ALBERT

Description: The granule floatation is a serious issue of the anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) process when high loading rates are applied that results in instability or even system collapse. The present study reports the granule floatation in an anammox reactor when high loading rates were applied. The comparison of enlarged photos taken for the settling and floating granules showed that the two kinds of granules both contained macroscopic gas pockets accounting for 11 +/- 14% of total volume. The settling granules had gas tunnels that could release the gas bubbles, while the floating granules did not. The presence of gas bubbles enclosed in the gas pockets led to the small density of 979.2 +/- 15.8 mg L(-1) and flotation of anammox granules. Consequently, the flotation caused washout of anammox granules and the deterioration of anammox process (volumetric removal rate decreased from 4.00 to 2.46 kg N m(-3) d(-1)). The collection of floating granules, breaking them into small pieces and then returning to the anammox reactor proved an effective control strategy. The volumetric removal rate was finally up to 16.5 kg N m(-3) d(-1) after the control strategy was put into use.

Description: The spatial variability in the mix of species making up Cold-water coral reef communities is not well known. In this study abundances of a selection of megafauna (Lophelia pertusa, Madrepora oculata, Paragorgia arborea, Primnoa resedaeformis, Mycale lingua, Geodia baretti, Acesta excavata and fish) were quantified throughout 9 manned submersible video transects from 3 reef complexes (Røst Reef, Sotbakken Reef and Traena Reef) on the Norwegian margin. Substrate type (coral structure, rubble, exposed hardground or soft sediment) was also recorded. Variations in the densities of these fauna (with respect to both reef complex and substrate type) were investigated, with spatial covariance between species assessed. For the majority of fauna investigated, densities varied by both reef and substrate. Spatial covariance indicated that some species may be utilising similar habitat niches, but that minor environmental differences may favour colonisation by one or other at a particular reef. Fish densities were generally higher in regions with biogenic substrate (coral structure and coral rubble substrates) than in areas of soft or hardground substrate. Further, fish were more abundant at the northerly Sotbakken Reef at time of study than elsewhere. Community structure varied by reef, and therefore management plans aimed at maintaining the biodiversity of reef ecosystems on the Norwegian margin should take this lack of homogeneity into account.

Description: The Cap de Creus continental shelf and Cap de Creus canyon are located in the southern most sector of the Gulf of Lions, in the northwestern Mediterranean. The Cap de Creus continental shelf contains sandy and muddy sediments and an abrupt morpho­ logy, with rocky outcrops, relict bioherms, erosive features, and planar bedforms. The Cap de Creus canyon breaches the shelf at a depth of 110 m and denotes a marked dif­ ference in the morphology between the northern and the southern flank, reflecting a different depositional regime. The most common substrates correspond to coarse and medium sands (28%) and silty sediments (40%). The most common megabenthic assemblages of the shelf correspond to the communities of "offshore detritic" (31.95%) and "coastal terrigenous muds" (36.99%), mostly dominated by sea pens, alcyonaceans, and ceriantharians. The northern flank of the Cap de Creus canyon is predominantly depositional, whereas the southern flank is erosional. Rocky outcrops provide the sub­ stratum for cold­water coral (CWC) communities' development, in which the white coral Madrepora oculata is the most abundant species.

Description: Brackish coastal groundwater is enriched in Ra, which is transported to surface waters via submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). The Ra activity of the SGD end-member is influenced by a variety of environmental factors including salinity, pH, and isotope half-life. In the York River estuary (YRE), 223Ra, 224Ra, and 226Ra were measured in surface water and shallow groundwater across a range of salinities and additional Ra sources quantified (desorption and diffusion from sediments, input from tidal marshes). The Ra budget of the estuary indicated a major source of Ra that could only be satisfied by SGD. The apparent Ra flux was combined with groundwater Ra end-member activity to estimate SGD volume fluxes of 5–178 L m− 2 d− 1. Each isotope exhibited a different seasonal pattern, with significantly higher 224Ra flux during summer than winter, lower 226Ra SGD flux during summer than winter, and no seasonal differences in 223Ra SGD flux. However, the SGD 224Ra end-member activity varied with seasonal pore water salinity fluctuations, indicating end-member control on seasonal 224Ra flux. Each Ra isotope suggested a different SGD volume flux, indicating that different nuclide regeneration rates may respond to and reflect different flow mechanisms in the subterranean estuary. This work indicates that volume fluxes estimated using geochemical tracers are sensitive to SGD end-member variations and end-member variability must be well-characterized for reliable SGD flux estimates.

Description: Solid-solution partitioning of Ra determines the dissolved Ra composition of porewater in marine sands. Therefore, sorption controls also influence the endmember concentration of Ra in submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). Ra is widely used as a tracer of SGD, and constraining sorption controls in permeable sands is necessary to evaluate spatial and temporal variation in Ra groundwater activities. This work presents Ra distribution coefficients measured in seawater (salinity 35) for some common solid sorbents as well as different solution compositions relevant to permeable marine sands and the subterranean estuary. There was a strong correlation of Ra distribution coefficient (Kd = solid-phase Ra/solution Ra) with surface area for size-fractionated sediments (log Kd (L/g) = 0.77 [log S.A. (m2/g)] + 0.73; r2 = 0.76). Ra sorption showed no direct relationship with solid-phase Fe or Mn content of the sands, although removal of visible surficial oxide coatings with dilute acid reduced Kd by a factor of 2 to 3. Synthetic Fe-oxides showed nearly two orders of magnitude difference in Ra sorption. Ferrihydrite had the highest Ra sorption coefficient at 1535 ± 410 L kg− 1, followed by lepidocrocite (174 ± 21 L kg− 1), hematite (75 ± 17 L kg− 1), and goethite (20 ± 8 L kg− 1). A marked increase in Ra adsorption was observed with increasing pH, with the sorption edge of natural sands falling within the pH range of 5–8. The extent of Ra sorption at a given pH varied among different substrates. No effect of dissolved Fe was observed on Ra partitioning. A large increase in Ra Kd was evident with increasing Ba concentration when seawater contained sulfate, opposite the effect that would be expected for sorption competition. No effect of Ba concentration was observed when sulfate was excluded from the ASW, indicating that barite precipitation caused the Kd increase. There was no clear effect of temperature on Ra sorption between 2 and 60 °C. Results of this study show that minor solid-phase components increase the Ra sorption capacity of bulk sands and buffer the dissolved Ra concentration (i.e., the SGD endmember). Solution controls on Ra sorption have the potential to greatly alter the Ra composition of discharging groundwater. Given that high-salinity, high-pH conditions probably prevail in porewater below the sediment–water interface, the actual SGD Ra endmember may be less variable than suggested by compilations that include groundwater from deep and fresh groundwater. Highlights ► Variable Ra partitioning to size-fractionated and diverse sediments was primarily controlled by specific surface area. ► Ra displayed pH-dependent sorption to sands, with a sorption edge between pH 5 and 8. ► No effect on Ra partitioning was observed for temperature or competition by dissolved Fe and Ba.

Description: Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) into a shallow lagoon on the west coast of Mauritius Island (Flic-en-Flac) was investigated using radioactive (3H, 222Rn, 223Ra, 224Ra, 226Ra, 228Ra) and stable (2H, 18O) isotopes and nutrients. SGD intercomparison exercises were carried out to validate the various approaches used to measure SGD including radium and radon measurements, seepage rate measurements using manual and automated meters, sediment bulk conductivity and salinity surveys. SGD measurements using benthic chambers placed on the floor of the Flic-en-Flac Lagoon showed discharge rates up to 500 cm/day. Large variability in SGD was observed over distances of a few meters, which were attributed to different geomorphological features. Deployments of automated seepage meters captured the spatial and temporal variability of SGD with a mean seepage rate of 10 cm/day. The stable isotopic composition of submarine waters was characterized by significant variability and heavy isotope enrichment and was used to predict the contribution of fresh terrestrially derived groundwater to SGD (range from a few % to almost 100%). The integrated SGD flux, estimated from seepage meters placed parallel to the shoreline, was 35 m3/m day, which was in reasonable agreement with results obtained from a hydrologic water balance calculation (26 m3/m day). SGD calculated from the radon inventory method using in situ radon measurements were between 5 and 56 m3/m per day. Low concentrations of radium isotopes observed in the lagoon water reflected the low abundance of U and Th in the basalt that makes up the island. High SGD rates contribute to high nutrients loading to the lagoon, potentially leading to eutrophication. Each of the applied methods yielded unique information about the character and magnitude of SGD. The results of the intercomparison studies have resulted a better understanding of groundwater–seawater interactions in coastal regions. Such information is an important pre-requisite for the protection and management of coastal freshwater resources. Highlights ► Large fluctuations in SGD fluxes from 0 to 360 cm/day were observed. ► The integrated shoreline SGD fluxes were between 5 and 56 m3/m day. ► The groundwater contribution in SGD varied from a few % to almost 100%. ► The observed high SGD rates contributed to high nutrients loading to the lagoon.

Description: In this paper we present an in-depth analysis and synthesis of published and newly acquired data on the chemical and isotopic composition of forearc fluids, fluid fluxes, and the associated thermal regimes in well-studied, representative erosional and accretionary subduction zone (SZ) forearcs. Evidence of large-scale fluid flow, primarily focused along faults, is manifested by widespread seafloor venting, associated biological communities, extensive authigenic carbonate formation, chemical and isotopic anomalies in pore-fluid depth-profiles, and thermal anomalies. The nature of fluid venting seems to differ at the two types of SZs. At both, fluid and gas venting sites are primarily associated with faults. The décollement and coarser-grained stratigraphic horizons are the main fluid conduits at accretionary SZs, whereas at non-accreting and erosive margins, the fluids from compaction and dehydration reactions are to a great extent partitioned between the décollement and focused conduits through the prism, respectively. The measured fluid output fluxes at seeps are high, ∼15–40 times the amount that can be produced through local steady-state compaction, suggesting that in addition, other fluid sources or non-steady-state fluid flow must be involved. Recirculation of seawater must be an important component of the overall forearc output fluid flux in SZs. The most significant chemical and isotopic characteristics of the expelled fluids relative to seawater are: Cl dilution; sulfate, Ca, and Mg depletions; and enrichments in Li, B, Si, Sr, alkalinity, and hydrocarbon concentrations, often distinctive δ18O, δD, δ7Li, δ11B, and δ37Cl values, and variable Sr isotope ratios. These characteristics provide key insights on the source of the fluid and the temperature at the source. Based on the fluid chemistry, the most often reported source temperatures reported are 120–150 °C. We estimate a residence time of the global ocean in SZs of ∼100 Myr, about five times faster than the previous estimate of ∼500 Myr by Moore and Vrolijk, similar to the residence time of ∼90 Myr for fluids in the global ridge crest estimated by Elderfield and Schultz, and ∼3 times longer than the 20–36 Myr estimate by German and von Damm and Mottl. Based on this extrapolated fluid reflux to the global ocean, subduction zones are an important source and sink for several elements and isotopic ratios, in particular an important sink for seawater sulfate, Ca and Mg, and an important source of Li and B.

Description: There is mounting evidence that driving on the beach has a significant biophysical impact, and it has been suggested in a number of recent studies that driving on the beachface leads to a net loss of sediment from the beach-dune system. Identifying a conclusive link between beach driving and beach erosion is, however, complicated by the natural variability of the environment in both space and time, and it has proven difficult to distinguish the driving signal from this background noise. In this respect, the impacts of beach driving are not clear, making it difficult to develop appropriate management strategies to reduce the impact in either degree or extent. LiDAR data from both Padre Island National Seashore and Assateague Island National Seashore are used in the present study to determine if the differences in beach and dune morphology between restricted and open access sections of the beach are associated with beach driving. Results from Padre Island National Seashore suggest that beach driving does not affect the height and volume of the foredunes, but is responsible for a statistically significant decrease in the elevation of the dune crest and base compared to the control section of beach. The decrease in elevation is ascribed to the compaction and pulverization of seaweed wrack that accumulates along the Texas coast in the spring and summer months, and is responsible for the anchoring of sediment for the growth of new vegetation seaward of the foredune. At Assateague Island National Seashore, driving on the beach is shown to cause a statistically significant change in the beach-dune morphology, with smaller dunes set further back from the shoreline within the open access sections of the beach. Despite the changes in dune morphology at both sites, there is no statistically significant difference in beach-dune volume on either side of the beach access road, which suggests that driving on the beach does not lead to a net loss of sediment from the beach-dune system. Driving on the beach does, however, make the foredune at both sites susceptible to scarping and overwash during tropical storms and hurricanes.

Description: The boron isotope ratio (δ11B) of foraminifers and tropical corals has been proposed to record seawater pH. To test the veracity and practicality of this potential paleo-pH proxy in deep sea corals, samples of skeletal material from twelve archived modern Desmophyllum dianthus (D. dianthus) corals from a depth range of 274–1470 m in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Oceans, ambient pH range 7.57–8.05, were analyzed for δ11B. The δ11B values for these corals, spanning a range from 23.56 to 27.88, are found to be related to seawater borate δ11B by the linear regression: δ11Bcoral=(0.76±0.28) δ11Bborate+(14.67±4.19) (1 standard error (SE)). The D. dianthus δ11B values are greater than those measured in tropical corals, and suggest substantial physiological modification of pH in the calcifying space by a value that is an inverse function of seawater pH. This mechanism partially compensates for the range of ocean pH and aragonite saturation at which this species grows, enhancing aragonite precipitation and suggesting an adaptation mechanism to low pH environments in intermediate and deep waters. Consistent with the findings of Trotter et al. (2011) for tropical surface corals, the data suggest an inverse correlation between the magnitude of a biologically driven pH offset recorded in the coral skeleton, and the seawater pH, described by the equation: ΔpH=pH recorded by coral−seawater pH=−(0.75±0.12) pHw+(6.88±0.93) (1 SE). Error analysis based on 95% confidence interval(CI) and the standard deviation of the regression residuals suggests that the uncertainty of seawater pH reconstructed from δ11Bcoral is ±0.07 to 0.12 pH units. This study demonstrates the applicability of δ11B in D. dianthus to record ambient seawater pH and holds promise for reconstructing oceanic pH distribution and history using fossil corals.

Description: A geochemical proxy for surface ocean nutrient concentrations recorded in coral skeleton could provide new insight into the connections between sub-seasonal to centennial scale nutrient dynamics, ocean physics, and primary production in the past. Previous work showed that coralline P/Ca, a novel seawater phosphate proxy, varies synchronously with annual upwelling-driven cycles in surface water phosphate concentration. However, paired contemporaneous seawater phosphate time-series data, needed for rigorous calibration of the new proxy, were lacking. Here we present further development of the P/Ca proxy in Porites lutea and Montastrea sp. corals, showing that skeletal P/Ca in colonies from geographically distinct oceanic nutrient regimes is a linear function of seawater phosphate (PO4 SW) concentration. Further, high-resolution P/Ca records in multiple colonies of Pavona gigantea and Porites lobata corals grown at the same upwelling location in the Gulf of Panamá were strongly correlated to a contemporaneous time-series record of surface water PO4 SW at this site (r2 = 0.7–0.9). This study supports application of the following multi-colony calibration equations to down-core records from comparable upwelling sites, resulting in ±0.2 and ±0.1 μmol/kg uncertainties in PO4 SW reconstructions from P. lobata and P. gigantea, respectively. Inter-colony agreement in P/Ca response to PO4 SW was good (±5–12% about mean calibration slope), suggesting that species-specific calibration slopes can be applied to new coral P/Ca records to reconstruct past changes in surface ocean phosphate. However, offsets in the y-intercepts of calibration regressions among co-located individuals and taxa suggest that biologically-regulated “vital effects” and/or skeletal extension rate may also affect skeletal P incorporation. Quantification of the effect of skeletal extension rate on P/Ca could lead to corrected calibration equations and improved inter-colony P/Ca agreement. Nevertheless, the efficacy of the P/Ca proxy is thus supported by both broad scale correlation to mean surface water phosphate and regional calibration against documented local seawater phosphate variations.