasing hydraulic gradient. Seawater circulation in the swash-zone varied from 10 to 52 cm d(-1) (0.4-2.1 m(3) d(-1) m(-1)), driven by short-term changes in the prevailing wind and wave regimes. Both flow paths supply minor dissolved silica fluxes on the order of ~ 3-10 mmol Si d(-1) m(-1). Lagoon-sea water exchange supplies a net dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) flux (320-1100 mmol C d(-1) m(-1)) two orders of magnitude greater than seawater circulation and may impact coastal ocean acidification. The subterranean flow of water through sand barriers represents a significant source of new DIC, and potentially other solutes, to the Mediterranean Sea during high lagoon water-level periods and should be considered in seasonal element budgets.

Description: Our civilization needs a clean, resilient, productive, safe, well-observed, documented and predicted ocean. “The ocean we need for the future we want” was the motto of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission proposal to the United Nations to consider the merit of an Ocean Science Decade. By proclaiming the Decade, the UN General Assembly offered the oceanographic community a unique, once in a life-time, opportunity to change the way we do things, make oceanography fit for purpose of effectively supporting sustainable development, and energize the ocean sciences for future generations. The Decade is the chance to put in place a more complete and sustainable observing system and feed the resulting data into a science-based informed decision-making system allowing increased reliance of our civilization on the ocean, its ecosystem services and, at the same time, preserving ocean health. Strong and proactive engagement of the oceanographic community in the design of the Decade and its observing component and subsequent energetic implementation of the ideas are sought. Participants in OceanObs’19 are invited to consider the additional possibilities and requirements associated with the Decade in their contributions to and brainstorming at the Conference. It is essential to use collective wisdom of OceanObs’19 to help developing an ambitious and also realistic implementation plan for the Decade, with a strong observational component.

Description: Climate change and variability are major societal challenges, and the ocean is an integral part of this complex and variable system. Key to the understanding of the ocean's role in the Earth's climate system is the study of ocean and sea-ice physical processes, including its interactions with the atmosphere, cryosphere, land and biosphere. These processes include those linked to ocean circulation; the storage and redistribution of heat, carbon, salt and other water properties; and air-sea exchanges of heat, momentum, freshwater, carbon and other gasses. Measurements of ocean physics variables are fundamental to reliable earth prediction systems for a range of applications and users. In addition, knowledge of the physical environment is fundamental to growing understanding of the ocean's biogeochemistry and biological/ecosystem variability and function. Through the progress from OceanObs'99 to OceanObs'09, the ocean observing system has evolved from a platform centric perspective to an integrated observing system. The challenge now is for the observing system to evolve to respond to an increasingly diverse end user group. The Ocean Observations Physics and Climate panel (OOPC), formed in 1995, has undertaken many activities that led to observing system-related agreements. Here, OOPC will explore the opportunities and challenges for the development of a fit-for-purpose, sustained and prioritized ocean observing system, focusing on physical variables that maximize support for fundamental research, climate monitoring, forecasting on different timescales, and society. OOPC recommendations are guided by the Framework for Ocean Observing (Lindstrom et al. 2012) which emphasizes identifying user requirements by considering time and space scales of the Essential Ocean Variables. This approach provides a framework for reviewing the adequacy of the observing system, looking for synergies in delivering an integrated observing system for a range of applications and focusing innovation in areas where existing technologies do not meet these requirements

Description: We study the structure and tectonics of the collision zone between the Nazca Ridge (NR) and the Peruvian margin constrained by seismic, gravimetric, bathymetric, and natural seismological data. The NR was formed in an on-ridge setting, and it is characterized by a smooth and broad shallow seafloor (swell) with an estimated buoyancy flux of ~7 Mg/s. The seismic results show that the NR hosts an oceanic lower crust 10–14 km thick with velocities of 7.2–7.5 km/s suggesting intrusion of magmatic material from the hot spot plume to the oceanic plate. Our results show evidence for subduction erosion in the frontal part of the margin likely enhanced by the collision of the NR. The ridge-trench collision zone correlates with the presence of a prominent normal scarp, a narrow continental slope, and (uplifted) shelf. In contrast, adjacent of the collision zone, the slope does not present a topographic scarp and the continental slope and shelf become wider and deeper. Geophysical and geodetic evidence indicate that the collision zone is characterized by low seismic coupling at the plate interface. This is consistent with vigorous subduction erosion enhanced by the subducting NR causing abrasion and increase of fluid pore pressure at the interplate contact. Furthermore, the NR has behaved as a barrier for rupture propagation of megathrust earthquakes (e.g., 1746 Mw 8.6 and 1942 Mw 8.1 events). In contrast, for moderate earthquakes (e.g., 1996 Mw 7.7 and 2011 Mw 6.9 events), the NR has behaved as a seismic asperity nucleating at depths 〉20 km.

Description: Does disease resistance evolution in vitro reflect resistance evolution in vivo? Hernandez and Koskella conducted serial passage experiments of the plant pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae and two lytic bacteriophages in high‐nutrient medium (in vitro) and in a tomato plant (in vivo). High levels of bacterial resistance to phages evolved in vitro but not in vivo, suggesting that high costs and low benefits of resistance explain the observed pattern.

Description: Rationale: Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an atmospheric trace gas regulating Earth's climate, and is a key intermediate of many nitrogen cycling processes in aquatic ecosystems. Laser-based technology for N2O concentration and isotopic/isotopomeric analyses has potential advantages, which include high analytical specificity, low sample size requirement and reduced cost. Methods: An autosampler with a purge-and-trap module is coupled to a cavity ring-down spectrometer to achieve automated and high-throughput measurements of N2O concentrations, N2O isotope ratios (δ15Nbulk and δ18O values) and position-specific isotopomer ratios (δ15Nα and δ15Nβ values). The system provides accuracy and precision similar to those for measurements made by traditional isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) techniques. Results: The sample sizes required were 0.01–1.1 nmol-N2O. Measurements of four N2O isotopic/isotopomeric references were cross-calibrated with those obtained by IRMS. With a sample size of 0.50 nmol-N2O, the measurement precision (1σ) for δ15Nα, δ15Nβ, δ15Nbulk and δ18O values was 0.61, 0.33, 0.41 and 0.43‰, respectively. Correction schemes were developed for sample size-dependent isotopic/isotopomeric deviations. The instrumental system demonstrated consistent measurements of dissolved N2O concentrations, isotope/isotopomer ratios and production rates in seawater. Conclusions: The coupling of an autosampler with a purge-and-trap module to a cavity ring-down spectrometer not only significantly reduces sample size requirements, but also offers comprehensive investigation of N2O production pathways by the measurement of natural abundance and tracer level isotopes and isotopomers. Furthermore, the system can perform isotopic analyses of dissolved and solid nitrogen-containing samples using N2O as the analytical proxy.

Description: Distinct differences were observed in geochemical signatures in sediments from two sites drilled in the upper plate of the Costa Rica margin during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 334. The upper 80 m at Site U1379, located on the outer shelf, show pore water non‐steady state conditions characteristic of a declining methane flux. These contrast with analyses of the upper sediment layers at the middle slope site (U1378) that reflect steady state conditions. Distinct carbonate‐rich horizons up to 11 meters thick were recovered between 63 and 310 meters below seafloor at Site U1379 but were not found at Site U1378. The carbonates and dissolved inorganic carbon from Site U1379 have a depleted carbon stable isotope signal (up to ‐25‰) that indicates anaerobic methane oxidation. This inference is further supported by distinct δ34S‐pyrite and magnetic susceptibility records that reveal fluctuations of the sulfate‐methane transition in response to methane flux variations. Tectonic reconstructions of this margin document a marked subsidence event after arrival of the Cocos Ridge, 2.2 ± 0.2 million years ago (Ma), followed by increased sedimentation rates and uplift. As the seafloor at Site U1379 rose from ~2000 m to the present water depth of ~126 m, the site moved out of the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) at ~1.1 Ma, triggering upward methane advection, methane oxidation, and the onset of massive carbonate formation. Younger carbonate occurrences and the non‐steady state pore profiles at Site U1379 reflect continued episodic venting likely modulated by changes in the underlying methane reservoir.

Description: The pelagic ocean receives terrigenous inputs of a range of organic compounds; however, the role that this terrigenous material plays in the ocean carbon cycle and biological pump is not entirely understood, and questions remain as to how oceanic cycles of terrigenous and autochthonous carbon interact. A significant portion of organic carbon that cannot be utilized by marine microbes in the epipelagic ocean escapes microbial remineralization to be sequestered in the deep ocean as refractory dissolved organic matter (DOM). Lignin, a “model” terrigenous compound, is thought to be refractory in the open ocean unless chemically altered. However, in this study, incubation experiments performed using lignin-amended oligotrophic seawater from the Sargasso Sea exhibited bacteria and archaea growth that doubled compared to unamended control treatments. The increase in bacteria and archaea cell abundance in lignin-amended treatments coincided with a 21–25% decrease in absorbance (250–400 nm) of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), suggesting that certain microbes may be capable of altering fractions of this ostensibly recalcitrant organic matter. Furthermore, the microbial response to the lignin-amended treatments appears to be taxon-specific. Two phyla of Archaea, Euryarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota, exhibited an increase in abundance of 7-fold and 28-fold (from 2.42 × 106 cells L–1 to 1.72 × 107 cells L–1, and from 1.60 × 106 cells L–1 to 4.54 × 107 cells L–1, respectively), over 4 days of incubation in lignin-amended treatments. Additionally, an increase of 11-fold and 13-fold (from 2.93 × 106 cells L–1 to 3.30 × 107 cells L–1, and from 3.26 × 106 cells L–1 to 4.28 × 107 cells L–1, respectively), was observed in the abundance of these phyla in treatments containing lignin with added nitrogen and phosphorus, thus raising questions regarding primary and/or secondary responses to lignin degradation. Our findings indicate that marine bacteria and archaea play a role in the transformation of the optical properties of lignin in the open ocean and that they may serve as a potential sink for a portion of the lignin macromolecule.

Description: Multidisciplinary ocean observing activities provide critical ocean information to satisfy ever-changing socioeconomic needs and require coordinated implementation. The upper oxycline (transition between high and low oxygen waters) is fundamentally important for the ecosystem structure and can be a useful proxy for multiple observing objectives connected to eastern boundary systems (EBSs) that neighbor oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). The variability of the oxycline and its impact on the ecosystem (VOICE) initiative demonstrates how societal benefits drive the need for integration and optimization of biological, biogeochemical, and physical components of regional ocean observing related to EBS. In liaison with the Global Ocean Oxygen Network, VOICE creates a roadmap toward observation-model syntheses for a comprehensive understanding of selected oxycline-dependent objectives. Local to global effects, such as habitat compression or deoxygenation trends, prompt for comprehensive observing of the oxycline on various space and time scales, and for an increased awareness of its impact on ecosystem services. Building on the Framework for Ocean Observing (FOO), we present a first readiness level assessment for ocean observing of the oxycline in EBS. This was to determine current ocean observing design and future needs in EBS regions (e.g., the California Current System, the Equatorial Eastern Pacific off Ecuador, the Peru–Chile Current system, the Northern Benguela off Namibia, etc.) building on the FOO strategy. We choose regional champions to assess the ocean observing design elements proposed in the FOO, namely, requirement processes, coordination of observational elements, and data management and information products and the related best practices. The readiness level for the FOO elements was derived for each EBS through a similar and very general ad hoc questionnaire. Despite some weaknesses in the questionnaire design and its completion, an assessment was achievable. We found that fisheries and ecosystem management are a societal requirement for all regions, but maturity levels of observational elements and data management and information products differ substantially. Identification of relevant stakeholders, developing strategies for readiness level improvements, and building and sustaining infrastructure capacity to implement these strategies are fundamental milestones for the VOICE initiative over the next 2–5 years and beyond.

Description: Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) plays critical roles in marine carbon cycling, but its sources and sinks remain uncertain. In this study, we monitored DOC exudation rates of Sargassum natans under visible light (lambda 〉 390 nm) and solar radiation. DOC release rates ranged from 7 to 10 mu g C g(biomass)(-1) hr(-1) (wet weight) under visible light, but increased to 23 to 41 mu g C g(biomass)(-1) hr(-1) when exposed to natural sunlight. Results indicate that DOC released by Sargassum could amount to 0.3 to 1.2 Tg C/year, potentially contributing significantly to the marine DOC pool in the Gulf of Mexico and Western North Atlantic. We employed the Folin-Ciocalteu phenolic content method, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) to characterize the diverse pool of organic compounds exuded from Sargassum. Results from these complementary methods showed that Sargassum release large quantities of phlorotannins, a class of polyphenols that have very similar properties to terrestrial DOC. These phlorotannins and their oxygenated phenolic derivatives exhibit a high hydrogen deficiency and functionalization (i.e., 4 to 6 oxygen atoms per aromatic ring), representing 5 to 18% of the released DOC isolated by solid phase extraction. Thus, Sargassum is the largest biological source of open ocean polyphenols recorded to date. The amount of polyphenolic DOC released by Sargassum challenges previous beliefs that all polyphenols found within the oceans are remnants of terrestrial organic matter, although the stability of phlorotannins and their derivatives needs to be further evaluated.

Description: We present a three-dimensional gas hydrate systems model of the southern Hikurangi subduction margin in eastern New Zealand. The model integrates thermal and microbial gas generation, migration, and hydrate formation. Modeling these processes has improved the understanding of factors controlling hydrate distribution. Three spatial trends of concentrated hydrate occurrence are predicted. The first trend (I) is aligned with the principal deformation front in the overriding Australian plate. Concentrated hydrate deposits are predicted at or near the apexes of anticlines and to be mainly sourced from focused migration and recycling of microbial gas generated beneath the hydrate stability zone. A second predicted trend (II) is related to deformation in the subducting Pacific plate associated with former Mesozoic subduction beneath Gondwana and the modern Pacific-Australian plate boundary. This trend is enhanced by increased advection of thermogenic gas through permeable layers in the subducting plate and focused migration into the Neogene basin fill above Cretaceous-Paleogene structures. The third trend (III) follows the northern margin of the Hikurangi Channel and is related to the presence of buried strata of the Hikurangi Channel system. The predicted trends are consistent with pronounced seismic reflection anomalies related to free gas in the pore space and strength of the bottom-simulating reflection. However, only trend I is also associated with clear and widespread seismic indications of concentrated gas hydrate. Total predicted hydrate masses at the southern Hikurangi Margin are between 52,800 and 69,800 Mt. This equates to 3.4–4.5 Mt hydrate/km2, containing 6.33 × 108–8.38 × 108 m3/km2 of methane.

Description: Global climatic changes during the last Glacial and Deglacial have been related to variations of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Here, we present new and refined 231Pa/230Th down‐core profiles extending back to 30 ka BP from the northwestern Atlantic along the Atlantic Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC), which is the main component of the southward deep backflow of the AMOC. Besides the well‐known Bermuda Rise records, available high‐resolution 231Pa/230Th data in the northwestern Atlantic are still sparse. Our new records along with reconstructions of deep water provenance from Nd isotopes constrain the timing and magnitude of past changes in AMOC from an additional northwestern Atlantic region forming a depth transect between 3000 and 4760 m water depth. Our extended and improved dataset confirms the weakening of the AMOC during deglacial cold spells such as Heinrich Event 1 and the Younger Dryas interrupted by a reinvigoration during the Bølling‐Allerød interstadial as seen in the prominent 231Pa/230Th records from the Bermuda Rise. However, in contrast to the Bermuda Rise records we find a clearly reduced circulation strength during the Last Glacial Maximum in the deep Atlantic.

Description: Corals exert a strong biological control over their calcification processes, but there is a lack of knowledge on their capability of long-term acclimatization to ocean acidification (OA). We used a dual geochemical proxy approach to estimate the calcifying fluid pH (pHcf) and carbonate chemistry of a Mediterranean coral (Balanophyllia europaea) naturally growing along a pH gradient (range: pHTS 8.07–7.74). The pHcf derived from skeletal boron isotopic composition (δ11B) was 0.3–0.6 units above seawater values and homogeneous along the gradient (mean ± SEM: Site 1 = 8.39 ± 0.03, Site 2 = 8.34 ± 0.03, Site 3 = 8.34 ± 0.02). Also carbonate ion concentration derived from B/Ca was homogeneous [mean ± SEM (μmol kg–1): Site 1 = 579 ± 34, Site 2 = 541 ± 27, Site 3 = 568 ± 30] regardless of seawater pH. Furthermore, gross calcification rate (GCR, mass of CaCO3 deposited on the skeletal unit area per unit of time), estimated by a “bio-inorganic model” (IpHRAC), was homogeneous with decreasing pH. The homogeneous GCR, internal pH and carbonate chemistry confirm that the features of the “building blocks” – the fundamental structural components – produced by the biomineralization process were substantially unaffected by increased acidification. Furthermore, the pH up-regulation observed in this study could potentially explain the previous hypothesis that less “building blocks” are produced with increasing acidification ultimately leading to increased skeletal porosity and to reduced net calcification rate computed by including the total volume of the pore space. In fact, assuming that the available energy at the three sites is the same, this energy at the low pH sites could be partitioned among fewer calicoblastic cells that consume more energy given the larger difference between external and internal pH compared to the control, leading to the production of less building blocks (i.e., formation of pores inside the skeleton structure, determining increased porosity). However, we cannot exclude that also dissolution may play a role in increasing porosity. Thus, the ability of scleractinian corals to maintain elevated pHcf relative to ambient seawater might not always be sufficient to counteract declines in net calcification under OA scenarios.

Description: Gelatinous zooplankton (Cnidaria, Ctenophora, and Urochordata, namely, Thaliacea) are ubiquitous members of plankton communities linking primary production to higher trophic levels and the deep ocean by serving as food and transferring “jelly‐carbon” (jelly‐C) upon bloom collapse. Global biomass within the upper 200 m reaches 0.038 Pg C, which, with a 2–12 months life span, serves as the lower limit for annual jelly‐C production. Using over 90,000 data points from 1934 to 2011 from the Jellyfish Database Initiative as an indication of global biomass (JeDI: http://jedi.nceas.ucsb.edu, http://www.bco‐dmo.org/dataset/526852), upper ocean jelly‐C biomass and production estimates, organism vertical migration, jelly‐C sinking rates, and water column temperature profiles from GLODAPv2, we quantitatively estimate jelly‐C transfer efficiency based on Longhurst Provinces. From the upper 200 m production estimate of 0.038 Pg C year−1, 59–72% reaches 500 m, 46–54% reaches 1,000 m, 43–48% reaches 2,000 m, 32–40% reaches 3,000 m, and 25–33% reaches 4,500 m. This translates into ~0.03, 0.02, 0.01, and 0.01 Pg C year−1, transferred down to 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,500 m, respectively. Jelly‐C fluxes and transfer efficiencies can occasionally exceed phytodetrital‐based sediment trap estimates in localized open ocean and continental shelves areas under large gelatinous blooms or jelly‐C mass deposition events, but this remains ephemeral and transient in nature. This transfer of fast and permanently exported carbon reaching the ocean interior via jelly‐C constitutes an important component of the global biological soft‐tissue pump, and should be addressed in ocean biogeochemical models, in particular, at the local and regional scale.

Description: Sea surface salinity (SSS) is an important variable in the global ocean circulation. However, decadal to interdecadal changes in SSS are not well understood due to the lack of instrumental data. Here we reconstruct SSS from a paired, bimonthly resolved coral δ18O and Sr/Ca record from La Reunion Island that extends from 1913 to 1995. Coral Sr/Ca correlates with regional sea surface temperature (SST) back to 1966, when instrumental coverage is good, while coral δ18O does not. The slope of the monthly (annual mean) coral Sr/Ca-SST regression is −0.040 mmol/mol per 1 °C (−0.068 mmol/mol per 1 °C) consistent with published estimates of the Sr/Ca-SST relationship. Coral Sr/Ca suggest a warming of 0.39 °C since 1913. δ18O seawater is calculated by subtracting the temperature component from measured coral δ18O, using coral Sr/Ca as well as historical SST products. The derived δ18O seawater reconstructions are correlated (r 〉 0.6), and all show a significant shift in the midtwentieth century (−0.17‰ to −0.19‰), indicating a freshening of SSS by 0.7 psu. However, the timing of this shift depends on the temperature component and varies from 1947 (δ18O seawater calculated with historical SST) to the late 1950s (δ18O seawater calculated with coral Sr/Ca). Coral Sr/Ca shows warm temperature anomalies in the mid-1950s, while historical SST products show warm anomalies from 1940 to 1945 followed by cooling in the 1950s, a pattern typical for the World War II bias. This suggests that historical SST may bias reconstructions of δ18O seawater and SSS from corals.

Description: The ability of state-of-the-art regional climate models (RCMs) to simulate the trends of intense cyclone activity in the Arctic is assessed based on an ensemble of 13 simulations from 11 models from the Arctic-CORDEX initiative. Some models employ large-scale spectral nudging techniques. Cyclone characteristics simulated by the ensemble in winter and summer are compared with the results from four reanalyses (ERA-Interim, NCEP-CFSR, NASA-MERRA2 and JMA-JRA55) in winter and summer for 1981-2010 period.

Description: The presence of optically active water constituents is known to attenuate the light penetration in the ocean and impact the ocean heat content. Here, we investigate the influence of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and total suspended matter (TSM) on the radiative heating of the Laptev Sea shelf waters. The Laptev Sea region is heavily influenced by the Lena River, one of the largest river systems in the Arctic region. We simulate the radiative heating by using a coupled atmosphere-ocean radiative transfer model (RTM) and in situ measurements from the TRANSDRIFT XVII expedition carried out in September 2010. The results indicate that CDOM and TSM have significant influence on the energy budget of the Laptev Sea shelf waters, absorbing most of the solar energy in the first 2 m of the water column. In the station with the highest CDOM absorption (aCDOM(443) = 1.77 m−1) ~43% more energy is absorbed in the surface layer compared to the station with the lowest aCDOM(443) (~0.2 m−1), which translates to an increased radiative heating of ~0.6°C/day. The increased absorbed energy by the water constituents also implies increased sea ice melt rate and changes in the surface heat fluxes to the atmosphere. By using satellite remote sensing and RTM we quantify the spatial distribution of the radiative heating in the Laptev Sea for a typical summer day. The combined use of satellite remote sensing, RT modeling and in situ observations can be used to improve parameterization schemes in atmosphere-ocean circulation models to assess the role of the ocean in the effect of Arctic amplification.

Description: Aim: Numerous regions worldwide are highly impacted by anthropogenic activities and globalization, with climate change and species introductions being among the greatest stressors to biodiversity and ecosystems. A main donor region of non‐indigenous species (NIS) for numerous European water bodies, as well as in the North American Great Lakes is the Ponto‐Caspian region (i.e., Black, Azov and Caspian Seas), with some of those species having significant impact on local communities and ecosystem functioning. Location: Northern European, Ponto‐Caspian and North American regions. Methods: To determine environmental tolerance of native species and related NIS under current and future global warming scenarios of the Baltic Sea, we conducted common garden experiments to test temperature tolerance of three euryhaline gammarid species: one Baltic (Gammarus oceanicus), one Ponto‐Caspian (Pontogammarus maeoticus) and one North American species (Gammarus tigrinus) in two different salinities. Results: Our results determined that mortality of P. maeoticus in all temperature treatments (i.e., increased, control, and decreased) at the end of both experiments (i.e., conducted in salinities of 10 and 16 g/kg) was lower when compared to mortality of G. oceanicus and (c) G. tigrinus. The highest mortality was observed for G. oceanicus, reaching 100% in both experiments in the increased temperature treatment. Main conclusions: Due to the high environmental tolerance of the Ponto‐Caspian species tested in this study, as well as the fact that Ponto‐Caspian species evolved in environmentally variable habitats and currently inhabit warmer waters than species from North America and Northern Europe, we suggest that species from the Ponto‐Caspian region may benefit from global warming when invading new areas. Those new invasions may, in the best case scenario, increase biodiversity of the Baltic Sea. However, if notorious invaders arrive, they may have a significant impact on local communities and ecosystem functioning.

Description: Reconstruction of early Cenozoic deep‐water circulation is one of the keys to modelling Earth's greenhouse‐to‐icehouse surface evolution, but it has long been hampered by the paucity of information from the central South Pacific. To help overcome this knowledge gap, we present new micropalaeontological data from dredged carbonates (R/V Sonne Expedition SO193) at several eastern volcanic salients of the Manihiki Plateau. Interestingly, despite appreciable longitudinal separations among the dredged sites, ages indicated by the foraminiferal assemblages are consistently around the Middle Eocene [including mixed Turonian (Late Cretaceous)/Eocene at a single site], suggesting widespread post‐Eocene cessation of the pelagic sedimentation. By integrating with independent seismic and chronostratigraphic data (Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 33) for large‐scale erosion of top‐Eocene–Oligocene sedimentary units on the eastern Manihiki Plateau, our results can be viewed as novel physical evidence for the intensification of central South Pacific deep‐water circulation since the Eocene/Oligocene climatic transition.

Description: We investigated how future ocean conditions, and specifically the interaction between temperature and CO2, might affect marine aggregate formation and physical properties. Initially, mesocosms filled with coastal seawater were subjected to three different treatments of CO2 concentration and temperature: (1) 750 ppm CO2, 16°C, (2) 750 ppm CO2, 20°C, and (3) 390 ppm CO2, 16°C. Diatom-dominated phytoplankton blooms were induced in the mesocosms by addition of nutrients. In aggregates produced in roller tanks using seawater taken from the mesocosms during different stages of the bloom, we measured sinking velocity, size, chlorophyll a, particulate organic carbon and nitrogen, and exopolymer particle content; excess density and mass were calculated from the sinking velocity and size of the aggregates. As has been seen in previous experiments, no discernable differences in overall nutrient uptake, chlorophyll-a concentration, or exopolymer particle concentrations could be related to the acidification treatment in the mesocosms. In addition, in the aggregates formed during the roller tank experiments (RTEs), we observed no statistically significant differences in chemical composition among the treatments during Pre-Bloom, Bloom, and Post-Bloom periods. However, physical characteristics were different and showed a synergistic effect of warmer temperature and higher CO2 during the Pre-Bloom period; at this time, temperature had a larger effect than CO2 on aggregate sinking velocity. In RTEs with warmer and acidified treatment (future conditions), aggregates were larger, heavier, and settled faster than aggregates formed at present-day or only acidified conditions. During the Post-Bloom, however, aggregates formed under present and future conditions had similar physical properties. In acidified tanks at ambient temperature, aggregates were slower, smaller and less dense than those formed at the same temperature but under present CO2 or under warmer and acidified conditions. Thus, the sinking velocity of aggregates formed in acidified tanks at ambient temperature was slower than the other two cases. Our findings point out the potential of ocean acidification and warming to modify physical properties of sinking aggregates but also emphasize the need of future experiments investigating multiple environmental stressors to clarify the importance of each factor.

Description: The interaction between the atmosphere, specifically the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and the North Atlantic ocean circulation on sub‐decadal timescale is analyzed in a subset of models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5). From preindustrial control runs of at least 500 years length, we derive anomaly patterns in the atmospheric and ocean circulation and of air‐sea heat exchange. All models simulate a distinct dipolar oceanic overturning anomaly at the sub‐decadal timescale, with centers at 30° N and 55° N. The dipolar overturning anomaly goes along with marked anomalies in the North Atlantic sea surface temperature and gyre circulation. Lag‐regression analyses demonstrate, with relatively small ensemble spread, how the atmosphere and the ocean circulation interact. The dipolar anomalies in the overturning are forced by NAO‐related wind stress curl anomalies. Anomalous surface heat fluxes in concert with anomalous vertical motions drive a meridional dipolar heat content anomaly in the upper ocean, and it is this dipolar heat content anomaly which carries the coupled system from one phase of the sub‐decadal cycle to the other by reversing the tendencies in the overturning circulation. The coupled sub‐decadal variability derived from the CMIP5 models is characterized by three elements: a wind‐driven part steering the dipolar overturning anomaly, surface heat flux anomalies that support a heat build‐up in the subpolar gyre region, and the heat storage memory which is instrumental in the phase reversal of the NAO.

Description: Rationale Boron (B) is an essential micronutrient in plants and its isotope variations are used to gain insights into plant metabolism, which is important for crop plant cultivation. B isotope variations were used to trace intraplant fractionation mechanisms in response to the B concentration in the irrigation water spanning the range from B depletion to toxic levels. Methods A fully validated analytical procedure based on MC‐ICP‐MS, sample decomposition and B matrix separation was applied to study B isotope fractionation. The validation was accomplished by establishing a complete uncertainty budget and by applying reference materials, yielding expanded measurement uncertainties of 0.8 ‰ for pure boric acid solutions and ≤ 1.5 ‰ for processed samples. With this validated procedure SI traceable B isotope amount ratios were determined in plant reference materials for the first time. Results The B isotope compositions of irrigation water and bell pepper samples suggest passive diffusion of the heavy 11B isotope into the roots during low to high B concentrations while uptake of the light 10B isotope was promoted during B depletion, probably by active processes. A systematic enrichment of the heavy 11B isotope in higher located plant parts was observed (average Δ11Bleaf‐roots = 20.3 ± 2.8 ‰ (1 SD)), possibly by a facilitated transport of the heavy 11B to growing meristems by B transporters. Conclusions B isotopes can be used to identify plant metabolism in response to the B concentration in the irrigation water and during intraplant B transfer. The large B isotope fractionation within the plants demonstrates the importance of biological B cycling for the global B cycle.

Description: Recent studies using reanalysis data and complex models suggest that the Tropics influence midlatitude blocking. Here, the influence of tropical precipitation anomalies is investigated further using a dry dynamical model driven by specified diabatic heating anomalies. The model uses a quasi‐realistic setup based on idealized orography and an idealized representation of the land‐ocean thermal contrast. Results concerning the El Niño Southern Oscillation and the Madden‐Julian Oscillation are mostly consistent with previous studies and emphasize the importance of tropical dynamics for driving the variability of blocking at midlatitudes. It is also shown that a common bias in models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5), namely, excessive tropical precipitation, leads to an underestimation of midlatitude blocking in our model, also a common bias in the CMIP5 models. The strongest blocking anomalies associated with the tropical precipitation bias are found over Europe, where the underestimation of blocking in CMIP5 models is also particularly strong.

Description: Marine transform faults and associated fracture zones (MTFFZs) cover vast stretches of the ocean floor, where they play a key role in plate tectonics, accommodating the lateral movement of tectonic plates and allowing connections between ridges and trenches. Together with the continental counterparts of MTFFZs, these structures also pose a risk to human societies as they can generate high magnitude earthquakes and trigger tsunamis. Historical examples are the Sumatra-Wharton Basin Earthquake in 2012 (M8.6) and the Atlantic Gloria Fault Earthquake in 1941 (M8.4). Earthquakes at MTFFZs furthermore open and sustain pathways for fluid flow triggering reactions with the host rocks that may permanently change the rheological properties of the oceanic lithosphere. In fact, they may act as conduits mediating vertical fluid flow and leading to elemental exchanges between Earth’s mantle and overlying sediments. Chemicals transported upward in MTFFZs include energy substrates, such as H2 and volatile hydrocarbons, which then sustain chemosynthetic, microbial ecosystems at and below the seafloor. Moreover, up- or downwelling of fluids within the complex system of fractures and seismogenic faults along MTFFZs could modify earthquake cycles and/or serve as “detectors” for changes in the stress state during interseismic phases. Despite their likely global importance, the large areas where transform faults and fracture zones occur are still underexplored, as are the coupling mechanisms between seismic activity, fluid flow, and life. This manuscript provides an interdisciplinary review and synthesis of scientific progress at or related to MTFFZs and specifies approaches and strategies to deepen the understanding of processes that trigger, maintain, and control fluid flow at MTFFZs.

Description: We revisit the challenges and prospects for ocean circulation models following Griffies et al. (2010). Over the past decade, ocean circulation models evolved through improved understanding, numerics, spatial discretization, grid configurations, parameterizations, data assimilation, environmental monitoring, and process-level observations and modeling. Important large scale applications over the last decade are simulations of the Southern Ocean, the Meridional Overturning Circulation and its variability, and regional sea level change. Submesoscale variability is now routinely resolved in process models and permitted in a few global models, and submesoscale effects are parameterized in most global models. The scales where nonhydrostatic effects become important are beginning to be resolved in regional and process models. Coupling to sea ice, ice shelves, and high-resolution atmospheric models has stimulated new ideas and driven improvements in numerics. Observations have provided insight into turbulence and mixing around the globe and its consequences are assessed through perturbed physics models. Relatedly, parameterizations of the mixing and overturning processes in boundary layers and the ocean interior have improved. New diagnostics being used for evaluating models alongside present and novel observations are briefly referenced. The overall goal is summarizing new developments in ocean modeling, including: how new and existing observations can be used, what modeling challenges remain, and how simulations can be used to support observations.

Description: Key Points: - Rapid subsurface oceanographic change in the tropical W Atlantic reflect shifting Subtropical Gyre - Subsurface warming responds to deglacial AMOC perturbations (Heinrich Stadials 2, 1, and the Younger Dryas) - Southward propagation of Salinity Maximum Water during Northern Hemisphere cold spells shift the mixing zone of tropical and subtropical waters During times of deglacial Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) perturbations, the tropical Atlantic experienced considerable warming at subsurface levels. Coupled ocean‐atmosphere simulations corroborate the tight teleconnection between the tropical Atlantic and climate change at high northern latitudes, but still underestimate the relevance of the subsurface N Atlantic Subtropical Gyre (STG) for heat and salt storage and its sensitivity to rapid climatic change. We here reconstruct vertical and lateral temperature and salinity gradients in the tropical W Atlantic and the Caribbean over the last 30 kyrs, based on planktic deep and shallow dwelling foraminiferal Mg/Ca and δ18O‐records. The rapid and large amplitude subsurface changes illustrate a dynamic STG associated with abrupt shifts of North Atlantic hydrographic and atmospheric regimes. During full glacial conditions, the STG has been shifted southward while intensified Ekman‐downwelling associated to strengthened trade winds fostered the formation of warm and saline Salinity Maximum Water (SMW). The southward propagation of SMW was facilitated by the glacially eastward deflected North Brazil Current. During periods of significant AMOC perturbations (Heinrich Stadials 1, and the Younger Dryas), extreme subsurface warming by ~6°C led to diminished lateral subsurface temperature gradients. Coevally, a deep thermocline suggests that SMW fully occupied the subsurface tropical W Atlantic and that the STG reached its southernmost position. During the Holocene, modern‐like conditions gradually developed with the northward retreat of SMW and the development of a strong thermocline ridge between the Subtropical Gyre and the tropical W Atlantic.

Description: Quaternary East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) evolution has long been attributed to high-latitude Northern Hemisphere climate change. However, it cannot explain the distinct relationships of the EAWM in the northern and southern East Asian marginal sea in paleoclimatic records. Here we present an EAWM record of the northern East China Sea over the past 300 ka and a transient climate simulation with the Kiel Climate Model through the Holocene. Both proxy record and simulation suggest anticorrelated long-term EAWM evolution between the northern East China Sea and the South China Sea. We suggest that this spatial discrepancy of EAWM can be interpreted as El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-like controlling, which generates cyclonic/anticyclonic wind anomalies in the northern/southern East Asian marginal sea. This research explains much of the controversy in nonorbital scale variability of Quaternary EAWM records in the East Asian marginal sea and supports a potent role of tropical forcing in East Asian winter climate change.

Description: New marine geophysical data acquired across the partly ice‐covered northern East Greenland continental margin highlight a complex interaction between tectonic and magmatic events. Breakup‐related lava flows are imaged in reflection seismic data as seaward dipping reflectors (SDRs), which are found to decrease in size both northwards and southwards from a central point at 75° N. We provide evidence that the magnetic anomaly pattern in the shelf area is related to volcanic phases and not to the presence of oceanic crust. The remnant magnetization of the individual lava flows is used to deduce a relative timing of the emplacement of the volcanic wedges. We find that the SDRs have been emplaced over a period of 2‐4 Ma progressively from north to south and from landward to seaward. The new data indicate a major post‐middle Eocene magmatic phase around the landward termination of the West Jan Mayen Fracture Zone. This post‐40 Ma volcanism likely was associated with the progressive separation of the Jan Mayen microcontinent from East Greenland. The break‐up of the Greenland Sea started at several isolated seafloor spreading cells whose location was controlled by rift structures and led to the present‐day segmentation of the margin. The original rift basins were subsequently connected by steady‐state seafloor spreading that propagated southwards, from the Greenland Fracture Zone to the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone. Key Points Polyphase Cenozoic volcanic rifting and consecutive emplacement of breakup‐related lava flows units along the northern East Greenland margin Breakup along restricted margin segments is followed by north to south directed progressive opening of the Greenland Sea Widespread post‐middle Eocene (〈 40 Ma) offshore magmatism, associated with the breakup of the Jan Mayen microcontinent from East Greenland

Description: The translocation of non-indigenous species around the world, especially in marine systems, is a matter of concern for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functioning. While specific traits are often recognized to influence establishment success of non-indigenous species, the impact of the associated microbial community for the fitness, performance and invasion success of basal marine metazoans remains vastly unknown. In this study we compared the microbiota community composition of the invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in different native and invasive sub-populations along with characterization of the genetic structure of the host. By 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing we showed that the sister group to all metazoans, namely ctenophores, harbored a distinct microbiota on the animal host, which significantly differed across two major tissues, namely epidermis and gastrodermis. Additionally, we identified significant differences between native and invasive sub-populations of M. leidyi, which indicate, that the microbiota community is likely influenced by the genotypic background of the ctenophore. To test the hypothesis that the microbiota is genotypically selected for by the ctenophore host, experiments under controlled environments are required.

Description: The dense AlpArray network allows studying seismic wave propagation with high spatial resolution. Here we introduce an array approach to measure arrival angles of teleseismic Rayleigh waves. The approach combines the advantages of phase correlation as in the two-station method with array beamforming to obtain the phase-velocity vector. 20 earthquakes from the first two years of the AlpArray project are selected, and spatial patterns of arrival-angle deviations across the AlpArray are shown in maps, depending on period and earthquake location. The cause of these intriguing spatial patterns is discussed. A simple wave-propagation modelling example using an isolated anomaly and a Gaussian beam solution suggests that much of the complexity can be explained as a result of wave interference after passing a structural anomaly along the wave paths. This indicates that arrival-angle information constitutes useful additional information on the Earth structure, beyond what is currently used in inversions.

Description: During R/V Meteor cruise 141/1, pore fluids of near surface sediments were investigated to find indications for hydrothermal activity in the Terceira Rift (TR), a hyper‐slow spreading center in the Central North Atlantic Ocean. To date, submarine hydrothermal fluid venting in the TR has only been reported for the D. João de Castro seamount, which presently seems to be inactive. Pore fluids sampled close to a volcanic cone at 2800 m water depth show an anomalous composition with Mg, SO4, and total alkalinity (TA) concentrations significantly higher than seawater and a nearby reference core. The most straightforward way of interpreting these deviations is the dissolution of the hydrothermally formed mineral caminite (MgSO4 0.25Mg(OH)2 0.2H2O). This interpretation is corroborated by a thorough investigation of fluid isotope systems (δ26Mg, δ30Si, δ34S, δ44/42Ca, and 87Sr/86Sr). Caminite is known from mineral assemblages with anhydrite, and forms in hydrothermal recharge zones only under specific conditions such as high fluid temperatures and in altered oceanic crust, which are conditions generally met at the TR. We hypothesize that caminite was formed during hydrothermal activity and is now dissolving during the waning state of the hydrothermal system, so that caminite mineralization is shifted out of its stability zone. Ongoing fluid circulation through the basement is transporting the geochemical signal via slow advection towards the seafloor.

Description: Apicomplexans are a group of microbial eukaryotes that contain some of the most well-studied parasites, including the causing agents of toxoplasmosis and malaria, and emergent diseases like cryptosporidiosis or babesiosis. Decades of research have illuminated the pathogenic mechanisms, molecular biology, and genomics of model apicomplexans, but we know little about their diversity and distribution in natural environments. In this study we analyze the distribution of apicomplexans across a range of both host-associated and free-living environments. Using publicly available small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene databases, high-throughput environmental sequencing (HTES) surveys, and our own generated HTES data, we developed an apicomplexan reference database, which includes the largest apicomplexan SSU rRNA tree available to date and encompasses comprehensive sampling of this group and their closest relatives. This tree allowed us to identify and correct incongruences in the molecular identification of apicomplexan sequences. Analyzing the diversity and distribution of apicomplexans in HTES studies with this curated reference database also showed a widespread, and quantitatively important, presence of apicomplexans across a variety of free-living environments. These data allow us to describe a remarkable molecular diversity of this group compared with our current knowledge, especially when compared with that identified from described apicomplexan species. This is most striking in marine environments, where potentially the most diverse apicomplexans apparently exist, but have not yet been formally recognized. The new database will be useful for microbial ecology and epidemiological studies, and provide valuable reference for medical and veterinary diagnosis especially in cases of emerging, zoonotic, and cryptic infections.

Description: In the Peruvian upwelling system, the mesopelagic oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) is the main vertically structuring feature of the pelagic habitat. Several zooplankton and nekton species undertake diel vertical migrations (DVMs) into anoxic depths. It has been argued that these migrations contribute substantially to the oxygen consumption and release of dissolved compounds (in particular ammonium) in subsurface waters. However, metabolic suppression as a response to low ambient oxygen partial pressure (pO2) has not been accounted for in these estimates. Here, we present estimates of zooplankton- and nekton-mediated oxygen consumption and ammonium release based on vertically stratified net hauls (day/night, upper 1,000 m). Samples were scanned, followed by image analysis and size-/taxon-specific estimation of metabolic rates of all identified organisms as a function of their biomass as well as ambient temperature and pO2. The main crustacean migrants were euphausiids (mainly E. mucronata) on offshore stations and the commercially exploited squat lobster Pleuroncodes monodon on the upper shelf, where it often undertakes migration to the seafloor during the day. Correction for metabolic suppression results in a substantial reduction of both respiration and ammonium excretion within the OMZ core. Ignoring this mechanism leads to a 10-fold higher estimate of DVM-mediated active export of carbon by respiration to below 100 m depth at deep-water stations. The DVM-mediated release of ammonium by euphausiids into the 200–400 m depth layer ranges between 0 and 36.81 μmol NH4 m−2 d−1, which is insufficient to balance published estimates of ammonium uptake rates due to anammox. It seems critical to account for the modulation of zooplankton metabolic activity at low oxygen in order to correctly represent the contribution of migrating species to the biological pump.

Description: Since 2009, unprecedented comprehensive long-term gas hydrate observations have become available from Ocean Networks Canada's NEPTUNE cabled ocean observatory at the northern Cascadia margin. Several experiments demonstrate the scientific importance of permanent power and Internet connectivity to the ocean floor as they have advanced the field of gas hydrate related research. One example is the cabled crawler Wally at Barkley Canyon, enabling live in situ exploration of the hydrate mounds and its associated benthic communities through the crawler's mobility and permanent accessibility throughout the year. Another example is a bubble-imaging sonar at Clayoquot Slope, revealing the strong relationship between ebullition of natural gas and tidal pressure, without apparent correlation to earthquakes, storms, or temperature fluctuations, in year-long continuous recordings. Finally, regular observatory maintenance cruises allow additional science sampling including echo-sounder surveys to extend the observatory footprint. Long-term trends in the data are not yet apparent but can also become evident from continuous measurements, as ocean observatories such as NEPTUNE are built for a 25-year lifetime, and expansion of the observatory networks makes these findings comparable and testable. Plain Language Summary Natural gas near the ocean floor creates a rapidly changing environment where it is important to collect data continuously in order to determine the magnitude, speed, and potential mechanism of change. This long-standing challenge of year-round access to the deep ocean has been tackled by Ocean Networks Canada through cabling the northern Cascadia seafloor, providing power and Internet communication-ideal for power-hungry instruments, large data volumes, and real-time access. The presence of gas influences the shape of the seafloor, animal activity, and potential escape of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. A seafloor crawler Wally was operated around deep canyon mounds of gas hydrate (a solid gas-water composite) since 2009 and helped discover environmental changes influencing sea life. Further along the continental slope, an acoustic sonar monitored rising methane bubbles where the bubbling appears to be controlled neither by earthquakes, winter storms, nor subtle temperature changes but actually strongly by tidal pressure. Regular maintenance of the observatory by ship allows more data to be collected near the cabled seafloor sites, extending the observations to a larger area. Ocean observatories are built to last decades and therefore more data for more research can be collected, potentially detecting relatively slow processes as well.

Description: The ecological impacts of meltwater produced by icebergs and sea ice in the waters around Greenland are poorly understood, due in part to limited observations. Current field sampling methods are resource and labor-intensive, and not without significant risk. We developed a small, unoccupied, and robotic platform to retrieve ice samples, while simultaneously eliminating safety risks to scientists and their support infrastructure. The IceDrone consists of a modified commercial hexcopter that retrieves ice samples. We describe the design requirements, construction, and testing of the IceDrone. IceDrone's capabilities were validated in the laboratory and during a field test in January 2019 near Nuuk (southwest Greenland). IceDrone retrieved samples in hard and dry glacial ice in harsh winter conditions. The field test led to modifications in the drilling head design and drilling process that enable it to retrieve samples in thin sea ice. All design files and software are provided in an attempt to rapidly enhance our collective understanding of ice-ocean interactions while improving the safety and productivity of field sampling campaigns.

Description: There is a converging body of evidence supporting a measurable slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) as climate warms and Northern Hemisphere ice sheets inexorably shrink. Within this context, we assess the variability of the AMOC during the Holocene based on a marine sediment core retrieved from the deep northwest Atlantic, which sensitively recorded large‐scale deglacial transitions in deep water circulation. While there is a diffuse notion of Holocene variability in Labrador and Nordic Seas overturning, we report a largely invariable deep water circulation for the last ~11,000 years, even during the meltwater pulse associated with the 8.2‐ka event. Sensitivity tests along with high‐resolution 231Pa/230Th data constrain the duration and the magnitude of possible Holocene AMOC variations. The generally constant baseline during the Holocene suggests attenuated natural variability of the large‐scale AMOC on submillennial timescales and calls for compensating effects involving the upstream components of North Atlantic Deep Water.

Description: While burial diagenetic processes of tropical corals are well investigated, current knowledge about factors initiating early diagenesis remains fragmentary. In the present study, we focus on recent Porites microatolls, growing in the intertidal zone. This growth form represents a model organism for elevated sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and provides important but rare archives for changes close to the seawater/atmosphere interface with exceptional precision on sea level reconstruction. As other coral growth forms, microatolls are prone to the colonization by endolithic green algae. In this case, the algae can facilitate earliest diagenetic alteration of the coral skeleton. Algae metabolic activity not only results in secondary coral porosity due to boring activities, but may also initiate reprecipitation of secondary aragonite within coral pore space, a process not exclusively restricted to microatoll settings. In the samples of this initial study, we quantified a mass transfer from primary to secondary aragonite of around 4% within endolithic green algae bands. Using δ18O, δ13C, Sr/Ca, U/Ca, Mg/Ca, and Li/Mg systematics suggests that the secondary aragonite precipitation followed abiotic precipitation principles. According to their individual distribution coefficients, the different isotope and element ratios showed variable sensitivity to the presence of secondary aragonite in bulk samples, with implications for microatoll-based SST reconstructions. The secondary precipitates formed on an organic template, presumably originating from endolithic green algae activity. Based on laboratory experiments with the green algae Ostreobium quekettii, we propose a conceptual model that secondary aragonite formation is potentially accelerated by an active intracellular calcium transport through the algal thallus from the location of dissolution into coral pore spaces. The combined high-resolution imaging and geochemical approach applied in this study shows that endolithic algae can possibly act as a main driver for earliest diagenesis of coral aragonite starting already during a coral’s life span.

Description: Natural products and derivatives thereof are of considerable importance in the discovery of new pharmaceuticals, for example, for the treatment of cancer, diabetes, inflammation diseases, and infection diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites. The great biodiversity of marine microorganisms is reflected in their huge chemical diversity, which provides a rich source of biologically active compounds. An increasing interest in marine microorganisms as promising producers of new compounds with potential medical applications has raised increasing interest in the sustainable exploration of marine microbial resources for the discovery of new antibiotics, which is highlighted. The bottlenecks in the development of drugs using the large marine natural product pipeline are also discussed.

Description: The trait‐based approach is increasingly used in plankton ecology to understand diversity, community dynamics, and biogeography. While on the global scale phytoplankton traits are fairly well established, zooplankton traits are only beginning to be understood. One taxa‐transcending aspect of zooplankton diversity is the distinction between ambush and active feeding strategies. We present a global‐scale empirical estimate of feeding strategy derived from copepod abundance observations, which for the first time suggests a distinct trait biogeography with ambush feeding as the dominant feeding strategy at higher, but not at lower latitudes. To explain this trait biogeography, we develop a minimalist trade‐off based model of feeding strategies based on encounter rates between zooplankton predators and their phyto‐ and zooplankton prey. Encounter rates are governed by the two traits, size and motility, that trade off against predation risk. Coupled to a three‐dimensional dynamic green ocean model, our idealized encounter model captures the observed feeding strategy biogeography. In the model, this pattern arises from competing dominant food chains within the food web and is shaped by a trophic trait cascade of active vs. passive feeding in adjacent trophic levels. The dominant feeding strategy structures the pathways and efficiency of energy and biomass transfer through the model food web, with consequences for primary production, export and higher trophic levels. Understanding feeding strategies is therefore important for fisheries, biogeochemical cycling, and long‐term predictions of ecosystem dynamics and functioning by global dynamic green ocean models.

Description: As one of the most abundant and ubiquitous representatives of marine and brackish coastal macrophytobenthos communities, the genus Ulva is not only an important primary producer but also of ecological and morphogenetic interest to many scientists. Ulva mutabilis became an important model organism to study morphogenesis and mutualistic interactions of macroalgae and microorganisms. Here, we report that our collections of Ulva compressa Linnaeus (1753) from Germany are conspecific with the type strains of the model organism U. mutabilis Føyn (1958), which were originally collected at Olhão on the south coast of Portugal and have from that time on been maintained in culture as gametophytic and parthenogenetic lab strains. Different approaches were used to test conspecificity: (i) comparisons of vegetative and reproductive features of cultured material of U. mutabilis and German U. compressa demonstrated a shared morphological pattern; (ii) gametes of U. compressa and U. mutabilis successfully mated and developed into fertile sporophytic first‐generation offspring; (iii) molecular phylogenetics and species delimitation analyses based on the Generalized Mixed Yule‐Coalescent method showed that U. mutabilis isolates (sl‐G[mt+]) and (wt‐G[mt‐]) and U. compressa belong to a unique Molecular Operational Taxonomic Unit. According to these findings, there is sufficient evidence that U. mutabilis and U. compressa should be regarded as conspecific.

Description: Five initialization and ensemble generation methods are investigated with respect to their impact on the prediction skill of the German decadal prediction system "Mittelfristige Klimaprognose" (MiKlip). Among the tested methods, three tackle aspects of model‐consistent initialization using the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), the filtered anomaly initialization (FAI) and the initialization method by partially coupled spin‐up (MODINI). The remaining two methods alter the ensemble generation: the ensemble dispersion filter (EDF) corrects each ensemble member with the ensemble mean during model integration. And the bred vectors (BV) perturb the climate state using the fastest growing modes. The new methods are compared against the latest MiKlip system in the low‐resolution configuration (Preop‐LR), which uses lagging the climate state by a few days for ensemble generation and nudging toward ocean and atmosphere reanalyses for initialization. Results show that the tested methods provide an added value for the prediction skill as compared to Preop‐LR in that they improve prediction skill over the eastern and central Pacific and different regions in the North Atlantic Ocean. In this respect, the EnKF and FAI show the most distinct improvements over Preop‐LR for surface temperatures and upper ocean heat content, followed by the BV, the EDF and MODINI. However, no single method exists that is superior to the others with respect to all metrics considered. In particular, all methods affect the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in different ways, both with respect to the basin‐wide long‐term mean and variability, and with respect to the temporal evolution at the 26° N latitude.

Description: Ground-breaking measurements from the ocean observatories initiative Irminger Sea surface mooring (60°N, 39°30′W) are presented that provide the first in situ characterization of multiwinter surface heat exchange at a high latitude North Atlantic site. They reveal strong variability (December 2014 net heat loss nearly 50% greater than December 2015) due primarily to variations in frequency of intense short timescale (1–3 days) forcing. Combining the observations with the new high resolution European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis 5 (ERA5) atmospheric reanalysis, the main source of multiwinter variability is shown to be changes in the frequency of Greenland tip jets (present on 15 days in December 2014 and 3 days in December 2015) that can result in hourly mean heat loss exceeding 800 W/m2. Furthermore, a new picture for atmospheric mode influence on Irminger Sea heat loss is developed whereby strongly positive North Atlantic Oscillation conditions favor increased losses only when not outweighed by the East Atlantic Pattern.

Description: In order to understand the effect of global change on marine fishes, it is imperative to quantify the effects on fundamental parameters such as survival and growth. Larval survival and recruitment of the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) were found to be heavily impaired by end-of-century levels of ocean acidification. Here, we analysed larval growth among 35–36 days old surviving larvae, along with organ development and ossification of the skeleton. We combined CO2treatments (ambient: 503 µatm, elevated: 1,179 µatm) with food availability in order to evaluate the effect of energy limitation in addition to the ocean acidification stressor. As expected, larval size (as a proxy for growth) and skeletogenesis were positively affected by high food availability. We found significant interactions between acidification and food availability. Larvae fed ad libitum showed little difference in growth and skeletogenesis due to the CO2 treatment. Larvae under energy limitation were significantly larger and had further developed skeletal structures in the elevated CO2 treatment compared to the ambient CO2 treatment. However, the elevated CO2 group revealed impairments in critically important organs, such as the liver, and had comparatively smaller functional gills indicating a mismatch between size and function. It is therefore likely that individual larvae that had survived acidification treatments will suffer from impairments later during ontogeny. Our study highlights important allocation trade-off between growth and organ development, which is critically important to interpret acidification effects on early life stages of fish.

Description: A realistic estimation of uncertainty is an essential requirement for all analytical measurements. It is common practice, however, for the uncertainty estimate of a chemical measurement to be based on the instrumental precision associated with the analysis of a single or multiple samples, which can lead to underestimation. Within the context of chemical oceanography such an underestimation of uncertainty could lead to an over interpretation of the result(s) and hence impact on, e.g., studies of biogeochemical cycles, and the outputs from oceanographic models. Getting high quality observational data with a firm uncertainty assessment is therefore essential for proper model validation. This paper describes and compares two recommended approaches that can give a more holistic assessment of the uncertainty associated with such measurements, referred to here as the “bottom up” or modeling approach and the “top down” or empirical approach. “Best practice” recommendations for the implementation of these strategies are provided. The “bottom up” approach combines the standard uncertainties associated with each stage of the entire measurement procedure. The “top down” approach combines the uncertainties associated with day to day reproducibility and possible bias in the complete data set and is easy to use. For analytical methods that are routinely used, laboratories will have access to the information required to calculate the uncertainty from archived quality assurance data. The determination of trace elements in seawater is a significant analytical challenge and iron is used as an example for the implementation of both approaches using real oceanographic data. Relative expanded uncertainties of 10 – 20% were estimated for both approaches compared with a typical short term precision (rsd) of≤5%.

Description: Trace metal micronutrients are integral to the functioning of marine ecosystems and the export of particulate carbon to the deep ocean. Although much progress has been made in mapping the distributions of metal micronutrients throughout the ocean over the last 30 years, there remain information gaps, most notable during seasonal transitions and in remote regions. The next challenge is to develop in situ sensing technologies necessary to capture the spatial and temporal variabilities of micronutrients characterized with short residence times, highly variable source terms, and sub-nanomolar concentrations in open ocean settings. Such an effort will allow investigation of the biogeochemical processes at the necessary resolution to constrain fluxes, residence times, and the biological and chemical responses to varying metal inputs in a changing ocean. Here, we discuss the current state of the art and analytical challenges associated with metal micronutrient determinations and highlight existing and emerging technologies, namely in situ chemical analyzers, electrochemical sensors, passive preconcentration samplers, and autonomous trace metal clean samplers, which could form the basis of autonomous observing systems for trace metals within the next decade. We suggest that several existing assets can already be deployed in regions of enhanced metal concentrations and argue that, upon further development, a combination of wet chemical analyzers with electrochemical sensors may provide the best compromise between analytical precision, detection limits, metal speciation, and longevity for autonomous open ocean determinations. To meet this goal, resources must be invested to: (1) improve the sensitivity of existing sensors including the development of novel chemical assays; (2) reduce sensor size and power requirements; (3) develop an open-source “Do-It-Yourself” infrastructure to facilitate sensor development, uptake by end-users and foster a mechanism by which scientists can rapidly adapt commercially available technologies to in situ applications; and (4) develop a community-led standardized protocol to demonstrate the endurance and comparability of in situ sensor data with established techniques. Such a vision will be best served through ongoing collaborations between trace metal geochemists, analytical chemists, the engineering community, and commercial partners, which will accelerate the delivery of new technologies for in situ metal sensing in the decade following OceanObs’19.

Description: Genetic divergence among populations arises through natural selection or drift and is counteracted by connectivity and gene flow. In sympatric populations, isolating mechanisms are thus needed to limit the homogenizing effects of gene flow to allow for adaptation and speciation. Chromosomal inversions act as an important mechanism maintaining isolating barriers, yet their role in sympatric populations and divergence with gene flow is not entirely understood. Here, we revisit the question of whether inversions play a role in the divergence of connected populations of the marine fish Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), by exploring a unique data set combining whole-genome sequencing data and behavioural data obtained with acoustic telemetry. Within a confined fjord environment, we find three genetically differentiated Atlantic cod types belonging to the oceanic North Sea population, the western Baltic population and a local fjord-type cod. Continuous behavioural tracking over 4 year revealed temporally stable sympatry of these types within the fjord. Despite overall weak genetic differentiation consistent with high levels of gene flow, we detected significant frequency shifts of three previously identified inversions, indicating an adaptive barrier to gene flow. In addition, behavioural data indicated that North Sea cod and individuals homozygous for the LG12 inversion had lower fitness in the fjord environment. However, North Sea and fjord-type cod also occupy different depths, possibly contributing to prezygotic reproductive isolation and representing a behavioural barrier to gene flow. Our results provide the first insights into a complex interplay of genomic and behavioural isolating barriers in Atlantic cod and establish a new model system towards an understanding of the role of genomic structural variants in adaptation and diversification.

Description: The Bjerknes feedback is the dominant positive feedback in the equatorial ocean basins. To examine the seasonality, symmetry, and stationarity of the Pacific and Atlantic Bjerknes feedbacks we decompose them into three feedback elements that relate thermocline depth, sea surface temperature (SST), and western basin wind stress variability to each other. We partition feedback elements into composites associated with positive or negative anomalies. Using robust regression, we diagnose the strength of each composite. For the recent period 1993‐2012, composites of the Pacific Bjerknes feedback elements agree well with previous work. Positive composites are generally stronger than negative composites, and all feedback elements are weakest in late boreal spring. In the Atlantic, differences between positive and negative composites are less consistent across feedback elements. Specifically, wind variability seems to play a less important role in shaping atmosphere‐ocean coupling in the Atlantic when compared to the Pacific. However, a clear seasonality emerges: Feedback elements are generally strong in boreal summer and, for the negative composites, again in boreal winter. The Atlantic Bjerknes feedback is dominated by subsurface‐surface coupling. Applying our analysis to overlapping 25‐year periods for 1958‐2009 shows that the strengths of feedback elements in both ocean basins vary on decadal time scales. While the overall asymmetry of the Pacific Bjerknes feedback is robust, the strength and symmetry of Atlantic feedback elements vary considerably between decades. Our results indicate that the Atlantic Bjerknes feedback is non‐stationary on decadal time scales.

Description: Due to strong mean state‐biases most coupled models are unable to simulate equatorial Atlantic variability. Here, we use the Kiel Climate Model to assess the impact of bias reduction on the seasonal prediction of equatorial Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST). We compare a standard experiment (STD) with an experiment that employs surface heat flux correction to reduce the SST bias (FLX) and, in addition, apply a correction for initial errors in SST. Initial conditions for both experiments are generated in partially coupled mode, and seasonal hindcasts are initialized at the beginning of February, May, August and November for 1981–2012. Surface heat flux correction generally improves hindcast skill. Hindcasts initialized in February have the least skill, even though the model bias is not particularly strong at that time of year. In contrast, hindcasts initialized in May achieve the highest skill. We argue this is because of the emergence of a closed Bjerknes feedback loop in boreal summer in FLX that is a feature of observations but is missing in STD.

Description: The Arctic Ocean plays a key role in regulating the global climate, while being highly sensitive to climate change. Temperature in the Arctic increases faster than the global average, causing a loss of multiyear sea-ice and affecting marine ecosystem structure and functioning. As a result, Arctic primary production and biogeochemical cycling are changing. Here, we investigated inter-annual changes in the concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic carbon (POC, DOC) together with biological drivers, such as phyto- and bacterioplankton abundance in the Fram Strait, the Atlantic gateway to the Central Arctic Ocean. Data have been collected in summer at the Long-Term Ecological Research observatory HAUSGARTEN during eight cruises from 2009 to 2017. Our results suggest that the dynamic physical system of the Fram Strait induces strong heterogeneity of the ecosystem that displays considerable intra-seasonal as well as inter-annual variability. Over the observational period, DOC concentrations were significantly negatively related to temperature and salinity, suggesting that outflow of Central Arctic waters carrying a high DOC load is the main control of DOC concentration in this region. POC concentration was not linked to temperature or salinity but tightly related to phytoplankton biomass as estimated from chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl-a). For the years 2009–2017, no temporal trends in the depth-integrated (0–100 m) amounts of DOC and Chl-a were observed. In contrast, depth-integrated (0–100 m) amounts of POC, as well as the ratio [POC]:[TOC], decreased significantly over time. This suggests a higher partitioning of organic carbon into the dissolved phase. Potential causes and consequences of the observed changes in organic carbon stocks for food-web structure and CO2 sequestration are discussed.

Description: 1. Epimicrobial communities on seaweed surfaces usually contain not only potentially pathogenic but also potentially beneficial micro‐organisms. Capacity of terrestrial plants for chemically mediated recruitment, that is, “gardening” of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere was recently demonstrated. Empirical evidence directly linking such chemical “gardening” with the beneficial role of gardened microbes in terrestrial plants is rare and largely missing for aquatic macrophytes. 2. Here, we demonstrate that our model invasive seaweed holobiont Agarophyton vermiculophyllum possesses beneficial microbiota on its surface that provide protection from bacterial pathogens. Metabolites from the algal holobiont’s surface reduced settlement of opportunistic pathogens but attracted protective epibacterial settlement. 3. We tested 58 different bacterial species (isolated from the surface of A. vermiculophyllum) individually in tip bleaching assays. Kordia algicida was identified as a “significant pathogen” inducing a bleaching disease. In addition, nine other species significantly reduced the risk of algal bleaching and were thus “significantly protective”. Additionally, two “potential pathogens” and 10 “potential protectors” were identified. When 19 significant and potential protectors and 3 significant and potential pathogens were tested together, the protective strains fully prevented bleaching, suggesting that a component of A. vermiculophyllum’s epimicrobiome provides an associational defence against pathogens. Chemically mediated selective recruitment of microbes was demonstrated in bioassays, where A. vermiculophyllum surface metabolites attracted the settlement of protective strains, but reduced settlement of pathogens. 4. Synthesis. The capacity of an aquatic macrophyte to chemically “garden” protective micro‐organisms to the benefit of strengthened disease resistance is demonstrated for the first time. Such a role of surface chemistry in “gardening” of microbes as found in the current study could also be applicable to other host plant—microbe interactions. Our results may open new avenues towards manipulation of the surface microbiome of seaweeds via chemical “gardening,” enhancing sustainable production of healthy seaweeds.

Description: Detailed knowledge of the shape of the seafloor is crucial to humankind. Bathymetry data is critical for safety of navigation and is used for many other applications. In an era of ongoing environmental degradation worldwide, bathymetry data (and the knowledge derived from it) play a pivotal role in using and managing the world’s oceans in a way that is in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 - conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. However, the vast majority of our oceans is still virtually unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. Only a small fraction of the seafloor has been systematically mapped by direct measurement. The remaining bathymetry is predicted from satellite altimeter data, providing only an approximate estimation of the shape of the seafloor. Several global and regional initiatives are underway to change this situation. This paper presents a selection of these initiatives as best practice examples for bathymetry data collection, compilation and open data sharing as well as the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO (The General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans) Seabed 2030 Project that complements and leverages these initiatives and promotes international collaboration and partnership. Several non-traditional data collection opportunities are looked at that are currently gaining momentum as well as new and innovative technologies that can increase the efficiency of collecting bathymetric data. Finally, recommendations are given towards a possible way forward into the future of seafloor mapping and towards achieving the goal of a truly global ocean bathymetry.

Description: Marine infectious diseases can have large-scale impacts when they affect foundation species such as seagrasses and corals. Interactions between host and disease, in turn, may be modulated by multiple perturbations associated with global change. A case in point is the infection of the foundation species Zostera marina (eelgrass) with endophytic net slime molds (Labyrinthula zosterae), the putative agent of eelgrass wasting disease that caused one of the most severe marine pandemics across the North-Atlantic in the 1930s. The contemporary presence of L. zosterae in many eelgrass meadows throughout Europe raises the question whether such a pandemic may re-appear if coastal waters become more eutrophic, warmer and less saline. Accordingly, we exposed uninfected Baltic Sea Z. marina plants raised from seeds to full factorial combinations of controlled L. zosterae inoculation, heat stress, light limitation (mimicking one consequence of eutrophication) and two salinity levels. We followed eelgrass wasting disease dynamics, along with several eelgrass responses such as leaf growth, mortality and carbohydrate storage, as well as the ability of plants to chemically inhibit L. zosterae growth. Contrary to our expectation, inoculation with L. zosterae reduced leaf growth and survival only under the most adverse condition to eelgrass (reduced light and warm temperatures). We detected a strong interaction between salinity and temperature on L. zosterae abundance and pathogenicity. The protist was unable to infect eelgrass under high temperature (27°C) in combination with low salinity (12 psu). With the exception of a small positive effect of temperature alone, no further effects of any of the treatment combinations on the defense capacity of eelgrass against L. zosterae were detectable. This work supports the idea that contemporary L. zosterae isolates neither represent an immediate risk for eelgrass beds in the Baltic Sea, nor a future one under the predicted salinity decrease and warming of the Baltic Sea.

Description: Methane (CH4) is the second-most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere having a significant effect on global climate. The ocean-particularly the coastal regions-have been recognized to be a net source of CH4, however, the constraints on temporal and spatial resolution of CH4 measurements have been the limiting factor to estimate the total oceanic contributions. In this study, the viability of micrometeorological methods for the analysis of CH4 fluxes in the marine environment was evaluated. We present 1 year of semi-continuous eddy covariance measurements of CH4 atmospheric dry mole fractions and air-sea CH4 flux densities at the Ostergarnsholm station at the east coast of the Gotland Island in the central Baltic Sea. The mean annual CH4 flux density was positive, indicating that the region off Gotland is a net source of CH4 to the atmosphere with monthly mean flux densities ranging between -0.1 and 36 nmol m(-2)s(-1). Both the air-water concentration gradient and the wind speed were found to be crucial parameters controlling the flux. The results were in good agreement with other measurements in the Baltic Sea reported in the MEMENTO database. Our results suggest that the eddy covariance technique is a useful tool for studying CH4 fluxes and improving the understanding of air-sea gas exchange processes with high-temporal resolution. Potentially, the high resolution of micrometeorological data can increase the understanding of the temporal variability and forcing processes of CH4 flux.

Description: Sea surface waves significantly affect the wind energy input to the Ekman layer in the upper ocean. In the study, we first incorporated the wave-induced Coriolis-Stokes forcing, the reduction of wind stress caused by wave generation, and wave dissipation into the classical Ekman model to investigate the kinetic energy balance in the wave-affected Ekman layer. Then, both the theoretical steady state solution for the idealized condition and the nonsteady state solution for the realistic ocean were derived. Total energy input to the wave-affected Ekman layer includes the wind stress energy input and the wave-induced energy input. Based on the WAVEWATCH III model, the wave spectrum was simulated to represent realistic random directional wave conditions. The wind stress energy input and the wave-induced energy input to the wave-affected Ekman layer in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the period from 1988 to 2010 were then calculated. The annual mean total energy input in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current region was 402.5 GW and the proportions of the wind stress energy input and the wave-induced energy input were, respectively, 85% and 15%. Particularly, total energy input in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the wave-affected Ekman layer model was 59.8% lower than that in the classical Ekman model. We conclude that surface waves play a significant role in the wind energy input to the Ekman layer.

Description: Well-founded data management systems are of vital importance for ocean observing systems as they ensure that essential data are not only collected but also retained and made accessible for analysis and application by current and future users. Effective data management requires collaboration across activities including observations, metadata and data assembly, quality assurance and control (QA\QC), and data publication that enables local and interoperable discovery and access and secures archiving that guarantees long-term preservation. To achieve this, data should be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). Here, we outline how these principles apply to ocean data and illustrate them with a few examples. In recent decades, ocean data managers, in close collaboration with international organizations, have played an active role in the improvement of environmental data standardization, accessibility, and interoperability through different projects, enhancing access to observation data at all stages of the data life cycle and fostering the development of integrated services targeted to research, regulatory, and operational users. As ocean observing systems evolve and an increasing number of autonomous platforms and sensors are deployed, the volume and variety of data increase dramatically. For instance, there are more than 70 data catalogs that contain metadata records for the polar oceans, a situation that makes comprehensive data discovery beyond the capacity of most researchers. To better serve research, operational, and commercial users, more efficient turnaround of quality data in known formats and made available through Web services is necessary. In particular, automation of data workflows will be critical to reduce friction throughout the data value chain. Adhering to the FAIR principles with free, timely, and unrestricted access to ocean observation data is beneficial for the originators, has obvious benefits for users, and is an essential foundation for the development of new services made possible with big data technologies.

Description: Although geographical patterns of species' sensitivity to environmental changes are defined by interacting multiple stressors, little is known about compensatory processes shaping regional differences in organismal vulnerability. Here, we examine large-scale spatial variations in biomineralization under heterogeneous environmental gradients of temperature, salinity and food availability across a 30° latitudinal range (3,334 km), to test whether plasticity in calcareous shell production and composition, from juveniles to large adults, mediates geographical patterns of resilience to climate change in critical foundation species, the mussels Mytilus edulis and M. trossulus. We find shell calcification decreased towards high latitude, with mussels producing thinner shells with a higher organic content in polar than temperate regions. Salinity was the best predictor of within-region differences in mussel shell deposition, mineral and organic composition. In polar, subpolar, and Baltic low-salinity environments, mussels produced thin shells with a thicker external organic layer (periostracum), and an increased proportion of calcite (prismatic layer, as opposed to aragonite) and organic matrix, providing potentially higher resistance against dissolution in more corrosive waters. Conversely, in temperate, higher salinity regimes, thicker, more calcified shells with a higher aragonite (nacreous layer) proportion were deposited, which suggests enhanced protection under increased predation pressure. Interacting effects of salinity and food availability on mussel shell composition predict the deposition of a thicker periostracum and organic-enriched prismatic layer under forecasted future environmental conditions, suggesting a capacity for increased protection of high-latitude populations from ocean acidification. These findings support biomineralization plasticity as a potentially advantageous compensatory mechanism conferring Mytilus species a protective capacity for quantitative and qualitative trade-offs in shell deposition as a response to regional alterations of abiotic and biotic conditions in future environments. Our work illustrates that compensatory mechanisms, driving plastic responses to the spatial structure of multiple stressors, can define geographical patterns of unanticipated species resilience to global environmental change.

Description: Ocean boundary current systems are key components of the climate system, are home to highly productive ecosystems, and have numerous societal impacts. Establishment of a global network of boundary current observing systems is a critical part of ongoing development of the Global Ocean Observing System. The characteristics of boundary current systems are reviewed, focusing on scientific and societal motivations for sustained observing. Techniques currently used to observe boundary current systems are reviewed, followed by a census of the current state of boundary current observing systems globally. The next steps in the development of boundary current observing systems are considered, leading to several specific recommendations.

Description: High‐quality seawater total alkalinity (AT) measurements are essential for reliable ocean carbon and acidification observations. Well‐established manual multipoint potentiometric titration methods already fulfill these requirements. The next step in the improvement of these observations is the increase of the spatial and temporal measuring resolution with minimal personnel and instrumental effort. For this, a rapid, automated underway analyzer meeting the same high requirements as the traditional method is necessary. In this study, we carried out a comprehensive characterization of the flow‐through analyzer CONTROS HydroFIA® TA (Kongsberg Maritime Contros GmbH, Kiel, Germany) for automated seawater AT measurements in the laboratory and in field with overall more than 5000 measurements. Under laboratory conditions, the analyzer featured a precision of ± 1.5 μmol kg−1 and an accuracy of ± 1.0 μmol kg−1, combined in an uncertainty of 1.6 – 2.0 μmol kg−1. High precision (± 1.1 μmol kg−1) and accuracy (−0.3 ± 2.8 μmol kg−1), and low uncertainty (2.0 – 2.5 μmol kg−1) were also achieved during field trials of 4 and 6 weeks duration. Although a linear drift appears to be the typical behavior of the system, this can be corrected for by regular reference measurements giving consistent measurement results. Another advantage of regular reference measurements is the early detection of any kind of malfunction due to its direct impact on the measurement performance. Based on the present study, recommendations for automated long‐term deployments are provided in order to gain optimal performance characteristics, aiming at the requirements for AT measurements.

Description: The Surface Ocean CO2 NETwork (SOCONET) and atmospheric Marine Boundary Layer (MBL) CO2 measurements from ships and buoys focus on the operational aspects of measurements of CO2 in both the ocean surface and atmospheric MBLs. The goal is to provide accurate pCO2 data to within 2 micro atmosphere (μatm) for surface ocean and 0.2 parts per million (ppm) for MBL measurements following rigorous best practices, calibration and intercomparison procedures. Platforms and data will be tracked in near real-time and final quality-controlled data will be provided to the community within a year. The network, involving partners worldwide, will aid in production of important products such as maps of monthly resolved surface ocean CO2 and air-sea CO2 flux measurements. These products and other derivatives using surface ocean and MBL CO2 data, such as surface ocean pH maps and MBL CO2 maps, will be of high value for policy assessments and socio-economic decisions regarding the role of the ocean in sequestering anthropogenic CO2 and how this uptake is impacting ocean health by ocean acidification. SOCONET has an open ocean emphasis but will work with regional (coastal) networks. It will liaise with intergovernmental science organizations such as Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW), and the joint committee for and ocean and marine meteorology (JCOMM). Here we describe the details of this emerging network and its proposed operations and practices

Description: Within the context of global climate change and overfishing of fish stocks, there is some evidence that cephalopod populations are benefiting from this changing setting. These invertebrates show enhanced phenotypic flexibility and are found from polar regions to the tropics. Yet, the global patterns of species richness in coastal cephalopods are not known. Here, among the 370 identified-species, 164 are octopuses, 96 are cuttlefishes, 54 are bobtails and bottletails, 48 are inshore squids and 8 are pygmy squids. The most diverse ocean is the Pacific (with 213 cephalopod species), followed by the Indian (146 species) and Atlantic (95 species). The least diverse are the Southern (15 species) and the Arctic (12 species) Oceans. Endemism is higher in the Southern Ocean (87%) and lower in the Arctic (25%), which reflects the younger age and the "Atlantification" of the latter. The former is associated with an old lineage of octopuses that diverged around 33 Ma. Within the 232 ecoregions considered, the highest values of octopus and cuttlefish richness are observed in the Central Kuroshio Current ecoregion (with a total of 64 species), followed by the East China Sea (59 species). This pattern suggests dispersal in the Central Indo-Pacific (CIP) associated with the highly productive Oyashio/Kuroshio current system. In contrast, inshore squid hotspots are found within the CIP, namely in the Sunda Shelf province, which may be linked to the occurrence of an ancient intermittent biogeographic barrier: a land bridge formed during the Pleistocene which severely restricted water flow between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, thereby facilitating squid fauna differentiation. Another marked pattern is a longitudinal richness cline from the Central (CIP) towards the Eastern Indo-Pacific (EIP) realm, with central Pacific archipelagos as evolutionary dead ends. In the Atlantic Ocean, closure of the Atrato Seaway (at the Isthmus of Panama) and Straits of Gibraltar (Mediterranean Sea) are historical processes that may explain the contemporary Caribbean octopus richness and Mediterranean sepiolid endemism, respectively. Last, we discuss how the life cycles and strategies of cephalopods may allow them to adapt quickly to future climate change and extend the borealization of their distribution.