ALBERT

Description: Marine phytoplankton blooms are annual spring events that sustain active and diverse bloom-associated bacterial populations. Blooms vary considerably in terms of eukaryotic species composition and environmental conditions, but a limited number of heterotrophic bacterial lineages — primarily members of the Flavobacteriia, Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria — dominate these communities. In this Review, we discuss the central role that these bacteria have in transforming phytoplankton-derived organic matter and thus in biogeochemical nutrient cycling. On the basis of selected field and laboratory-based studies of flavobacteria and roseobacters, distinct metabolic strategies are emerging for these archetypal phytoplankton-associated taxa, which provide insights into the underlying mechanisms that dictate their behaviours during blooms.

Description: The synthetic production of monodisperse single magnetic domain nanoparticles at ambient temperature is challenging. In nature, magnetosomes--membrane-bound magnetic nanocrystals with unprecedented magnetic properties--can be biomineralized by magnetotactic bacteria. However, these microbes are difficult to handle. Expression of the underlying biosynthetic pathway from these fastidious microorganisms within other organisms could therefore greatly expand their nanotechnological and biomedical applications. So far, this has been hindered by the structural and genetic complexity of the magnetosome organelle and insufficient knowledge of the biosynthetic functions involved. Here, we show that the ability to biomineralize highly ordered magnetic nanostructures can be transferred to a foreign recipient. Expression of a minimal set of genes from the magnetotactic bacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense resulted in magnetosome biosynthesis within the photosynthetic model organism Rhodospirillum rubrum. Our findings will enable the sustainable production of tailored magnetic nanostructures in biotechnologically relevant hosts and represent a step towards the endogenous magnetization of various organisms by synthetic biology.

Description: Marine phytoplankton blooms are annual spring events that sustain active and diverse bloom-associated bacterial populations. Blooms vary considerably in terms of eukaryotic species composition and environmental conditions, but a limited number of heterotrophic bacterial lineages — primarily members of the Flavobacteriia, Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria — dominate these communities. In this Review, we discuss the central role that these bacteria have in transforming phytoplankton-derived organic matter and thus in biogeochemical nutrient cycling. On the basis of selected field and laboratory-based studies of flavobacteria and roseobacters, distinct metabolic strategies are emerging for these archetypal phytoplankton-associated taxa, which provide insights into the underlying mechanisms that dictate their behaviours during blooms.

Description: Mineral exploration activities require robust predictive models that result in accurate mapping of the probability that mineral deposits can be found at a certain location. Random forest (RF) is a powerful machine data-driven predictive method that is unknown in mineral potential mapping. In this paper, performance of RF regression for the likelihood of gold deposits in the Rodalquilar mining district is explored. The RF model was developed using a comprehensive exploration GIS database composed of: gravimetric and magnetic survey, a lithogeochemical survey of 59 elements, lithology and fracture maps, a Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper image and gold occurrence locations. The results of this study indicate that the use of RF for the integration of large multisource data sets used in mineral exploration and for prediction of mineral deposit occurrences offers several advantages over existing methods. Key advantages of RF include: (1) the simplicity of parameter setting; (2) an internal unbiased estimate of the prediction error; (3) the ability to handle complex data of different statistical distributions, responding to nonlinear relationships between variables; (4) the capability to use categorical predictors; and (5) the capability to determine variable importance. Additionally, variables that RF identified as most important coincide with well-known geologic expectations. To validate and assess the effectiveness of the RF method. Statistical measures of map quality indicate that the RF method performs better than LR, with mean square errors equal to 0.12 and 0.19, respectively. The efficiency of RF is also better, achieving an optimum success rate when half of the area predicted by LR is considered.

Description: In this study, the authors discuss two different parameterizations for the effect of mixed layer eddies, one based on ageostrophic linear stability analysis (ALS) and the other one based on a scaling of the potential energy release by eddies (PER). Both parameterizations contradict each other in two aspects. First, they predict different functional relationships between the magnitude of the eddy fluxes and the Richardson number (Ri) related to the background state. Second, they also predict different vertical structure functions for the horizontal eddy fluxes. Numerical simulations for two different configurations and for a large range of different background conditions are used to evaluate the parameterizations. It turns out that PER is better suited to capture the Ri dependency of the magnitude of the eddy fluxes. On the other hand, the vertical structure of the meridional eddy fluxes predicted by ALS is more accurate than that of PER, while the vertical structure of the vertical eddy fluxes is well predicted by both parameterizations. Therefore, this study suggests the use of the magnitude of PER and the vertical structure functions of ALS for an improved parameterization of mixed layer eddy fluxes.

Description: Mid-latitudinal cyclones are a key factor for understanding regional anomalies in primary meteorological parameters such as temperature or precipitation. Extreme cyclones can produce notable impacts on human society and economy, for example, by causing enormous economic losses through wind damage. Based on 41 annually initialised (1961–2001) hindcast ensembles, this study evaluates the ability of a single-model decadal forecast system (MPI-ESM-LR) to provide skilful probabilistic three-category forecasts (enhanced, normal or decreased) of winter (ONDJFM) extra-tropical cyclone frequency over the Northern Hemisphere with lead times from 1 yr up to a decade. It is shown that these predictions exhibit some significant skill, mainly for lead times of 2–5 yr, especially over the North Atlantic and Pacific. Skill for intense cyclones is generally higher than for all detected systems. A comparison of decadal hindcasts from two different initialisation techniques indicates that initialising from reanalysis fields yields slightly better results for the first forecast winter (month 10–15), while initialisation based on an assimilation experiment provides better skill for lead times between 2 and 5 yr. The reasons and mechanisms behind this predictive skill are subject to future work. Preliminary analyses suggest a strong relationship of the model’s skill over the North Atlantic with the ability to predict upper ocean temperatures modulating lower troposphere baroclinicity for the respective area and time scales.

Description: The bright colouration of the cytoplasm in intertidal rotaliid foraminifera and their particle-gathering activity reliably reveals live specimens in fresh samples, without any fixatives or dyes applied. Using this approach, we demonstrate that live representatives of three rotaliid species, all belonging to the genus Elphidium, were common on intertidal mud and sand beaches. Two species, E. excavatum clavatum and E. albiumbilicatum, lived close to freshwater outflows, whereas E. williamsoni occupied beaches bathed by waters with normal salinity (surface 26–27‰ in the western White Sea). A least 13 species were found alive in the intertidal zone. Among non-calcareous foraminifera, Miliammina fusca, Ammotium cassis and Ovammina opaca were the most numerous.

Description: According to historical data, the glacial relict higher crustaceans, Mysis relicta and Pallaseopsis quadrispinosa, as well as a plankton crustacean Limnocalanus macrurus had earlier been recorded in Lake Drüksiai. Our data and investigations of other authors evidence that these crustaceans no longer inhabit the lake. What are the prospects for the recovery of these crustaceans after restoring the natural thermal regime in Lake Drüksiai? One of the possibilities is to reintroduce these species after restoring the natural thermal regime in the lake and improving dissolved oxygen level in the hypolimnion, which would provide conditions for long-term survival and recovery of populations of these crustaceans. As reintroduction of relict species is rather costly, it is necessary to assess effectiveness of such works.

Description: Northern Hemisphere stratospheric variability is investigated with respect to chaotic behavior using time series from three different variables extracted from four different reanalysis products and two numerical model runs with different forcing. The time series show red spectra at all frequencies and the probability distribution functions show persistent deviations from a Gaussian distribution. An exception is given by the numerical model forced with perpetual winter conditions—a case that shows more variability and follows a Gaussian distribution, suggesting that the deviation from Gaussianity found in the observations is due to the transition between summer and winter variability. To search for the presence of a chaotic attractor the correlation dimension and entropy, the Lyapunov spectrum, and the associated Kaplan–Yorke dimension are estimated. A finite value of the dimensions can be computed for each variable and data product, with the correlation dimension ranging between 3.0 and 4.0 and the Kaplan–Yorke dimension between 3.3 and 5.5. The correlation entropy varies between 0.6 and 1.1. The model runs show similar values for the correlation and Lyapunov dimensions for both the seasonally forced run and the perpetual-winter run, suggesting that the structure of a possible chaotic attractor is not determined by the seasonality in the forcing, but must be given by other mechanisms.

Description: Southern Hemisphere (SH) stratospheric variability is investigated with respect to chaotic behavior using time series from three different variables extracted from four different reanalysis products. The results are compared with the same analysis applied to the Northern Hemisphere (NH). The probability density functions (PDFs) for the SH show persistent deviations from a Gaussian distribution. The variability is given by white spectra for low frequencies, a slope of −1 for intermediate frequencies, and −3 slopes for high frequencies. Considering the time series for winter and summer separately, PDFs show a Gaussian distribution and the variability spectra change their slopes, indicating the role of the transition between winter and summer variability in shaping the time series. The correlation (D2) and the Kaplan–Yorke (DKY) dimensions are estimated. A finite value of the dimensions can be computed for each variable and data product, except for the NCEP zonal-mean zonal wind and temperature data, which violate the requirement D2 ≤ DKY, possibly owing to the presence of spurious trends and inconsistencies in the data. The value of D2 ranges between 2.6 and 3.9, while DKY ranges between 3.0 and 4.5. The results show that both D2 and DKY display large variability in their values both for different datasets and for different variables within the same dataset. The variability of the values of D2 and DKY thus leaves open the question about the existence of a low-dimensional attractor or if the finite dimensions of the system are the result of the projection of a larger attractor in a low-dimensional embedding space.

Description: The sensitivities of the Brewer–Dobson circulation (BDC) to different distributions of tropical SST heating are investigated in an idealized aquaplanet model. It is found that an increase in tropical SSTs generally leads to an acceleration of tropical upwelling and an associated reduction in the age of air (AOA) in the polar stratosphere and that the AOA near the subtropical tropopause is correlated with local isentropic mixing of tropospheric air with stratospheric air. The zonal distribution of SST perturbations has a major impact on the vertical and meridional structure of the BDC as compared with other SST characteristics. Zonally localized SST heatings tend to generate a shallow acceleration of the stratospheric residual circulation, enhanced isentropic mixing associated with a weakened stratospheric jet, and a reduction in AOA mostly within the polar vortex. In contrast, SST heatings with a zonally symmetric structure tend to produce a deep strengthening of the stratospheric residual circulation, suppressed isentropic mixing associated with a stronger stratospheric jet, and a decrease of AOA in the entire stratosphere. The shallow versus deep strengthening of the stratospheric residual circulation change has been linked to wave propagation and dissipation in the subtropical lower stratosphere rather than wave generation in the troposphere, and the former can be strongly affected by the vertical position of the subtropical jet. These results suggest that, while the longitudinally localized SST trends under climate change may contribute to the change in the shallow branch of the BDC, the upward shift of the subtropical jet associated with the zonal SST heating can impact the deep branch of the BDC.

Description: The authors test the hypothesis that recent observed trends in surface westerlies in the Southern Hemisphere are directly consequent on observed trends in the timing of stratospheric final warming events. The analysis begins by verifying that final warming events have an impact on tropospheric circulation in a simplified GCM driven by specified equilibrium temperature distributions. Seasonal variations are imposed in the stratosphere only. The model produces qualitatively realistic final warming events whose influence extends down to the surface, much like what has been reported in observational analyses. The authors then go on to study observed trends in surface westerlies composited with respect to the date of final warming events. If the considered hypothesis were correct, these trends would appear to be much weaker when composited with respect to the date of the final warming events. The authors find that this is not the case, and accordingly they conclude that the observed surface changes cannot be attributed simply to this shift toward later final warming events.

Description: Collectively, marine sediments comprise the largest reservoir of methane on Earth. The flux of methane from the sea bed to the overlying water column is mitigated by the sulphate-dependent anaerobic oxidation of methane by marine microbes within a discrete sedimentary horizon termed the sulphate–methane transition zone. According to conventional isotope systematics, the biological consumption of methane leaves a residue of methane enriched in 13C (refs 1, 2, 3). However, in many instances the methane within sulphate–methane transition zones is depleted in 13C, consistent with the production of methane, and interpreted as evidence for the intertwined anaerobic oxidation and production of methane4, 5, 6. Here, we report results from experiments in which we incubated cultures of microbial methane consumers with methane and low levels of sulphate, and monitored the stable isotope composition of the methane and dissolved inorganic carbon pools over time. Residual methane became progressively enriched in 13C at sulphate concentrations above 0.5 mM, and progressively depleted in 13C below this threshold. We attribute the shift to 13C depletion during the anaerobic oxidation of methane at low sulphate concentrations to the microbially mediated carbon isotope equilibration between methane and carbon dioxide. We suggest that this isotopic effect could help to explain the 13C-depletion of methane in subseafloor sulphate–methane transition zones.

Description: Mammalian organs are challenging to study as they are fairly inaccessible to experimental manipulation and optical observation. Recent advances in three-dimensional (3D) culture techniques, coupled with the ability to independently manipulate genetic and microenvironmental factors, have enabled the real-time study of mammalian tissues. These systems have been used to visualize the cellular basis of epithelial morphogenesis, to test the roles of specific genes in regulating cell behaviours within epithelial tissues and to elucidate the contribution of microenvironmental factors to normal and disease processes. Collectively, these novel models can be used to answer fundamental biological questions and generate replacement human tissues, and they enable testing of novel therapeutic approaches, often using patient-derived cells.

Description: Decadal climate variability has long received limited attention. With the slow-down in surface warming since the late 1990s, the decadal scale has rightly become a focus of attention: for assessing climate change and its impacts, it is of critical importance

Description: Changes in solar activity have previously been proposed to cause decadal- to millennial-scale fluctuations in both the modern and Holocene climates1. Direct observational records of solar activity, such as sunspot numbers, exist for only the past few hundred years, so solar variability for earlier periods is typically reconstructed from measurements of cosmogenic radionuclides such as 10Be and 14C from ice cores and tree rings2, 3. Here we present a high-resolution 10Be record from the ice core collected from central Greenland by the Greenland Ice Core Project (GRIP). The record spans from 22,500 to 10,000 years ago, and is based on new and compiled data4, 5, 6. Using 14C records7, 8 to control for climate-related influences on 10Be deposition, we reconstruct centennial changes in solar activity. We find that during the Last Glacial Maximum, solar minima correlate with more negative δ18O values of ice and are accompanied by increased snow accumulation and sea-salt input over central Greenland. We suggest that solar minima could have induced changes in the stratosphere that favour the development of high-pressure blocking systems located to the south of Greenland, as has been found in observations and model simulations for recent climate9, 10. We conclude that the mechanism behind solar forcing of regional climate change may have been similar under both modern and Last Glacial Maximum climate conditions.

Description: Although ocean warming and acidification are recognized as two major anthropogenic perturbations of today’s oceans we know very little about how marine phytoplankton may respond via evolutionary change. We tested for adaptation to ocean warming in combination with ocean acidification in the globally important phytoplankton species Emiliania huxleyi. Temperature adaptation occurred independently of ocean acidification levels. Growth rates were up to 16% higher in populations adapted for one year to warming when assayed at their upper thermal tolerance limit. Particulate inorganic (PIC) and organic (POC) carbon production was restored to values under present-day ocean conditions, owing to adaptive evolution, and were 101% and 55% higher under combined warming and acidification, respectively, than in non-adapted controls. Cells also evolved to a smaller size while they recovered their initial PIC:POC ratio even under elevated CO2. The observed changes in coccolithophore growth, calcite and biomass production, cell size and elemental composition demonstrate the importance of evolutionary processes for phytoplankton performance in a future ocean.

Description: The origin of novel phenotypic characters is a key component in organismal diversification; yet, the mechanisms underlying the emergence of such evolutionary novelties are largely unknown. Here we examine the origin of egg-spots, an evolutionary innovation of the most species-rich group of cichlids, the haplochromines, where these conspicuous male fin colour markings are involved in mating. Applying a combination of RNAseq, comparative genomics and functional experiments, we identify two novel pigmentation genes, fhl2a and fhl2b, and show that especially the more rapidly evolving b-paralog is associated with egg-spot formation. We further find that egg-spot bearing haplochromines, but not other cichlids, feature a transposable element in the cis-regulatory region of fhl2b. Using transgenic zebrafish, we finally demonstrate that this region shows specific enhancer activities in iridophores, a type of pigment cells found in egg-spots, suggesting that a cis-regulatory change is causally linked to the gain of expression in egg-spot bearing haplochromines

Description: Precipitation is highly variable in space and time; hence, rain gauge time series generally exhibit additional random small-scale variability compared to area averages. Therefore, differences between daily precipitation statistics simulated by climate models and gauge observations are generally not only caused by model biases, but also by the corresponding scale gap. Classical bias correction methods, in general, cannot bridge this gap; they do not account for small-scale random variability and may produce artifacts. Here, stochastic model output statistics is proposed as a bias correction framework to explicitly account for random small-scale variability. Daily precipitation simulated by a regional climate model (RCM) is employed to predict the probability distribution of local precipitation. The pairwise correspondence between predictor and predictand required for calibration is ensured by driving the RCM with perfect boundary conditions. Wet day probabilities are described by a logistic regression, and precipitation intensities are described by a mixture model consisting of a gamma distribution for moderate precipitation and a generalized Pareto distribution for extremes. The dependence of the model parameters on simulated precipitation is modeled by a vector generalized linear model. The proposed model effectively corrects systematic biases and correctly represents local-scale random variability for most gauges. Additionally, a simplified model is considered that disregards the separate tail model. This computationally efficient model proves to be a feasible alternative for precipitation up to moderately extreme intensities. The approach sets a new framework for bias correction that combines the advantages of weather generators and RCMs.

Description: Between 1965 and 1990, the waters of the Nordic Seas and the subpolar basins of the North Atlantic Ocean freshened substantially1. The Arctic Ocean also became less saline over this time, as a consequence of increasing runoff1, 2, 3, 4, but it is not clear whether flow from the Arctic Ocean was the main source of the Nordic Seas salinity anomaly. As a region of deep-water formation, the Nordic Seas are central to the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, but this process is inhibited if the surface salinity is too low2. Here we use the instrumental record of Nordic Seas hydrography, along with a global ocean–sea-ice model hindcast simulation, to identify the sources and magnitude of freshwater that has accumulated in the Nordic Seas since 1950. We find that the freshwater anomalies within the Nordic Seas can mostly be explained by less salt entering the southern part of the basin with the relatively saline Atlantic inflow, with seemingly little contribution from the Arctic Ocean. We conclude that hydrographic changes in the Nordic Seas are primarily related to changes in the Atlantic Ocean. We infer that if the Atlantic inflow and Nordic Seas both freshen similarly, this would render the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation relatively insensitive to Nordic Seas freshwater content.

Description: There is an ongoing discussion in the community concerning the wave-averaged momentum equations in the hybrid vertically Lagrangian and horizontally Eulerian (VL) framework and, in particular, the form stress term (representing the residual effect of pressure perturbations) which is thought to restrict the handling of higher order waves in terms of a perturbation expansion. The present study shows that the traditional pressure-based form stress term can be transformed into a set of terms that do not contain any pressure quantities but do contain the time derivative of a wave-induced velocity. This wave-induced velocity is referred to as the pseudomomentum in the VL framework, as it is analogous to the generalized pseudomomentum in Andrews and McIntyre. This enables the second expression for the wave-averaged momentum equations in the VL framework (this time for the development of the total transport velocity minus the VL pseudomomentum) to be derived together with the vortex force. The velocity-based expression of the form stress term also contains the residual effect of the turbulent viscosity, which is useful for understanding the dissipation of wave energy leading to transfer of momentum from waves to circulation. It is found that the concept of the virtual wave stress of Longuet-Higgins is applicable to quite general situations: it does not matter whether there is wind forcing or not, the waves can have slow variations, and the viscosity coefficient can vary in the vertical. These results provide a basis for revisiting the surface boundary condition used in numerical circulation models.

Description: Mooring observations and model simulations point to an instability of the Labrador Current (LC) during winter, with enhanced eddy kinetic energy (EKE) at periods between 2 to 5 days, and much less EKE during other seasons. Linear stability analysis using vertical shear and stratification from the model reveals three dominant modes of instability in the LC: - a balanced interior mode with along-flow wavelengths of about 30–45 km, phase velocities of 0.3 m/s, maximal growth rates of 1 d−1 and surface intensified, but deep reaching amplitudes, - a balanced shallow mode with along-flow wavelengths of about 0.3–1.5 km, about three times larger phase speeds and growth rates, but amplitudes confined to the mixed layer (ML), - and an unbalanced symmetric mode with largest growth rates, vanishing phase speeds and along-flow structure, and very small cross-flow wavelengths, also confined to the ML. Both balanced modes are akin to baroclinic instability, but operate at moderate to small Richardson numbers Ri with much larger growth rates as for the quasi-geostrophic limit of Ri ≫ 1. The interior mode is found to be responsible for the instability of the LC during winter. Weak stratification and enhanced vertical shear due to local buoyancy loss and the advection of convective water masses from the interior result in small Ri within the LC, and to three times larger growth rates of the interior mode in March compared to summer and fall conditions. Both the shallow and the symmetric mode are not resolved by the model, but it is suggested that they might also play an important role for the instability in the LC and for lateral mixing.

Description: Sensible and latent heat fluxes were estimated from turbulence measurements gathered during several Atlantic transects of the R/V Polarstern. The inertial dissipation method was used to analyze the data. Resulting bulk transfer coefficients were then applied to the data from the ship’s meteorological system to get continuous time series of the heat fluxes. Combined to the measured downward solar and longwave radiation fluxes allows for an estimate of the total energy budget at the air-sea interface. Comparing these parameterized energy fluxes to ones based on the COARE 3.0 bulk flux algorithm show very strong agreement.

Description: Hydrothermal flow at oceanic spreading centres accounts for about ten per cent of all heat flux in the oceans and controls the thermal structure of young oceanic plates. It also influences ocean and crustal chemistry, provides a basis for chemosynthetic ecosystems, and has formed massive sulphide ore deposits throughout Earth’s history. Despite this, how and under what conditions heat is extracted, in particular from the lower crust, remains largely unclear. Here we present high-resolution, whole-crust, two- and three-dimensional simulations of hydrothermal flow beneath fast-spreading ridges that predict the existence of two interacting flow components, controlled by different physical mechanisms, that merge above the melt lens to feed ridge-centred vent sites. Shallow on-axis flow structures develop owing to the thermodynamic properties of water, whereas deeper off-axis flow is strongly shaped by crustal permeability, particularly the brittle–ductile transition. About 60 per cent of the discharging fluid mass is replenished on-axis by warm (up to 300 degrees Celsius) recharge flow surrounding the hot thermal plumes, and the remaining 40 per cent or so occurs as colder and broader recharge up to several kilometres away from the axis that feeds hot (500–700 degrees Celsius) deep-rooted off-axis flow towards the ridge. Despite its lower contribution to the total mass flux, this deep off-axis flow carries about 70 per cent of the thermal energy released at the ridge axis. This combination of two flow components explains the seismically determined thermal structure of the crust and reconciles previously incompatible models favouring either shallower on-axis or deeper off-axis hydrothermal circulation.

Description: Nitrogen fixation, the biological reduction of dinitrogen gas (N2) to ammonium (NH4+), is quantitatively the most important external source of new nitrogen (N) to the open ocean. Classically, the ecological niche of oceanic N2 fixers (diazotrophs) is ascribed to tropical oligotrophic surface waters, often depleted in fixed N, with a diazotrophic community dominated by cyanobacteria. Although this applies for large areas of the ocean, biogeochemical models and phylogenetic studies suggest that the oceanic diazotrophic niche may be much broader than previously considered, resulting in major implications for the global N-budget. Here, we report on the composition, distribution and abundance of nifH, the functional gene marker for N2 fixation. Our results show the presence of eight clades of diazotrophs in the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) off Peru. Although proteobacterial clades dominated overall, two clusters affiliated to spirochaeta and archaea were identified. N2 fixation was detected within OMZ waters and was stimulated by the addition of organic carbon sources supporting the view that non-phototrophic diazotrophs were actively fixing dinitrogen. The observed co-occurrence of key functional genes for N2 fixation, nitrification, anammox and denitrification suggests that a close spatial coupling of N-input and N-loss processes exists in the OMZ off Peru. The wide distribution of diazotrophs throughout the water column adds to the emerging view that the habitat of marine diazotrophs can be extended to low oxygen/high nitrate areas. Furthermore, our statistical analysis suggests that NO2− and PO43− are the major factors affecting diazotrophic distribution throughout the OMZ. In view of the predicted increase in ocean deoxygenation resulting from global warming, our findings indicate that the importance of OMZs as niches for N2 fixation may increase in the futur

Description: The dynamical origin of the spectral and autocorrelation structure of annular variability in the troposphere is investigated by a deductive approach. Specifically, the structure of the power spectrum and autocorrelation function of the zonal-mean geopotential is analyzed for the case of a quasigeostrophic spherical atmosphere subject to a white noise mechanical forcing applied in a single Hough mode and concentrated at a particular level in the vertical, with vertically uniform Newtonian cooling and Rayleigh drag concentrated at a rigid lower boundary. Analytic expressions for the power spectrum are presented together with expressions for an approximate red noise (i.e., a Lorentzian-shaped) power spectrum. It is found that for an infinitely deep atmosphere the power spectrum can be well approximated by a red noise process for the first few Hough modes (associated with large Rossby heights), provided the distance from the forcing is not larger than about one Rossby height. When a frictional rigid lower boundary is included, however, the approximation is generally bad. The high-frequency part of the power spectrum exhibits near-exponential behavior and the autocorrelation function shows a transition from a rapid decay at short lags to a much slower decay at longer lags, if the thermal and mechanical damping time scales are sufficiently well separated. Since observed annular variability exhibits the same characteristics, the above results lead to the hypothesis that these characteristics may, to some extent, be intrinsic to the linear zonal-mean response problem—although the need for an additional contribution from eddy feedbacks is also implied by the results.

Description: A representation of an equatorial basin mode excited in a shallow water model for a single high order baroclinic vertical normal mode is used as a simple model for the equatorial deep jets. The model is linearized about both a state of rest and a barotropic mean flow corresponding to the observed Atlantic Equatorial Intermediate Current System. We found that the eastward mean flow associated with the North and South Intermediate Counter Currents (NICC and SICC, respectively) effectively shields the Equator from off-equatorial Rossby waves. The westward propagation of these waves is blocked and focusing on the Equator due to beta dispersion is prevented. This leads to less energetic jets along the Equator. On the other hand, the westward barotropic mean flow along the Equator reduces the gradient of absolute vorticity and hence widens the cross-equatorial structure of the basin mode. Increasing lateral viscosity predominantly affects the width of the basin modes’ Kelvin wave component in the presence of the mean flow while the Rossby wave is confined by the flanking NICC and SICC. Independent of the presence of the mean flow, the application of sufficient lateral mixing also hinders the focusing of off-equatorial Rossby waves, which is hence an unlikely feature of a low-frequency basin mode in the real ocean.

Description: A decadal change in the character of ENSO was observed around year 2000 toward weaker-amplitude, higher-frequency events with an increased occurrence of central Pacific El Niños. Here these changes are assessed in terms of the Bjerknes stability index (BJ index), which is a measure of the growth rate of ENSO-related SST anomalies. The individual terms of the index are calculated from ocean reanalysis products separately for the time periods 1980–99 and 2000–10. The spread between the products is large, but they show a robust weakening of the thermocline feedback due to a reduced thermocline slope response to anomalous zonal wind stress as well as a weakened wind stress response to eastern equatorial Pacific SST anomalies. These changes are consistent with changes in the background state of the tropical Pacific: cooler mean SST in the eastern and central equatorial Pacific results in reduced convection there together with a westward shift in the ascending branch of the Walker circulation. This shift leads to a weakening in the relationship between eastern Pacific SST and longitudinally averaged equatorial zonal wind stress. Also, despite a steeper mean thermocline slope in the more recent period, the thermocline slope response to wind stress anomalies weakened due to a smaller zonal wind fetch that results from ENSO-related wind anomalies being more confined to the western basin. As a result, the total BJ index is more negative, corresponding to a more strongly damped system in the past decade compared to the 1980s and 1990s.

Description: The realization that mitigation efforts to reduce CO2 emissions have, until now, been relatively ineffective has led to an increasing interest in climate engineering as a possible means of preventing potentially catastrophic consequences of climate change. While many studies have addressed the potential effectiveness of individual methods there have been few attempts to compare them. We use an Earth system model to compare the effectiveness and side effects of afforestation, artificial ocean upwelling, ocean iron fertilization, ocean alkalinization, and solar radiation management during a high CO2-emissions scenario. We find that even when applied continuously and at scales as large as currently deemed possible, all methods are, individually, either relatively ineffective with limited (〈8%) warming reductions, or they have severe side effects and cannot be stopped without causing rapid climate change. Our simulations suggest that the potential for these types of climate engineering to make up for failed mitigation may be very limited.

Description: In his comment, G. Bürger criticizes the conclusion that inflation of trends by quantile mapping is an adverse effect.He assumes that the argument would be ‘‘based on the belief that long-term trends and along with them future climate signals are to be large scale.’’ His line of argument reverts to the so-called inflated regression. Here it is shown, by referring to previous critiques of inflation and standard literature in statistical modeling as well as weather forecasting, that inflation is built upon a wrong understanding of explained versus unexplained variability and prediction versus simulation. It is argued that a sound regressionbased downscaling can in principle introduce systematic local variability in long-term trends, but inflation systematically deteriorates the representation of trends. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that inflation by construction deteriorates weather forecasts and is not able to correctly simulate small-scale spatiotemporal structure.

Description: Geophysical evidence suggests that fluids along fault planes have an important role in generating earthquakes; however, the nature of these fluids has not been well defined. The 2011 magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake ruptured the interface between the subducting Pacific plate and the overlying Okhotsk plate. Here we report a sharp increase in mantle-derived helium in bottom seawater near the rupture zone 1 month after the earthquake. The timing and location indicate that fluids were released from the mantle on the seafloor along the plate interface. The movement of the fluids was rapid, with a velocity of ~4 km per day and an uncertainty factor of four. This rate is much faster than what would be expected from pressure-gradient propagation, suggesting that over-pressurized fluid is discharged along the plate interface.

Description: The relationship between the Agulhas Current and the Agulhas leakage is not well understood. Here, this is investigated using two basin-scale and two global ocean models, of incrementally increasing resolution. The response of the Agulhas Current is evaluated under a series of sensitivity experiments, in which idealised anomalies, designed to geometrically modulate zonal trade wind stress, are applied across the Indian Ocean basin. The imposed wind stress changes exceed ±2 standard deviations from the annual mean trade winds and, in the case of intensification, are partially representative of recently observed trends. The Agulhas leakage is quantified using complimentary techniques based on Lagrangian virtual floats and Eulerian passive tracer flux. As resolution increases, model behavior converges and the sensitivity of the leakage to Agulhas Current transport anomalies is reduced. In the two eddy-resolving configurations tested, the leakage is insensitive to changes in Agulhas Current transport at 32°S, though substantial eddy kinetic energy anomalies are evident. Consistent with observations, the position of the retroflection remains stable. The decoupling of Agulhas Current variability from the Agulhas leakage suggests that, while correlations between the two may exist, they may not have a clear dynamical basis. It is suggested that present and future Agulhas leakage proxies be considered in the context of potentially transient forcing regimes.

Description: In the oceans’ high-nitrate–low-chlorophyll regions, such as the Peru/Humboldt Current system and the adjacent eastern equatorial Pacific1, primary productivity is limited by the micronutrient iron. Within the Peruvian upwelling area, bioavailable iron is released from the reducing continental margin sediments2. The magnitude of this seafloor source could change with fluctuations in the extension or intensity of the oxygen minimum zones3, 4. Here we show that measurements of molybdenum, uranium and iron concentrations can be used as a proxy for sedimentary iron release, and use this proxy to assess iron release from the sea floor beneath the Peru upwelling system during the past 140,000 years. We observe a coupling between levels of denitrification, as indicated by nitrogen isotopes, trace metal proxies for oxygenation, and sedimentary iron concentrations. Specifically, periods with poor upper ocean oxygenation are characterized by more efficient iron retention in the sediment and a diminished iron supply to the water column. We attribute efficient iron retention under more reducing conditions to widespread sulphidic conditions in the surface sediment and concomitant precipitation of iron sulphides. We argue that iron release from continental margin sediments is most effective in a narrow redox window where neither oxygen nor sulphide is present. We therefore suggest that future deoxygenation in the Peru upwelling area would be unlikely to result in increased iron availability, whereas in weaker oxygen minimum zones partial deoxygenation may enhance the iron supply.

Description: Animal burrowing and sediment-mixing (bioturbation) began during the run up to the Ediacaran/Cambrian boundary1, 2, 3, initiating a transition4, 5 between the stratified Precambrian6 and more well-mixed Phanerozoic7 sedimentary records, against the backdrop of a variable8, 9 global oxygen reservoir probably smaller in size than present10, 11. Phosphorus is the long-term12 limiting nutrient for oxygen production via burial of organic carbon13, and its retention (relative to carbon) within organic matter in marine sediments is enhanced by bioturbation14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Here we explore the biogeochemical implications of a bioturbation-induced organic phosphorus sink in a simple model. We show that increased bioturbation robustly triggers a net decrease in the size of the global oxygen reservoir—the magnitude of which is contingent upon the prescribed difference in carbon to phosphorus ratios between bioturbated and laminated sediments. Bioturbation also reduces steady-state marine phosphate levels, but this effect is offset by the decline in iron-adsorbed phosphate burial that results from a decrease in oxygen concentrations. The introduction of oxygen-sensitive bioturbation to dynamical model runs is sufficient to trigger a negative feedback loop: the intensity of bioturbation is limited by the oxygen decrease it initially causes. The onset of this feedback is consistent with redox variations observed during the early Cambrian rise of bioturbation, leading us to suggest that bioturbation helped to regulate early oxygen and phosphorus cycles.

Description: Assessments of climate sensitivity to projected greenhouse gas concentrations underpin environmental policy decisions, with such assessments often based on model simulations of climate during recent centuries and millennia1, 2, 3. These simulations depend critically on accurate records of past aerosol forcing from global-scale volcanic eruptions, reconstructed from measurements of sulphate deposition in ice cores4, 5, 6. Non-uniform transport and deposition of volcanic fallout mean that multiple records from a wide array of ice cores must be combined to create accurate reconstructions. Here we re-evaluated the record of volcanic sulphate deposition using a much more extensive array of Antarctic ice cores. In our new reconstruction, many additional records have been added and dating of previously published records corrected through precise synchronization to the annually dated West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core7, improving and extending the record throughout the Common Era. Whereas agreement with existing reconstructions is excellent after 1500, we found a substantially different history of volcanic aerosol deposition before 1500; for example, global aerosol forcing values from some of the largest eruptions (for example, 1257 and 1458) previously were overestimated by 20–30% and others underestimated by 20–50%.

Description: A surface diurnal warm layer is diagnosed from Seaglider observations, and develops on half the days in the CINDY/DYNAMO Indian Ocean experiment. The diurnal warm layer occurs on days of high solar radiation flux (〉 80 W m−2) and low wind speed (〈 6 m s−1), and preferentially in the inactive stage of the Madden–Julian Oscillation. Its diurnal harmonic has an exponential vertical structure with a depth scale of 4–5 m (dependent on chlorophyll concentration), consistent with forcing by absorption of solar radiation. The effective sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly due to the diurnal warm layer often reaches 0.8°C in the afternoon, with a daily mean of 0.2°C, rectifying the diurnal cycle onto longer time scales. This SST anomaly drives an anomalous flux of 4 W m−2 that cools the ocean. Alternatively, in a climate model where this process is unresolved, this represents an erroneous flux that warms the ocean. A simple model predicts a diurnal warm layer to occur on 30–50% of days across the tropical warm pool. On the remaining days, with low solar radiation and high wind speeds, a residual diurnal cycle is observed by the Seaglider, with a diurnal harmonic of temperature that decreases linearly with depth. As wind speed increases, this already weak temperature gradient decreases further, tending towards isothermal conditions.

Description: The exchange of water masses across the Antarctic continental shelf break regulates the export of dense shelf waters to depth as well as the transport of warm, mid-depth waters towards ice shelves and glacial grounding lines1. The penetration of the warmer mid-depth waters past the shelf break has been implicated in the pronounced loss of ice shelf mass over much of west Antarctica2, 3, 4. In high-resolution, regional circulation models, the Antarctic shelf break hosts an energetic mesoscale eddy field5, 6, but observations that capture this mesoscale variability have been limited. Here we show, using hydrographic data collected from ocean gliders, that eddy-induced transport is a primary contributor to mass and property fluxes across the slope. Measurements along ten cross-shelf hydrographic sections show a complex velocity structure and a stratification consistent with an onshore eddy mass flux. We show that the eddy transport and the surface wind-driven transport make comparable contributions to the total overturning circulation. Eddy-induced transport is concentrated in the warm, intermediate layers away from frictional boundaries. We conclude that understanding mesoscale dynamics will be critical for constraining circumpolar heat fluxes and future rates of retreat of Antarctic ice shelves.

Description: Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the eastern equatorial Atlantic are connected to modulations in the strength of the South Atlantic subtropical high-pressure system, referred to as the South Atlantic Anticyclone (SAA). Using ocean and atmosphere reanalysis products we show here that the strength of the SAA from February to May impacts the timing of the cold tongue onset and the intensity of its development in the eastern equatorial Atlantic (EEA) via anomalous tropical wind power. This modulation of the timing and amplitude of the seasonal cold tongue development manifests as anomalous SST events peaking between June and August. The timing and impact of this connection is not completely symmetric for warm and cold events. For cold events, an anomalously strong SAA in February and March leads to positive wind power anomalies from February to June resulting in an early cold tongue onset and subsequent cold SST anomalies in June and July. For warm events the anomalously weak SAA persists until May, generating negative wind power anomalies that lead to a late cold tongue onset as well as a suppression of the cold tongue development and associated warm SST anomalies. Mechanisms by which SAA induced wind power variations south of the equator influence EEA SST are discussed, including ocean adjustment via Rossby and Kelvin wave propagation, meridional advection, and local intraseasonal wind variations

Description: Stratospheric water vapour is a powerful greenhouse gas. The longest available record from balloon observations over Boulder, Colorado, USA shows increases in stratospheric water vapour concentrations that cannot be fully explained by observed changes in the main drivers, tropical tropopause temperatures and methane. Satellite observations could help resolve the issue, but constructing a reliable long-term data record from individual short satellite records is challenging. Here we present an approach to merge satellite data sets with the help of a chemistry-climate model nudged to observed meteorology. We use the models' water vapour as a transfer function between data sets that overcomes issues arising from instrument drift and short overlap periods. In the lower stratosphere, our water vapour record extends back to 1988 and water vapour concentrations largely follow tropical tropopause temperatures. Lower and mid-stratospheric long-term trends are negative, and the trends from Boulder are shown not to be globally representative. In the upper stratosphere, our record extends back to 1986 and shows positive long-term trends. The altitudinal differences in the trends are explained by methane oxidation together with a strengthened lower-stratospheric and a weakened upper-stratospheric circulation inferred by this analysis. Our results call into question previous estimates of surface radiative forcing based on presumed global long-term increases in water vapour concentrations in the lower stratosphere.

Description: Large earthquakes on mid-ocean ridge transform faults are commonly preceded by foreshocks1, 2, 3 and changes in the seismic properties of the fault zone3. These seismic precursors could be linked to fluid-related processes2, 3. Hydrothermal fluids within young, hot crust near the intersection of oceanic transform faults are probably in a supercritical condition4. At constant temperature, supercritical fluids become significantly more compressible with decreasing pressure, with potential impacts on fault behaviour. Here we use a theoretical model to show that oceanic transform faults can switch from dilatant and progressive deformation to rupture in response to fluid-related processes. We assume that the fault core material behaves according to a Cam-clay-type5 constitutive law, which is commonly used to account for the behaviour of clays. According to our model, we find that the fault is initially stable, with stresses gradually increasing over a timescale of years in response to tectonic loading. The fault evolves into a metastable phase, lasting a few days, during which the fault rocks dilate and pore pressures decrease, causing the compressibility of the supercritical fluids to increase. This in turn triggers fault-slip instability that creates foreshock swarms. In the final phase, the fault fails in the mainshock rupture. Our results imply that seismic precursors are caused by changes in fluid pressure which result in variations in fluid compressibility, in response to rock deformation just before rupture.

Description: We present a detailed quality assessment of a novel underwater sensor for the measurement of CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) based on surface water field deployments carried out between 2008 and 2011. The commercially available sensor, which is based on membrane equilibration and NDIR spectrometry is small and can be integrated into mobile platforms. It is calibrated in water against a proven flow-through pCO2 instrument within a custom-built calibration setup. The aspect of highest concern with respect to achievable data quality of the sensor is the compensation for signal drift inevitably connected to absorption measurements. We use three means to correct for drift effects: (i) a filter correlation or dual-beam setup, (ii) regular zero gas measurements realized automatically within the sensor and (iii) a zero-based transformation of two sensor calibrations flanking the time of sensor deployment. Three sensors were tested against an underway pCO2 system during two major research cruises providing an in situ temperature range from 7.4 to 30.1°C and pCO2 values between 289 and 445 μatm. The average difference between sensor and reference pCO2 was found to be -0.6 ± 3 μatm with a RMSE of 3.7 μatm.

Description: Microbial aerobic methane oxidation (MOx) is intrinsically coupled to the production of carbon dioxide, favoring carbonate dissolution. Recently, microbial organic polymers were shown to be able to induce carbonate dissolution. To discriminate between different mechanisms causing calcite dissolution, experiments were conducted in the presence of solid calcite with (1) actively growing cells (2) starving cells, and (4) dead cells of the methanotrophic bacterium Methylosinus trichosporium under brackish conditions (salinity 10) near calcite saturation (saturation state (Ω) 1.76 to 2.22). Total alkalinity and the amount of dissolved calcium markedly increased in all experiments containing M. trichosporium cells. After initial system equilibration, similar calcite dissolution rates, ranging between 14.9 (dead cells) and 29.6 μmol l−1 d−1 (actively growing cells), were observed. While concentrations of transparent exopolymer particles declined with time in the presence of actively growing and starving cells, they increased in experiments with dead cells. Scanning electron microscopy images of calcite crystals revealed visible surface corrosion after exposure to live and dead M. trichosporium cells. The results of this study indicate a strong potential for microbial MOx to affect calcite stability negatively, facilitating calcite dissolution. In addition to CO2 production by methanotrophically active cells, we suggest that the release of acidic or Ca2+-chelating organic carbon compounds from dead cells could also enhance calcite dissolution.

Description: The Agulhas Current (AC) is the strongest western boundary current in the Southern Hemisphere and is key for weather and climate patterns, both regionally and globally. Its heat transfer into both the midlatitude South Indian Ocean and South Atlantic is of global significance. A new composite coral record (Ifaty and Tulear massive Porites corals), is linked to historical AC sea surface temperature (SST) instrumental data, showing robust correlations. The composite coral SST data start in 1660 and comprise 200 years more than the AC instrumental record. Numerical modelling exhibits that this new coral derived SST record is representative for the wider core region of the AC. AC SSTs variabilities show distinct cooling through the Little Ice Age and warming during the late 18th, 19th and 20th century, with significant decadal variability superimposed. Furthermore, the AC SSTs are teleconnected with the broad southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans, showing that the AC system is pivotal for inter-ocean heat exchange south of Africa.

Description: This study aimed to reveal the dynamics of inducible anti-herbivory traits in the brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus, in response to grazing by the isopod Idotea baltica. As the molecular basis of defence induction in seaweeds is poorly understood, a transcriptomic approach was used to gain insight into cellular processes underlying defence induction and thus promote the mechanistic understanding of anti-herbivory responses in seaweeds. In a 27 day feeding-assayed induction experiment, temporal patterns of the induced anti-herbivory resistance of F. vesiculosus were assessed under laboratory conditions. Feeding assays were performed at three day intervals, using fresh and reconstituted food. Microarray hybridizations investigating the expression of genes 3 days before, as well as at the same time as, feeding assays revealed a decreased palatability of previously grazed F. vesiculosus pieces compared with non-grazed control pieces. Despite permanent exposure to grazers, F. vesiculosus palatability varied over time. Non-grazed F. vesiculosus pieces were significantly preferred to grazed pieces after 18 and again after 27 days of previous grazing, while their relative palatability for isopods was comparable at all other times during the experiment. Relative to controls, 562/402 genes were ≥ 1.5-fold up-/down-regulated in seaweed pieces that were grazed for 18 days, i.e. when induction of defences was detected in feeding assays. Massive reprogramming of the regulatory expression orchestra (translation, transcription) as well as up-regulation of genes involved in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, intracellular trafficking, defence and stress response was found. At the same time, down-regulation of photosynthesis was observed in grazed seaweed pieces. This study suggests a high level of temporal variability in induced anti-herbivory traits of F. vesiculosus and reveals increased expression of genes with putative defensive functions in conjunction with the reallocation of resources from primary to secondary metabolism.

Description: Large igneous province subduction is a rare process on Earth. A modern example is the subduction of the oceanic Hikurangi Plateau beneath the southern Kermadec arc, offshore New Zealand. This segment of the arc has the largest total lava volume erupted and the highest volcano density of the entire Kermadec arc. Here we show that Kermadec arc lavas south of B32°S have elevated Pb and Sr and low Nd isotope ratios, which argues, together with increasing seafloor depth, forearc retreat and crustal thinning, for initial Hikurangi Plateau—Kermadec arc collision B250 km north of its present position. The combined data set indicates that a much larger portion of the Hikurangi Plateau (the missing Ontong Java Nui piece) than previously believed has already been subducted. Oblique plate convergence caused southward migration of the thickened and buoyant oceanic plateau crust, creating a buoyant ‘Hikurangi’ me´lange beneath the Moho that interacts with ascending arc melts.

Description: The impact of dense saltwater inflows on the phosphorus dynamics in the Baltic Sea is studied from tracer experiments with a three-dimensional physical model. Model simulations showed that the coasts of the North West Gotland Basin and the Gulf of Finland, the Estonian coast in the East Gotland Basin are regions where tracers from below the halocline are primarily lifted up above the halocline. After 1 yr tracers are accumulated at the surface along the Swedish east coast and at the western and southern sides of Gotland. Elevated concentrations are also found east and southeast of Gotland, in the northern Bornholm Basin and in the central parts of the East Gotland Basin. The annual supplies of phosphorus from the deeper waters to the productive surface layers are estimated to be of the same order of magnitude as the waterborne inputs of phosphorus to the entire Baltic Sea. The model results suggest that regionally the impact of these nutrients may be quite large, and the largest regional increases in surface concentrations are found after large inflows. However, the overall direct impact of major Baltic inflows on the annual uplift of nutrients from below the halocline to the surface waters is small because vertical transports are comparably large also during periods without major inflows. Our model results suggest that phosphorus released from the sediments between 60 and 100 m depth in the East Gotland Basin contributes to the eutrophication, especially in the coastal regions of the eastern Baltic Proper.

Description: Exogenous electron transfer mediators employed by Fe(III)-reducing bacteria are believed to govern the kinetics and equilibrium of bioreduction of Fe(III) in solid phase. In contrast to a large number of studies on humic substances and analog anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS), our knowledge of other potential electron shuttles involved in Fe(III) reduction is limited. The purpose of the present study was to understand the role of cystine and cysteine in reduction of iron-rich smectite (nontronite, NAu-2) by Shewanella species. A series of abiotic and biotic experiments were conducted in nongrowth media (bicarbonate buffered, pH = 7.0). Fe(II) and cysteine concentrations were monitored over the course of the bioreduction experiments with wet chemistry, and the unreduced and reduced nontronites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicated that all Shewanella species tested here were capable of reducing cystine to cysteine. Either cystine or cysteine amendments significantly stimulated the Fe(III) bioreduction rate and extent. The initial reduction rate was linearly correlated with cystine or cysteine concentration. The reduction extent (18.7–22.3%) calculated from bioreactor with cystine or cysteine was slightly lower than those with AQDS (26.3%). Mineralogical analysis demonstrated that cystine or cysteine facilitated the reaction of smectite to illite as a result of Fe(III) bioreduction. Thus, we concluded that, in our experiments, cystine and cysteine functioned as electron carrier in the smectite reduction systems, and were favorable factors influencing smectite illitization.

Description: Ammassalik in southeast Greenland is known for strong wind events that can reach hurricane intensity and cause severe destruction in the local town. Yet, these winds and their impact on the nearby fjord and shelf region have not been studied in detail. Here, data from two meteorological stations and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) are used to identify and characterize these strong downslope wind events, which are especially pronounced at a major east Greenland fjord, Sermilik Fjord, within Ammassalik. Their local and regional characteristics, their dynamics and their impacts on the regional sea ice cover, and air–sea fluxes are described. Based on a composite of the events it is concluded that wind events last for approximately a day, and seven to eight events occur each winter. Downslope wind events are associated with a deep synoptic-scale cyclone between Iceland and Greenland. During the events, cold dry air is advected down the ice sheet. The downslope flow is accelerated by gravitational acceleration, flow convergence inside the Ammassalik valley, and near the coast by an additional thermal and synoptic-scale pressure gradient acceleration. Wind events are associated with a large buoyancy loss over the Irminger Sea, and it is estimated that they drive one-fifth of the net wintertime loss. Also, the extreme winds drive sea ice out of the fjord and away from the shelf.

Description: In 2013, the vast majority of the monitored climate variables reported here maintained trends established in recent decades. ENSO was in a neutral state during the entire year, remaining mostly on the cool side of neutral with modest impacts on regional weather patterns' around the world. This follows several years dominated by the effects of either La Nina. or El Nino events. According to several independent analyses, 2013 was again among the 10 warmest years on record at the global scale, both at the Earth's surface and through the troposphere. Some regions in the Southern Hemispherehad record or near-record high temperatures for the year. Australia observed its hottest year on record, while Argentina and New Zealand reported their second and third hottest years, respectively. In Antarctica, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station reported its highest annual temperature since records began in 1957 At the opposite pole, the Arctic observed its seventh warmest year since record's began in the early 20th century. At 20-m depth, record high temperatures were measured at some permafrost stations on the North Slope Of Alaska and in the Brooks Range. In the Northern Hemisphere extratropics, anomalous meridional atmospheric circulation occurred throughout much of the year leading to marked regional extremes of both temperature and precipitation. Cold temperature anomalies during Winter across Eurasia were followed by warm Spring temperature anomalies, which, were linked to a new record Eurasian snow cover extent in the May. Minimum sea ice extent in the :Arctic was the sixth lowest since satellite Observations began in 1979. Including 2013, all seven lowest extents on record have occurred in the past seven years Antarctica, on the other hand, had above average sea ice extent throughout 2013, with 116 days Of new daily high extent records, inclding a new daily maximum sea ice area of 19.57 million km(2) reached on 1 October. ENSO-neutral conditions in the eastern central Pacific Ocean and a negative Pacific decadal oscillation pattern in the North Pacific had the largest impacts on the global sea surface temperature in 2013: The North Pacific reached a historic high temperature in 2013 and on balance the globally-averaged sea surface temperature was among the 10 highest on record. Overall, the salt Content in near-surface ocean waters increased while in intermediate waters it decreased. Global mean sea level continued to rise during 2013, on pace with a trend of 3,2 mm yr(-1) over the past two decades. A portion of this trend (0.5 mm yr(-1)) has been attributed to natural variability associated with the Pacific decadal oscillation as Well as to ongoing contribution from the melting of glaciers and ice sheets and ocean warming. Global tropical cyclone frequency during 2013 was slightly above average with a total of 94 storms, although the North Atlantic Basin had its quietest hurricane season since 1994. In the Western North Pacific Basin, Super Typhoon Haiyan, the deadliest tropical Cyclone of 2013, had 1-minute sustained winds estimated to be 170 kt (OS m s(-1)) on 7 November, the highest Wind speed ever assigned to a tropical cyclone. High storm surge was also associated with Haiyan at it Made landfall over the central Philippines, an area where sea level is currently at historic highs increasing by 200 mm since 1970. In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide all Continued to increase in 2013. As in previous our years, each of these Major greenhouse gases once again reached historic high Concentrations. In the Arctic carbon dioxide and methane:, Increased at the same rate as:the global increase. These increases are likely due to export from lower latitudes rather than a consequence Of increases in Arctic sources such as thawing permafrost., At Mauna Loa, Hawaii, for the first time since measurement began in 1958, the daily average Mixing ratio Of carbon dioxide exceeded 400 ppm on 9 May. The state of these variables, along with dozens of others, and the 2013 climate conditions of regions around the world are discussed in further detail in this 24th, edition of the State of the Climate series

Description: Vitamin B 1 (thiamine pyrophosphate, TPP) is essential to all life but scarce in ocean surface waters. In many bacteria and a few eukaryotic groups thiamine biosynthesis genes are controlled by metabolite-sensing mRNA-based gene regulators known as riboswitches. Using available genome sequences and transcriptomes generated from ecologically important marine phytoplankton, we identified 31 new eukaryotic riboswitches. These were found in alveolate, cryptophyte, haptophyte and rhizarian phytoplankton as well as taxa from two lineages previously known to have riboswitches (green algae and stramenopiles). The predicted secondary structures bear hallmarks of TPP-sensing riboswitches. Surprisingly, most of the identified riboswitches are affiliated with genes of unknown function, rather than characterized thiamine biosynthesis genes. Using qPCR and growth experiments involving two prasinophyte algae, we show that expression of these genes increases significantly under vitamin B 1 -deplete conditions relative to controls. Pathway analyses show that several algae harboring the uncharacterized genes lack one or more enzymes in the known TPP biosynthesis pathway. We demonstrate that one such alga, the major primary producer Emiliania huxleyi, grows on 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methylpyrimidine (a thiamine precursor moiety) alone, although long thought dependent on exogenous sources of thiamine. Thus, overall, we have identified riboswitches in major eukaryotic lineages not known to undergo this form of gene regulation. In these phytoplankton groups, riboswitches are often affiliated with widespread thiamine-responsive genes with as yet uncertain roles in TPP pathways. Further, taxa with 'incomplete' TPP biosynthesis pathways do not necessarily require exogenous vitamin B 1, making vitamin control of phytoplankton blooms more complex than the current paradigm suggests. © 2014 International Society for Microbial Ecology. All rights reserved.

Description: Rhodoliths are coralline red algal assemblages that commonly occur in marine habitats from the tropics to polar latitudes. They form rigid structures of high-magnesium calcite and have a good fossil record. Here I show that rhodoliths are ecosystem engineers in a high Arctic environment that increase local biodiversity by providing habitat. Gouged by boring mussels, originally solid rhodoliths become hollow ecospheres intensely colonised by benthic organisms. In the examined shelf areas, biodiversity in rhodolith-bearing habitats is significantly greater than in habitats without rhodoliths and hollow rhodoliths yield a greater biodiversity than solid ones. This biodiversity, however, is threatened because hollow rhodoliths take a long time to form and are susceptible to global change and anthropogenic impacts such as trawl net fisheries that can destroy hollow rhodoliths. Rhodoliths and other forms of coralline red algae play a key role in a plurality of environments and need improved management and protection plans.

Description: Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are the most primitive prokaryotic photosynthetic organisms, that have survived and flourished on the planet for more than 3 billion years and produced the oxygen that enabled aerobic metabolism. Anabaena is a genus of filamentous cyanobacteria, known for its nitrogen fixing abilities and is one of cyanobacterial genera that produce toxins. Because of plasmid DNA, the nontoxic strain of Anabaena flos-aquae, transformed into a toxic strain that producing neuro-toxins. The major toxins those were produced by this species are anatoxin-a, homoanatoxin-a, and anatoxin-a(s). Presence of these toxins in the source of fresh water makes water toxic and every year so many reports on death of animals were documented. Several studies have been done over this toxic cyanobacterium and showed that under controlled environment this species is very useful for human being. However, presence of this alga in the water sources makes environment toxic. Several analytical methods were reported for the detection of these toxins. This review is be focused on the detailed literature survey on fresh water cyanobacterium, Anabaena flos-aquae, with respect to its importance and cure.

Description: Explaining the high variability of regenerative ability across metazoan taxa is one of the major challenges in modern biology. Although common and widespread, regeneration shows a heterogeneous distribution and most authors consider regeneration capacity to be an ancestral trait that has been restricted or completely lost over the course of metazoan evolution. Basal Metazoans show the highest capacity for regeneration. By contrast, this feature is highly variable within bilaterians, with many taxa limited in their capacity for regeneration or not regenerating at all. The causes of the loss and/or maintenance of regeneration remain poorly understood, with most explanations invoking adaptive mechanisms. In the present study Metazoan regeneration is discussed with reference to stem cell biology, tissue plasticity, evolution of tissue complexity, cell turnover and lifespan. The presence or absence of regenerative ability cannot be seen only as an adaptation to a particular environment but can also be a consequence of body plan and developmental constraints such as may arise from the evolution of an adaptive immune system.

Description: Globally, ascidians are a significant contributor to benthic marine fouling communities, but have remained poorly studied in this context. In some cases, such as in shellfish and finfish aquaculture, ascidians are the most problematic of all fouling organisms. The disproportionate impact of ascidian fouling in some specific geographic locations has been related directly to anthropogenic translocation of these organisms around the globe. In the case of ascidians, therefore, the economic issue of biofouling and the ecological ramifications of invasion are inextricably linked. This mini-review briefly discusses the introduction of non-native ascidians to areas where they have subsequently proven to be a significant fouling pest. The elements of ascidian reproductive ecology that support their aggressive fouling character are discussed and the scant information pertaining to their adhesion and adhesives is presented. Finally, strategies for mitigating ascidian fouling are examined. It is suggested that sufficient working knowledge currently exists to support the inclusion of one or more common ascidian species as ‘standard’ test organisms used for evaluation of novel fouling-resistant surfaces.

Description: Submarine mud volcanoes are important sources of methane to the water column. However, the temporal variability of their mud and methane emissions is unknown. Methane emissions were previously proposed to result from a dynamic equilibrium between upward migration and consumption at the seabed by methane-consuming microbes. Here we show non-steady-state situations of vigorous mud movement that are revealed through variations in fluid flow, seabed temperature and seafloor bathymetry. Time series data for pressure, temperature, pH and seafloor photography were collected over 431 days using a benthic observatory at the active Hakon Mosby Mud Volcano. We documented 25 pulses of hot subsurface fluids, accompanied by eruptions that changed the landscape of the mud volcano. Four major events triggered rapid sediment uplift of more than a metre in height, substantial lateral flow of muds at average velocities of 0.4m per day, and significant emissions of methane and CO2 from the seafloor.

Description: One new imidazole derivative alkaloid pelopuradazole (1), together with three known alkaloids as in 3H-imidazole-4-carboxylic acid (2), 1H-pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid (3) and 2-methyl-3H-imidazole-4-carboxylic acid (4) and two known cyclo-dipeptides pelopurin A (5) and pelopurin B (6), has been isolated from the marine bacterium Pelomonas puraquae sp. nov. Pelopuradazole (1) was a new imidazole derivative alkaloid, while compounds 2, 3, 5 and 6 were firstly obtained as natural products. Compounds 1–6 were isolated from P. puraquae sp. nov. for the first time.

Description: Knowledge of concentrations and elemental ratios of suspended particles are important for understanding many biogeochemical processes in the ocean. These include patterns of phytoplankton nutrient limitation as well as linkages between the cycles of carbon and nitrogen or phosphorus. To further enable studies of ocean biogeochemistry, we here present a global dataset consisting of 100,605 total measurements of particulate organic carbon, nitrogen, or phosphorus analyzed as part of 70 cruises or time-series. The data are globally distributed and represent all major ocean regions as well as different depths in the water column. The global median C:P, N:P, and C:N ratios are 163, 22, and 6.6, respectively, but the data also includes extensive variation between samples from different regions. Thus, this compilation will hopefully assist in a wide range of future studies of ocean elemental ratios.

Description: The ability of coral reefs to engineer complex three-dimensional habitats is central to their success and the rich biodiversity they support. In tropical reefs, encrusting coralline algae bind together substrates and dead coral framework to make continuous reef structures, but beyond the photic zone, the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa also forms large biogenic reefs, facilitated by skeletal fusion. Skeletal fusion in tropical corals can occur in closely related or juvenile individuals as a result of non-aggressive skeletal overgrowth or allogeneic tissue fusion, but contact reactions in many species result in mortality if there is no ‘self-recognition’ on a broad species level. This study reveals areas of ‘flawless’ skeletal fusion in Lophelia pertusa, potentially facilitated by allogeneic tissue fusion, are identified as having small aragonitic crystals or low levels of crystal organisation, and strong molecular bonding. Regardless of the mechanism, the recognition of ‘self’ between adjacent L. pertusa colonies leads to no observable mortality, facilitates ecosystem engineering and reduces aggression-related energetic expenditure in an environment where energy conservation is crucial. The potential for self-recognition at a species level, and subsequent skeletal fusion in framework-forming cold-water corals is an important first step in understanding their significance as ecological engineers in deep-seas worldwide.

Description: Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are the most primitive prokaryotic photosynthetic organisms, that have survived and flourished on the planet for more than 3 billion years and produced the oxygen that enabled aerobic metabolism. Anabaena is a genus of filamentous cyanobacteria, known for its nitrogen fixing abilities and is one of cyanobacterial genera that produce toxins. Because of plasmid DNA, the nontoxic strain of Anabaena flos-aquae, transformed into a toxic strain that producing neuro-toxins. The major toxins those were produced by this species are anatoxin-a, homoanatoxin-a, and anatoxin-a(s). Presence of these toxins in the source of fresh water makes water toxic and every year so many reports on death of animals were documented. Several studies have been done over this toxic cyanobacterium and showed that under controlled environment this species is very useful for human being. However, presence of this alga in the water sources makes environment toxic. Several analytical methods were reported for the detection of these toxins. This review is be focused on the detailed literature survey on fresh water cyanobacterium, Anabaena flos-aquae, with respect to its importance and cure.

Description: Cultivated bacteria such as actinomycetes are a highly useful source of biomedically important natural products. However, such ‘talented’ producers represent only a minute fraction of the entire, mostly uncultivated, prokaryotic diversity. The uncultured majority is generally perceived as a large, untapped resource of new drug candidates, but so far it is unknown whether taxa containing talented bacteria indeed exist. Here we report the single-cell- and metagenomics-based discovery of such producers. Two phylotypes of the candidate genus ‘Entotheonella’ with genomes of greater than 9 megabases and multiple, distinct biosynthetic gene clusters co-inhabit the chemically and microbially rich marine sponge Theonella swinhoei. Almost all bioactive polyketides and peptides known from this animal were attributed to a single phylotype. ‘Entotheonella’ spp. are widely distributed in sponges and belong to an environmental taxon proposed here as candidate phylum ‘Tectomicrobia’. The pronounced bioactivities and chemical uniqueness of ‘Entotheonella’ compounds provide significant opportunities for ecological studies and drug discovery.

Description: Owing to the turbulent nature of the ocean, mesoscale eddies are omnipresent. The impact of these transitory and approximately circular sea surface temperature fronts on the overlying atmosphere is not well known. Stationary fronts such as the Gulf Stream have been reported to lead to pronounced atmospheric changes1, 2. However, the impact of transient ocean eddies on the atmosphere has not been determined systematically, except on winds and to some extent clouds3, 4, 5, 6. Here, we examine the atmospheric conditions associated with over 600,000 individual eddies in the Southern Ocean, using satellite data. We show that ocean eddies locally affect near-surface wind, cloud properties and rainfall. The observed pattern of atmospheric change is consistent with a mechanism in which sea surface temperature anomalies associated with the oceanic eddies modify turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer. In the case of cyclonic eddies, this modification triggers a slackening of near-surface winds, a decline in cloud fraction and water content, and a reduction in rainfall. We conclude that transient mesoscale ocean structures can significantly affect much larger atmospheric low-pressure systems that swiftly pass by at the latitudes investigated.

Description: Our understanding of the fundamental regulatory roles that tyrosine phosphatases play within cells has advanced significantly in the last two decades. Out-dated ideas that tyrosine phosphatases acts solely as the “off” switch counterbalancing the action of tyrosine kinases has proved to be flawed. PTP1B is the most characterized of all the tyrosine phosphatases and it acts as a critical negative and positive regulator of numerous signaling cascades. PTP1B’s direct regulation of the insulin and the leptin receptors makes it an ideal therapeutic target for type II diabetes and obesity. Moreover, the last decade has also seen several reports establishing PTP1B as key player in cancer serving as both tumor suppressor and tumor promoter depending on the cellular context. Despite many key advances in these fields one largely ignored area is what role PTP1B may play in the modulation of immune signaling. The important recognition that PTP1B is a major negative regulator of Janus kinase – signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling throughout evolution places it as a key link between metabolic diseases and inflammation, as well as a unique regulator between immune response and cancer. This review looks at the emergence of PTP1B through evolution, and then explore at the cell and systemic levels how it is controlled physiologically. The second half of the review will focus on the role(s) PTP1B can play in disease and in particular its involvement in metabolic syndromes and cancer. Finally we will briefly examine several novel directions in the development of PTP1B pharmacological inhibitors.

Description: The changes in global temperatures as a result of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions has suggested that cumulative CO2 emissions will continue to increase over time. Many countries are looking for ways to reduce or alter the amount of CO2 harming our environment; therefore, this review is a compilation of CO2 adsorption on biomass-derived-biochar (BDB). This suggests that effective measures to mitigate the risk of dangerous climate change will need to limit cumulative emissions of CO2. Further, if cumulative CO2 emissions overshoot acceptable limits, it will become necessary to remove CO2 from the air, that is, the so-called “negative emissions.” In this review, we discuss the definitions and classes of technologies for capturing CO2 from the air and the application of biochar in the improvement of soil fertility. We also discuss the economic tradeoff between biochar and bio-oil, agricultural nutrient leaching, the novel magnetic property of biochar and its durability.

Description: The exponentially increasing number of sequenced genomes necessitates fast, accurate, universally applicable and automated approaches for the delineation of prokaryotic species. We developed specI (species identification tool; http://www.bork.embl.de/software/specI/), a method to group organisms into species clusters based on 40 universal, single-copy phylogenetic marker genes. Applied to 3,496 prokaryotic genomes, specI identified 1,753 species clusters. Of 314 discrepancies with a widely used taxonomic classification, 〉62% were resolved by literature support.

Description: The mammalian gastrointestinal tract, the site of digestion and nutrient absorption, harbors trillions of beneficial commensal microbes from all three domains of life. Commensal bacteria, in particular, are key participants in the digestion of food, and are responsible for the extraction and synthesis of nutrients and other metabolites that are essential for the maintenance of mammalian health. Many of these nutrients and metabolites derived from commensal bacteria have been implicated in the development, homeostasis and function of the immune system, suggesting that commensal bacteria may influence host immunity via nutrient- and metabolite-dependent mechanisms. Here we review the current knowledge of how commensal bacteria regulate the production and bioavailability of immunomodulatory, diet-dependent nutrients and metabolites and discuss how these commensal bacteria–derived products may regulate the development and function of the mammalian immune system.

Description: In bacteria, foreign nucleic acids are silenced by clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)--CRISPR-associated (Cas) systems. Bacterial type II CRISPR systems have been adapted to create guide RNAs that direct site-specific DNA cleavage by the Cas9 endonuclease in cultured cells. Here we show that the CRISPR-Cas system functions in vivo to induce targeted genetic modifications in zebrafish embryos with efficiencies similar to those obtained using zinc finger nucleases and transcription activator-like effector nucleases.

Description: Many Penicillium species produce enzyme systems with good performances in lignocellulose degradation. In our laboratory, lignocellulolytic enzyme-producing Penicillium oxalicum (formerly classified as Penicillium decumbens) strains have been studied for more than 30 years. High cellulase-producing mutants have been obtained through random mutagenesis and genetic engineering, and the components in the enzyme systems have been elucidated using systems biology tools. The effects of different carbon sources on the production level of lignocellulolytic enzymes have been studied, and the related molecular mechanisms have been investigated. When compared with the widely used cellulase producer Trichoderma reesei, some unique features have been found in P. oxalicum, including higher β-glucosidase activity, higher numbers of lignocellulolytic enzyme gene, and different response of cellulase gene expression to some disaccharides. To boost the economic potential of the biorefineries using lignocellulosic biomass, P. oxalicum strains need to be further improved regarding the performance and production level of the enzyme systems.

Description: Population genomics — in which genetic variation across the genome is studied in many individuals — has so far been limited to species for which reference genomes are available. A recent study shows how transcriptomics can be used to extend population genomics research across a far greater range of organisms. This advance promises important new insights int…

Description: Cytochromes P450 (P450) and associated monooxygenases are a family of heme proteins involved in metabolism of endogenous compounds (arachidonic acid, eicosanoids and prostaglandins) as also xenobiotics including drugs and environmental chemicals. Liver is the major organ involved in P450-mediated metabolism and hepatic enzymes have been characterized. Extrahepatic organs, such as lung, kidney and brain have the capability for biotransformation through P450 enzymes. Brain, including human brain, expresses P450 enzymes that metabolize xenobiotics and endogenous compounds. AREAS COVERED: An overview of P450-mediated metabolism in brain is presented focusing on distinct differences seen in expression of P450 enzymes, generation of unique P450 enzymes in brain through alternate splicing and their consequences in terms of metabolism of psychoactive drugs and inflammatory prompts, such as leukotrienes, thus modulating inflammatory response. EXPERT OPINION: The brain possesses unique P450s that metabolize drugs and endogenous compounds through pathways that are markedly different from that seen in liver indicating that extrapolation directly from liver to brain is not appropriate. It is therefore necessary to characterize the unique brain P450s and their ability to metabolize xenobiotics and endogenous compounds to better understand the functions of this important class of enzymes in brain, especially human brain.

Description: The important role of marine epibiotic biofilms in the interactions of the host with its environment has been acknowledged recently. Previous studies with the temperate brown macroalga Fucus vesiculosus have identified polar and non-polar compounds recovered from the algal surface that have the potential to control such biofilms. Furthermore, both the fouling pressure and the composition of the epibiotic bacterial communities on this macroalga varied seasonally. The extent to which this reflects a seasonal fluctuation of the fouling control mechanisms of the host is, however, unexplored in an ecological context. The present study investigated seasonal variation in the anti-settlement activity of surface extracts of F. vesiculosus against eight biofilm-forming bacteria isolated from rockweed-dominated habitats, including replication of two populations from two geographically distant sites. The anti-settlement activity at both sites was found to vary temporally, reaching a peak in summer/autumn. Anti-settlement activity also showed a consistent and strong difference between sites throughout the year. This study is the first to report temporal variation of antifouling defence originating from ecologically relevant surface-associated compounds.

Description: The Denmark Strait Overflow (DSO) supplies about one-third of the North Atlantic Deep Water and is critical to global thermohaline circulation. Knowledge of the pathways of DSO through the Irminger Basin and its transformation there is still incomplete, however. The authors deploy over 10 000 Lagrangian particles at the Denmark Strait in a high-resolution ocean model to study these issues. First, the particle trajectories show that the mean position and potential density of dense waters cascading over the Denmark Strait sill evolve consistently with hydrographic observations. These sill particles transit the Irminger Basin to the Spill Jet section (65.25°N) in 5–7 days and to the Angmagssalik section (63.5°N) in 2–3 weeks. Second, the dense water pathways on the continental shelf are consistent with observations and particles released on the shelf in the strait constitute a significant fraction of the dense water particles recorded at the Angmagssalik section within 60 days (~25%). Some particles circulate on the shelf for several weeks before they spill off the shelf break and join the overflow from the sill. Third, there are two places where the water density following particle trajectories decreases rapidly due to intense mixing: to the southwest of the sill and southwest of the Kangerdlugssuaq Trough on the continental slope. After transformation in these places, the overflow particles exhibit a wide range of densities.

Description: Many marine sponges are hosts to dense and phylogenetically diverse microbial communities that are located in the extracellular matrix of the animal. The candidate phylum Poribacteria is a predominant member of the sponge microbiome and its representatives are nearly exclusively found in sponges. Here we used single-cell genomics to obtain comprehensive insights into the metabolic potential of individual poribacterial cells representing three distinct phylogenetic groups within Poribacteria. Genome sizes were up to 5.4 Mbp and genome coverage was as high as 98.5%. Common features of the poribacterial genomes indicated that heterotrophy is likely to be of importance for this bacterial candidate phylum. Carbohydrate-active enzyme database screening and further detailed analysis of carbohydrate metabolism suggested the ability to degrade diverse carbohydrate sources likely originating from seawater and from the host itself. The presence of uronic acid degradation pathways as well as several specific sulfatases provides strong support that Poribacteria degrade glycosaminoglycan chains of proteoglycans, which are important components of the sponge host matrix. Dominant glycoside hydrolase families further suggest degradation of other glycoproteins in the host matrix. We therefore propose that Poribacteria are well adapted to an existence in the sponge extracellular matrix. Poribacteria may be viewed as efficient scavengers and recyclers of a particular suite of carbon compounds that are unique to sponges as microbial ecosystems.

Description: Amplified marker-gene sequences can be used to understand microbial community structure, but they suffer from a high level of sequencing and amplification artifacts. The UPARSE pipeline reports operational taxonomic unit (OTU) sequences with ≤1% incorrect bases in artificial microbial community tests, compared with 〉3% incorrect bases commonly reported by other methods. The improved accuracy results in far fewer OTUs, consistently closer to the expected number of species in a community.

Description: Quantile mapping is routinely applied to correct biases of regional climate model simulations compared to observational data. If the observations are of similar resolution as the regional climate model, quantile mapping is a feasible approach. However, if the observations are of much higher resolution, quantile mapping also attempts to bridge this scale mismatch. Here, it is shown for daily precipitation that such quantile mapping-based downscaling is not feasible but introduces similar problems as inflation of perfect prognosis ("prog") downscaling: the spatial and temporal structure of the corrected time series is misrepresented, the drizzle effect for area means is overcorrected, area-mean extremes are overestimated, and trends are affected. To overcome these problems, stochastic bias correction is required.

Description: The climatic changes of the glacial cycles are thought to have been a major driver of population declines and species extinctions. However, studies to date have focused on terrestrial fauna and there is little understanding of how marine species responded to past climate change. Here we show that a true Arctic species, the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), shifted its range and tracked its core suitable habitat northwards during the rapid climate change of the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. Late Pleistocene lineages survived into the Holocene and effective female population size increased rapidly, concurrent with a threefold increase in core suitable habitat. This study highlights that responses to climate change are likely to be species specific and difficult to predict. We estimate that the core suitable habitat of bowhead whales will be almost halved by the end of this century, potentially influencing future population dynamics.

Description: The copepod family Oncaeidae is widely distributed in the world's oceans and includes many small and abundant species. Due to their small size and the existence of sister and sibling species in different parts of the ocean, species identification is very difficult. Quantitative studies on copepod communities usually consider oncaeids at the family level only, or present uncertain species names, when based on regional identification keys not established for the study area. This paper aims to develop the basis for an improved taxonomic resolution of oncaeids in ecological studies. It summarizes the most relevant morphological elements to characterize the seven presently known genera and to define in addition 16 species groups within the paraphyletic taxon Oncaea s.l. On this basis, a worldwide identification key for oncaeids is presently being developed, restricted to genera and species groups, with species included as far as the state of knowledge allows.

Description: Bacteria associated with Fucus vesiculosus and Delesseria sanguinea, two macroalgae from the Kiel Fjord were investigated seasonally over two years by cultivation-based methods. A total of 166 bacterial strains were isolated from the macroalgae, affiliated to seven classes of bacteria (Actinobacteria, Bacilli, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Cytophagia and Flavobacteria). According to 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities they were arranged in 82 phylotypes of〉99.0% sequence identity. Assuming that chemical factors rule the bacteriamacroalga and bacteriabacteria interactions on algal surfaces, we tested the antibiotic activity of the bacterial isolates not only against a panel of four standard test organisms (Bacillus subtilis, Candida glabrata, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus lentus) but also four macroalga-associated microorganisms: Algicola bacteriolytica and Pseudoalteromonas elyakovii (macroalgal pathogens), and Bacillus algicola and Formosa algae (strains associated with algal surfaces). Organic extracts of more than 51% of the isolates from the two macroalgae inhibited the growth of at least one of the tested microorganisms. As much as 46% and 45% of the isolates derived from F. vesiculosus and D. sanguinea, respectively, showed antimicrobial activity against the set of macroalga-associated bacteria, compared with 13 and 19% against a standard set of microorganisms. High antibacterial activity against macroalgal pathogens and bacterial competitors support the assumption that complex chemical interactions shape the relationships of bacteria associated with macroalgae and suggest that these bacteria are a rich source of antimicrobial metabolites.

Description: Ocean acidification, caused by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide, is a significant stressor to marine life. Ulf Riebesell charts the rapid rise in ocean acidification research, from the discovery of its adverse effects to its entry into the political consciousness.

Description: Previous attempts to derive the depth-dependent expression of the radiation stress have lead to a debate concerning (i) the applicability of Mellor’s approach to a sloping bottom, (ii) the introduction of the delta function at the mean sea surface in the later papers by Mellor, and (iii) a wave-induced pressure term derived in several recent studies. The authors use an equation system in vertically Lagrangian and horizontally Eulerian (VL) coordinates suitable for a concise treatment of the surface boundary, and obtain an expression for the depth-dependent radiation stress that is consistent with the vertically-integrated expression given by Longuet-Higgins and Stewart. Concerning (i)-(iii) in the above, the difficulty of handling a sloping bottom disappears when wave-averaged momentum equations in the VL coordinates are written for the development of (not the Lagrangian mean velocity but) the Eulerian mean velocity. There is also no delta function at the sea surface in the expression for the depth-dependent radiation stress. The connection between the wave-induced pressure term in the recent studies and the depth-dependent radiation stress term is easily shown by rewriting the pressure-based form stress term in the thickness-weighted-mean (TWM) momentum equations as a velocity-based term which contains the time derivative of the pseudomomentum in the TWM framework.

Description: The upper ocean, including the biologically productive euphotic zone and the mixed layer, has great relevance for studies of physical, biogeochemical, and ecosystem processes and their interaction. Observing this layer with a continuous presence, sampling many of the relevant variables, and with sufficient vertical resolution, has remained a challenge. Here a system is presented which can be deployed on the top of deep-ocean moorings, with a drive mechanism at depths of 150-200m, which mechanically winches a large sensor float and smaller communications float tethered above it to the surface and back down again, typically twice per day for periods up to 1 year. The sensor float can carry several sizeable sensors, and it has enough buoyancy to reach the near surface and for the communications float to pierce the surface even in the presence of strong currents. The system can survive mooring blow-over to 1000m depth. The battery-powered design is made possible by using a balanced energy-conserving principle. Reliability is enhanced with a drive assembly that employs a single rotating part that has no slip rings or rotating seals. The profiling bodies can break the surface to sample the near-surface layer and to establish satellite communication for data relay or reception of new commands. An inductive pass-through mode allows communication with other mooring components throughout the water column beneath the system. A number of successful demonstration deployments have been completed.

Description: In recent years, profiling floats, which form the basis of the successful international Argo observatory, are also being considered as platforms for marine biogeochemical research. This study showcases the utility of floats as a novel tool for combined gas measurements of CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) and O2. These float prototypes were equipped with a small-sized and submersible pCO2 sensor and an optode O2 sensor for high resolution measurements in the surface ocean layer. Four consecutive deployments were carried out during Nov. 2010 and June 2011 near the Cape Verde Ocean Observatory (CVOO) in the eastern tropical North Atlantic. The profiling float performed upcasts every 31 h while measuring pCO2, O2, salinity, temperature and hydrostatic pressure in the upper 200 m of the water column. In order to maintain accuracy, regular pCO2 sensor zeroings at depth and surface, as well as optode measurements in air, were performed for each profile. Through the application of data processing procedures (e.g., time-lag correction) accuracies of float-borne pCO2 measurements were greatly improved (10 – 15 μatm for water column and 5 μatm for surface measurements). O2 measurements yielded an accuracy of 2 μmol kg−1. First results of this pilot study show the possibility of using profiling floats as a platform for detailed and unattended observations of the marine carbon and oxygen cycle dynamics.

Description: Sediment-hosting hydrothermal systems in the Okinawa Trough maintain a large amount of liquid, supercritical and hydrate phases of CO2 in the seabed. The emission of CO2 may critically impact the geochemical, geophysical and ecological characteristics of the deep-sea sedimentary environment. So far it remains unclear whether microbial communities that have been detected in such high-CO2 and low-pH habitats are metabolically active, and if so, what the biogeochemical and ecological consequences for the environment are. In this study, RNA-based molecular approaches and radioactive tracer-based respiration rate assays were combined to study the density, diversity and metabolic activity of microbial communities in CO2-seep sediment at the Yonaguni Knoll IV hydrothermal field of the southern Okinawa Trough. In general, the number of microbes decreased sharply with increasing sediment depth and CO2 concentration. Phylogenetic analyses of community structure using reverse-transcribed 16S ribosomal RNA showed that the active microbial community became less diverse with increasing sediment depth and CO2 concentration, indicating that microbial activity and community structure are sensitive to CO2 venting. Analyses of RNA-based pyrosequences and catalyzed reporter deposition-fluorescence in situ hybridization data revealed that members of the SEEP-SRB2 group within the Deltaproteobacteria and anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME-2a and -2c) were confined to the top seafloor, and active archaea were not detected in deeper sediments (13–30 cm in depth) characterized by high CO2. Measurement of the potential sulfate reduction rate at pH conditions of 3–9 with and without methane in the headspace indicated that acidophilic sulfate reduction possibly occurs in the presence of methane, even at very low pH of 3. These results suggest that some members of the anaerobic methanotrophs and sulfate reducers can adapt to the CO2-seep sedimentary environment; however, CO2 and pH in the deep-sea sediment were found to severely impact the activity and structure of the microbial community.

Description: Oxygen minimum zones are expanding globally, and at present account for around 20–40% of oceanic nitrogen loss. Heterotrophic denitrification and anammox—anaerobic ammonium oxidation with nitrite—are responsible for most nitrogen loss in these low-oxygen waters. Anammox is particularly significant in the eastern tropical South Pacific, one of the largest oxygen minimum zones globally. However, the factors that regulate anammox-driven nitrogen loss have remained unclear. Here, we present a comprehensive nitrogen budget for the eastern tropical South Pacific oxygen minimum zone, using measurements of nutrient concentrations, experimentally determined rates of nitrogen transformation and a numerical model of export production. Anammox was the dominant mode of nitrogen loss at the time of sampling. Rates of anammox, and related nitrogen transformations, were greatest in the productive shelf waters, and tailed off with distance from the coast. Within the shelf region, anammox activity peaked in both upper and bottom waters. Overall, rates of nitrogen transformation, including anammox, were strongly correlated with the export of organic matter. We suggest that the sinking of organic matter, and thus the release of ammonium into the water column, together with benthic ammonium release, fuel nitrogen loss from oxygen minimum zones.

Description: The use of a coupled ocean/atmosphere/sea-ice model to hindcast (i.e. historical forecast) recent climate variability is described and illustrated for the cases of the 1976/77 and 1998/99 climate shift events in the Pacific. The initialization is achieved by running the coupled model in partially coupled mode whereby global observed wind stress anomalies are used to drive the ocean/sea-ice component of the coupled model while maintaining the thermodynamic coupling between the ocean/sea-ice and atmosphere components. Here we show that hindcast experiments can successfully capture many features associated with the 1976/77 and 1998/99 climate shifts. For instance, hindcast experiments started from the beginning of 1976 can capture sea surface temperature (SST) warming in the central-eastern equatorial Pacific and the positive phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) throughout the 9 years following the 1976/77 climate shift, including the deepening of the Aleutian low pressure system. Hindcast experiments started from the beginning of 1998 can also capture part of the anomalous conditions during the 4 years after the 1998/99 climate. We argue that the dynamical adjustment of heat content anomalies that are present in the initial conditions in the tropics is important for the successful hindcast of the two climate shifts.

Description: We compared pelagic copepod communities at three (400+ m) stations adjacent to Scott Reef (14°S), a shelf-break reef in Australia's Indian Ocean territory, with those within the shallow (c.50 m) atoll lagoon. The metazooplankton assemblage sampled by our 100-μm multinet system was dominated by small (〈 1.0 mm) copepods. We identified over 220 copepod species, belonging to five of the nine orders. Of these, 68 (31%) are new records for Australian waters and at least 14 are likely to be undescribed. Redundancy analysis indicated that depth stratum was the most important determinant of community structure: distinct communities were associated with the epipelagic (within which the atoll lagoon community was further distinguished by reef-associated copepods), the chlorophyll maximum/thermocline, the upper mesopelagic and the hyper-benthos. The family Oncaeidae was highly speciose (〉 52 taxa) and progressively more important with increasing depth.

Description: We present a new method for the statistical downscaling of coarse-resolution General Circulation Model (GCM) fields to predict local climate change. Most atmospheric variables have strong seasonal cycles. We show that the prediction of the non-seasonal variability of maximum and minimum daily surface temperature is improved if the seasonal cycle is removed prior to the statistical analysis. The new method consists of three major steps. First, the average seasonal cycles of both predictands and predictors are removed. Second, a principal component-based multiple linear regression model between the deseasonalized predictands and predictors is developed and validated. Finally, the regression is used to make projections of future changes in maximum and minimum daily surface temperature at Shearwater, Nova Scotia. This projection is made using the local grid-scale variables of the Canadian General Circulation Model Version 3 (CGCM3) climate model as predictors. Our statistical downscaling method indicates significant skill in predicting the observed distribution of temperature using GCM predictors. Projections suggest minimum and maximum temperatures at Shearwater will be up to about five degrees warmer by 2100 under the current “business-as-usual” scenario. RÉSUMÉ [Traduit par la rédaction] Nous présentons une nouvelle méthode pour la réduction d'échelle statistique des champs des modèles de circulation générale (MCG) à faible résolution pour prévoir les changements du climat local. La plupart des variables atmosphériques ont des cycles saisonniers bien marqués. Nous démontrons que la prédiction de la variabilité non saisonnière de la température de surface quotidienne minimum et maximum est meilleure si on retranche le cycle saisonnier avant de procéder à l'analyse statistique. Voici les trois grandes étapes de cette nouvelle méthode. D'abord, nous retirons les cycles saisonniers moyens des prédictants et des prédicteurs. Ensuite, nous concevons et validons un modèle de régression linéaire multiple sur composantes principales entre les prédictants et les prédicteurs désaisonnalisés. Enfin, nous nous servons de la régression afin d'établir des projections pour les changements à venir dans la température de surface quotidienne minimum et maximum à Shearwater en Nouvelle-Écosse. Cette projection est établie au moyen des variables locales à l'échelle du maillage de la troisième version du modèle canadien de circulation générale (MCCG3). Notre méthode de réduction d'échelle statistique se révèle très efficace pour prédire la répartition observée de la température au moyen des prédicteurs du MCG. D'après les projections, les températures minimum et maximum à Shearwater connaîtront une augmentation d'environ cinq degrés d'ici 2100 dans le scénario actuel de type « statu quo ».

Description: Prokaryote communities were investigated on the seasonally stratified Alaska Beaufort Shelf (ABS). Water and sediment directly underlying water with origin in the Arctic, Pacific or Atlantic oceans were analyzed by pyrosequencing and length heterogeneity-PCR in conjunction with physicochemical and geographic distance data to determine what features structure ABS microbiomes. Distinct bacterial communities were evident in all water masses. Alphaproteobacteria explained similarity in Arctic surface water and Pacific derived water. Deltaproteobacteria were abundant in Atlantic origin water and drove similarity among samples. Most archaeal sequences in water were related to unclassified marine Euryarchaeota. Sediment communities influenced by Pacific and Atlantic water were distinct from each other and pelagic communities. Firmicutes and Chloroflexi were abundant in sediment, although their distribution varied in Atlantic and Pacific influenced sites. Thermoprotei dominated archaea in Pacific influenced sediments and Methanomicrobia dominated in methane-containing Atlantic influenced sediments. Length heterogeneity-PCR data from this study were analyzed with data from methane-containing sediments in other regions. Pacific influenced ABS sediments clustered with Pacific sites from New Zealand and Chilean coastal margins. Atlantic influenced ABS sediments formed another distinct cluster. Density and salinity were significant structuring features on pelagic communities. Porosity co-varied with benthic community structure across sites and methane did not. This study indicates that the origin of water overlying sediments shapes benthic communities locally and globally and that hydrography exerts greater influence on microbial community structure than the availability of methane.

Description: Eighteen deep-sea ferromanganese crusts (Fe-Mn crusts) from 10 seamounts in the northeast Atlantic were studied. Samples were recovered from water depths of 1,200 to 4,600 m from seamounts near Madeira, the Canary and Azores islands, and one sample from the western Mediterranean Sea. The mineralogical and chemical compositions of the samples indicate that the crusts are typical continental margin, hydrogenetic Fe-Mn crusts. The Fe-Mn crusts exhibit a Co + Cu + Ni maximum of 0.96 wt%. Platinum-group element contents analyzed for five samples showed Pt contents from 153 to 512 ppb. The resource potential of Fe-Mn crusts within and adjacent to the Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is evaluated to be comparable to that of crusts in the central Pacific, indicating that these Atlantic deposits may be an important future resource.

Description: One of the most remarkable features of the reproductive systems of eubrachyuran crabs is the presence of specialized organs for sperm storage, the seminal receptacles. Descriptions of seminal receptacle morphology, sperm storage time, sperm retention across molts, and the capacity to store multiple ejaculates from different males can help in understanding crab mating strategies as well as in preventing negative effects of male-biased fisheries of heavily harvested species. Metacarcinus edwardsii is the most harvested crab in Chile, but its reproductive biology is largely unstudied. In this study, the morphology of the seminal receptacles of M. edwardsii is characterized from the macroscopic to the microscopic level, during key points in the reproductive cycle. The receptacles of experimentally mated and wild-caught females were included in this analysis. Metacarcinus edwardsii has ventral-type seminal receptacles that are able to retain sperm after molting, and even after extrusion of the eggs. Stratification of multiple ejaculates is clearly observed. In general, the pattern of sperm storage indicates that populations of this species, like those of other cancrid crabs, could have high resilience to the negative effects of the selective harvest of males, principally because females have a great sperm storage capacity.

Description: A new species of Triconia in the family Oncaeidae, Triconia pacifica sp. nov., and a new form variant each of Triconia giesbrechti Bottger-Schnack and Triconia elongata Bottger-Schnack are described from two sites in the Pacific. Triconia pacifica can be distinguished from its sibling Triconia dentipes (Giesbrecht) by (1) morphometric characters, including the proportional lengths of distal endopod spines of swimming leg 4, and the relative length of the outer basal seta on P5, and by (2) a number of micro-structures on the appendages. The Pacific specimens of T.elongata and T.giesbrechti resemble the typical forms in morphometric characters, with some minor differences in proportional spine lengths on the swimming legs, and differ in a few micro-structures. The hitherto unknown male of T.giesbrechti is newly described. For all species/forms described, the intraspecific variability of proportional spine lengths on the endopods of P2-P4 is examined and discussed

Description: Larval stages are considered as the weakest link when a species is exposed to challenging environmental changes1, 2. Reduced rates of growth and development in larval stages of calcifying invertebrates in response to ocean acidification might be caused by energetic limitations3. So far no information exists on how ocean acidification affects digestive processes in marine larval stages. Here we reveal alkaline (~pH 9.5) conditions in the stomach of sea urchin larvae. Larvae exposed to decreased seawater pH suffer from a drop in gastric pH, which directly translates into decreased digestive efficiencies and triggers compensatory feeding. These results suggest that larval digestion represents a critical process in the context of ocean acidification, which has been overlooked so far.

Description: The concentration of sulphate in today’s oceans—approximately 28,000 μmol l−1—is maintained by a balance between removal by pyrite burial and evaporite deposition and supply by oxidative weathering and the erosion of sulphate minerals from evaporites1. Oceanic sulphate concentrations were much lower before the rise of atmospheric oxygen about 2.4 Gyr ago2. The limited spread of δ34S values in sedimentary sulphides from 3.85 to 2.5 Gyr ago suggests that microbial sulphate reduction, if it played an important role in the Archaean marine sulphur cycle, must have occurred at sulphate concentrations of 200 μmol l−1 or less3. Here we use sulphur isotope systematics of the 2.7 Gyr old volcanogenic massive sulphide ore deposits from Kidd Creek, Ontario, to provide constraints on seawater sulphate concentrations independent of biological considerations. By comparing these values with metal and sulphur budgets from modern hydrothermal settings, we estimate that seawater sulphate concentrations 2.7 Gyr ago were roughly 80 μmol l−1. At these levels, the residence time of sulphate was on the order of 200,000 years, sufficiently long to make sulphate a conservative compound in the open ocean, but still short enough to suggest that hydrothermal sulphur fluxes were accompanied by a globally significant sink associated with microbial sulphate reduction.

Description: The Arctic continental shelf seas hold a globally significant source of freshwater that impacts Arctic Ocean stratification, circulation, and climate. This freshwater can be injected below the surface mixed layer by intense turbulent kinetic energy dissipation events, as resolved by Laptev Sea microstructure observations. The tides provide a major source of energy that can be dissipated and hence drive diapycnal mixing in the Laptev Sea. Multiyear ADCP mooring records from locations across the shelf reveal that semidiurnal tides are dominated by theM2 and S2 constituents, with the largest amplitudes on the outer shelf. Throughoutmost of the shelf, tides are clockwise polarized and sheared by stratification, as characteristic near the M2 critical latitude. Interannual variations of the tidal and shear structures on the inner shelf aremainly determined by the stratification-setting Lena River freshwater plume. In all locations,M2 tides are enhanced under sea ice, and therefore changes in the seasonal ice cover may lead to changes in tides and water column structure. The main conclusions of this study are that (i) tides play a comparatively greater role year-round on the outer shelf relative to the inner shelf; (ii) a sea ice reduction will overall decrease the predictability of the currents, especially on the inner shelf; and (iii) the freshwater distribution directly impacts diapycnal mixing by setting the vertical tidal structure. These combined effects imply that future sea ice loss will increase the variability and vertical mixing of freshwater, particularly on the inner shelf, where the Lena River first enters the Laptev Sea.

Description: Atmospheric dust and clouds modify the spectral distribution of the incident solar radiation. The influence of these spectral effects on the determination of chlorophyll-a concentration from the sea surface and remotely sensed radiation measurements made from ships, aircrafts or satellites was studied in the region off Northwest Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. The chlorophyll-a algorithms that are typically used in ocean colour community are based on ratios of reflectance values of different wavelengths. This fact, together with the wavelength dependent effect of atmospheric dust and clouds, causes uncertainties in the estimation of chlorophyll-a concentration. The most frequently used Morel, OC4v4 and OC3M chlorophyll-a algorithms were included in the investigation. The highest and the smallest uncertainties were found for the Morel and the OC3M algorithms, respectively. For the first time, sky conditions with dust and clouds together in the atmosphere were studied. Overestimations of the chlorophyll-a concentration of up to 8.8% were observed in the case of dusty skies without clouds. The concentration was also overestimated between 7.6% and 14.3% for skies with mixtures of dust and clouds increasing the solar irradiance. Underestimations of up to 24.1% and overestimations of up to 12.2% were found for skies with mixtures of dust and clouds decreasing the solar irradiance. Compensations of the influences of spectral effects were observed at special ratios of clouds to dust. Earlier results in relation to the impact of clouds on the estimation of chlorophyll-a concentration were verified. The spectral effects of cloudy skies cannot be neglected because it may result in an error of up to 40% of the estimated value.

Description: The Canary Island Seamount Province forms a scattered hotspot track on the Atlantic ocean floor ,1300 km long and,350 km wide, perpendicular to lithospheric fractures, and parallel to theNWAfrican continental margin. New 40Ar/39Ar datings show that seamount ages vary from 133 Ma to 0.2 Ma in the central archipelago, and from 142 Ma to 91 Ma in the southwest. Combining 40Ar/39Ar ages with plate tectonic reconstructions, I find that the temporal and spatial distribution of seamounts is irreconcilable with a deep fixed mantle plume origin, or derivation from passive mantle upwelling beneath a mid-ocean ridge. I conclude that shallow mantle upwelling beneath the Atlantic Ocean basin off the NW African continental lithosphere flanks produced recurrent melting anomalies and seamounts from the Late Jurassic to Recent, nominating the Canary Island Seamount Province as oldest hotspot track in the Atlantic Ocean, and most long-lived preserved on earth.