Changes In Biological Productivity Research Articles

Role of Atlantification in Enhanced Primary Productivity in the Barents Sea

AbstractRecent changes in the Arctic sea‐ice are strongly influenced by the recent increase in heat transport from vigorous Atlantic inflows, so‐called Atlantification. This Atlantification can induce physical and ecological changes near the Atlantic gateway. Here, we used the observational data sets and 26 Earth system models to estimate Atlantic water intrusion, and firstly suggest the impact of Atlantification on marine productivity in the Barents Sea in a warming climate, especially on boreal spring. In a warming climate, the heat transport across the Barents Sea Opening (BSO) is projected to be enhanced (45.5 ± 34.9 TW) by the end of the 21st century compared to the present climate. This poleward intrusion of the Atlantic water is likely to increase productivity with the largest increase in spring (70%). In a warming climate, the productivity is enhanced by Atlantification‐induced changes in physical states—ocean temperature, circulations, stratification, and sea‐ice. Based on inter‐model analyses, we estimated that the Atlantification can explain approximately 26% of the productivity changes in the Barents Sea. Thus, Atlantification is critical for future changes in biological productivity and physical states over the Arctic Ocean.

Anthropogenic acidification of surface waters drives decreased biogenic calcification in the Mediterranean Sea

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions directly or indirectly drive ocean acidification, warming and enhanced stratification. The combined effects of these processes on marine planktic calcifiers at decadal to centennial timescales are poorly understood. Here, we analyze size normalized planktic foraminiferal shell weight, shell geochemistry, and supporting proxies from 3 sediment cores in the Mediterranean Sea spanning several centuries. Our results allow us to investigate the response of surface-dwelling planktic foraminifera to increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide. We find that increased anthropogenic carbon dioxide levels led to basin wide reductions in size normalized weights by modulating foraminiferal calcification. Carbon (δ13C) and boron (δ11B) isotopic compositions also indicate the increasing influence of fossil fuel derived carbon dioxide and decreasing pH, respectively. Alkenone concentrations and test accumulation rates indicate that warming and changes in biological productivity are insufficient to offset acidification effects. We suggest that further increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide will drive ongoing reductions in marine biogenic calcification in the Mediterranean Sea.

ONSHORE-OFFSHORE TRENDS IN THE TEMPORAL RESOLUTION OF MOLLUSCAN DEATH ASSEMBLAGES: HOW AGE-FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTIONS REVEAL QUATERNARY SEA-LEVEL HISTORY

Abstract Surficial shell accumulations from shallow marine settings are typically averaged over centennial-to-millennial time scales and dominated by specimens that died in the most recent centuries, resulting in strongly right-skewed age-frequency distributions (AFDs). However, AFDs from modern offshore settings (outer shelf and uppermost continental slope) still need to be explored. Using individually dated shells (14C-calibrated amino acid racemization), we compared AFDs along an onshore-offshore gradient across the southern Brazilian shelf, with sites ranging from the inner shelf, shallow-water (< 40 m) to offshore, deep-water (> 100 m) settings. The duration of time averaging is slightly higher in deeper water environments, and the AFD shapes change along the depositional profile. The inner shelf AFDs are strongly right-skewed due to the dominance of shells from the most recent millennia (median age range: 0–3 ka). In contrast, on the outer shelf and the uppermost continental slope, AFDs are symmetrical to left-skewed and dominated by specimens that died following the Last Glacial Maximum (median age range: 15–18 ka). The onshore-offshore changes in the observed properties of AFDs—increased median age and decreased skewness, but only slightly increased temporal mixing—likely reflect changes in sea level and concurrent water depth-related changes in biological productivity. These results suggest that on a passive continental margin subject to post-glacial sea-level changes, the magnitude of time-averaging of shell assemblages is less variable along the depositional profile than shell assemblage ages and the shapes of AFDs.

The Fate of Oxygen in the Ocean and Its Sensitivity to Local Changes in Biological Production

AbstractWe investigate the sensitivity of the oxygen content and true oxygen utilization of key low‐oxygen regions Ω to pointwise changes in biological production. To understand how the combined water and biogenic particle transport controls the sensitivity patterns and the fate of oxygen in the ocean, we develop new relationships that link the steady‐state oxygen content and deficit of Ω to the downstream and upstream oxygen utilization rate (OUR), respectively. We find that the amount of oxygen from Ω that will be lost per unit volume at point r is linked to OUR(r) through the mean oxygen age accumulated in Ω. The geographic sensitivity pattern of the Ω‐integrated oxygen deficit is shaped by where the utilization occurs that causes this deficit. The contribution to the oxygen deficit of Ω from utilization at r is controlled by the mean time that water at r spends in Ω before next ventilation at the surface. We illustrate these relationships and the new transport timescales using a simple steady‐state data‐constrained carbon and oxygen model. We focus on Ω being the global ocean, the Pacific Hypoxic Zone (PHZ, [O2] < 62.5 µM), and the North Pacific oxygen minimum zone. The oxygen deficit of the PHZ is most sensitive where mode and intermediate waters form and where increased organic‐matter production directly increases the PHZ's oxygen demand. The fraction of the local oxygen concentration that will be utilized in respiration is as high as 90% in the PHZ and up to 70% in the water column beneath it.

History of Anvers-Hugo Trough, western Antarctic Peninsula shelf, since the Last Glacial Maximum. Part II: Palaeo-productivity and palaeoceanographic changes during the Last Glacial Transition

Following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ca. 23-19 calibrated [cal.] kyr before present [BP]), atmospheric and oceanic warming, together with global sea-level rise, drove widespread deglaciation of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, increasing the flux of freshwater to the ocean and leading to substantial changes in marine biological productivity. On the Antarctic continental shelf, periods of elevated biological productivity, often preserved in the sediment record as laminated (and sometimes varved) diatomaceous oozes (LDO), have been reported from several locations and are typically associated with the formation of calving bay re-entrants during ice sheet retreat. Understanding what drives the formation and deposition of LDOs, and the impact of deglacial processes on biogenic productivity more generally, can help inform how Antarctic coastal environments will respond to current and future ice sheet melting. In this study we utilise a suite of sediment cores recovered from Anvers-Hugo Trough (AHT), western Antarctic Peninsula shelf, which documents the transition from subglacial to glacimarine conditions following retreat of an expanded ice stream after the LGM. We present quantitative absolute diatom abundance (ADA) and species assemblage data, to investigate changes in biological productivity during the Last Glacial Transition (19-11 cal kyr BP). In combination with radiocarbon dating, we show that seasonally open marine conditions were established on the mid-shelf by 13.6 cal kyr BP, but LDOs did not start to accumulate until ∼11.5 cal kyr BP. The ∼1.4 kyr delay between the onset of seasonally open marine conditions and LDO deposition indicates that physiographic changes, and specifically the establishment of a calving bay in AHT, is insufficient to explain LDO deposition alone. LDO deposition in AHT coincides with the early Holocene climatic optimum (∼11.5 – 9.0 kyr) and is therefore explained in terms of increased atmospheric/ocean temperatures, high rates of sea and glacial ice melt and the formation of a well-stratified water column in the austral spring. An implication of our study is that extensive bathymetric mapping in conjunction with detailed core analyses is required to reliably infer environmental controls on LDO deposition.

Examining the effects of chemical cleaning, leaching, and partial dissolution on zinc and cadmium isotope fractionation in marine carbonates

The application of zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) isotopes as palaeo-proxies in carbonate sediment is rapidly expanding due to their potential for tracing changes in biological productivity in the modern and past oceans. However, there are limited investigations into the chemical cleaning methods required to produce the most consistent and accurate data for these novel isotope systems. This could impact their use as palaeo-proxies to reconstruct ocean-atmosphere-climate interactions throughout Earth's history.To address this concern and expand the utility of the Zn and Cd stable isotope systems as palaeo-productivity tracers, the performance of two standard chemical cleaning protocols for acquiring robust and reliable Zn and Cd isotope datasets were assessed. These include (i) the Cd-cleaning method that uses a reductive step to selectively leach contaminating secondary iron (Fe)‑manganese (Mn) (oxyhydr)oxide coatings from the carbonate surface, and an oxidative step that is used to remove post-depositional organic matter and sulphide precipitates; and (ii) the magnesium/calcium cleaning protocol that includes an oxidative step only, leaving secondary FeMn (oxyhydr)oxide coatings largely intact. Well-preserved Holocene-, and Mesozoic-aged carbonate sediments were used to test the reliability of these two chemical cleaning methods. The Holocene samples comprised not only aliquots of bulk sediment, but also individual species of planktic and benthic foraminifera.Our results show that the best practice chemical cleaning method for retrieving consistent and accurate Zn and Cd isotope, and Zn/Ca and Cd/Ca datasets for carbonate sediments, requires both reductive and oxidative cleaning following the Cd-cleaning method. This differs from most methodological approaches applied to date that remove the reductive step from the chemical cleaning protocol and apply an oxidative step only, or no chemical cleaning at all. Inclusion of the reductive step in the chemical cleaning method typically shifts δ66Zn by ~0.1‰ lower and δ114Cd by 0.3‰ higher in the solid phase, while Zn/Ca and Cd/Ca typically decrease 2-fold. The benthic foraminifera, C. wuellerstorfi, that live in ocean bottom waters where the seawater Zn and Cd isotope composition is homogeneous display evidence of Zn and Cd isotope fractionation between seawater and carbonate on the order of 0.08 ± 0.08‰ (2SE, n = 4) and − 0.25 ± 0.13‰ (2SE, n = 4), respectively, in agreement with experimental constraints. Furthermore, evidence of Zn isotope fractionation effects are recorded in a naturally-dissolved carbonate sediment, together with laboratory-controlled carbonate dissolution experiments. Based on these results, we recommend the Cd-cleaning method and the application of Zn and Cd isotope fractionation factors to accurately reconstruct past seawater Zn and Cd isotope compositions from carbonate sediments.

Reversible scavenging and advection – Resolving the neodymium paradox in the South Atlantic

Significant gaps in our understanding of the oceanic cycling of neodymium (Nd) and the other rare earth elements (REEs) remain despite decades of research. One important observation which has not been adequately explained is that the concentration of dissolved Nd typically increases with depth, similar to nutrient profiles, while Nd isotopes appear to reflect conservative water mass mixing in the intermediate and deep ocean; this has been termed the “Nd paradox”. Here we present a detailed study of the dissolved Nd isotopic composition across a section at 40°S in the South Atlantic, collected by UK GEOTRACES cruise (section GA10). The South Atlantic represents a natural laboratory for our understanding of spatial controls on ocean geochemistry, because of the large variability of inputs, spatial differences in particulate cycling, and horizontal advection and mixing at depth between major northern- and southern-sourced water masses. This variability has also made the South Atlantic a critical region subject to intense investigations that aim at reconstructing past changes in ocean processes, such as changes in biological productivity and deep ocean circulation.Our Nd isotope results from the GA10 section provide observational data show the signal of water mass mixing and reversible scavenging. In the surface ocean (0–600 m), Nd isotopic compositions are distinct between different surface ocean currents and spatially can be tied to various continental sources. In the intermediate ocean (600–2500 m), the vertical Nd isotope distribution exhibits distinct signals of different water masses by horizontal advection, including upper North Atlantic Deep Water and Antarctic Intermediate Water formed in the Atlantic Ocean or the Indian Ocean. The Nd isotope distribution also reflects influence of reversible scavenging that smears the signals downwards in the water column (i.e., offset to more radiogenic values). In the deep ocean below 2500 m, Nd isotope distribution largely follows conservative water mass mixing model. Nd concentration in the deep ocean, however, deviates from conservative mixing and increases constantly with depth. We also observe that Nd isotopes appear to be shifted towards the composition of overlying water masses. These observations suggest that reversible scavenging of Nd onto organic and other types of particles is a major vertical process throughout the water column. We also suggest that this process can resolve the “Nd paradox” of decoupling of Nd concentration and isotopic composition due to mixing dynamics. Because abyssal water masses already have a high Nd concentration, a given amount of Nd added from the vertical process has less of an effect on Nd isotopic compositions in deep water masses than it does for intermediate water masses which have comparatively low Nd concentration.

Southwest monsoon-driven changes in the phytoplankton community structure in the central Arabian Sea (2017–2018): After two decades of JGOFS

The Arabian Sea, a land-locked low latitude high productive oceanic province, is characterized by strong seasonality due to the reversal of monsoon winds. “Open ocean upwelling” occurs during the southwest monsoon (SWM) in the northern part of the Findlater Jet, (a low-level atmospheric jet that forms in the Arabian Sea), and consequently, the southern part experiences downwelling. Moreover, the hydrography of this region can be further modulated by coupled ocean-atmospheric events such as ENSO and IOD which eventually lead to changes in biological production. After two decades of joint global ocean flux studies (JGOFS), this is the first report on the phytoplankton community from the central Arabian Sea during the SWM. We tried to interlink the north-south gradient in hydrography as well as the physicochemical features with the phytoplankton community structure (within 60 m) along 64° E (11–21° N) during two consecutive SWM cruises (August 2017 and 2018). The variability in surface wind forcing directly influenced the nutrient stoichiometry and phytoplankton dynamics, through the changes in open ocean upwelling and mixing. Significant spatial and inter-annual variability in phytoplankton abundance, diversity, ratios of diatom: dinoflagellate and centric: pennate diatoms were noticed and were closely coupled with the nutrient availability (bottom-up control). Relatively low phytoplankton cell density in 2017 was coupled with high zooplankton biomass (top-down control). During 2018, higher dissolved silicate (DSi) supply due to stronger open-ocean upwelling along with the advection of upwelled water from the Somali coast likely promoted larger diatoms capable of escaping grazing and have led to higher export production. The large centric diatoms occupied the upwelled regions (21–20° N) (e. g. Rhizosolenia imbricata, R. hebetata and Coscinodiscus radiatus) whereas, small pennate diatoms (Pseudo-nitzschia spp., Navicula spp. Nitzschia spp.) and dinoflagellates (Gymnodinium spp.) were pronounced in the south (11–15° N). And while comparing the trends with the JGOFS reports, no considerable community shift was noticed. However, in the context of ongoing climate change, the rapid warming of the Arabian Sea may potentially influence the hydrography and biogeochemistry of this region and thus may impact phytoplankton community structure, trophic transfer, and organic carbon export flux.

Geochemical analyses of recent sediments from Lake Morzycko against selected physiographic parameters of the Słubia River catchment (Western Poland)

This paper presents the results of a study on the content of lithogeochemical components (organic matter, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn) and grain-size composition of mineral matter in the bottom sediments of Morzycko Lake (Myślibórz Lakeland, NW Poland). This lake is large (342.7 ha) and deep (69 m). The catchment has a typical forested character (mainly in the middle part of the Słubia River valley) with agricultural area (mainly in the upland areas north of the lake). The diversity of concentrations of metals was analysed based on 44 samples from 22 representative sites, including surface sediments and sediments from 5 cm below the current lake bed. The results showed that the chemical composition and granulometry of bottom sediments depends on contemporary morphogenetic processes in the catchment of the Słubia River. Geochemical and grain-size indices varied due to changes in biological productivity, intensity of weathering of postglacial material making up the catchment, and potential for migration of metals to the lake with surface or underground runoff. An important aspect in assessing the degree of enrichment of the sediments in trace elements is the location of shallow parts of the lake near the tourist districts of Moryń.

Cyclone Ockhi Induced Upwelling and Associated Changes in Biological Productivity in Arabian Sea

In this study, the effect of severe tropical cyclone Ockhi on the physical and biological changes in ocean properties has been investigated. Winds from SCATSAT-1 was used for estimating the cyclone induced Ekman pumping. The role of ocean stratification, cyclonic wind stress, eddies and cyclone translation speed on the post cyclone oceanic response has been investigated. 8-day composite data of winds, sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll and sea level anomaly (SLA) have been analyzed for pre-cyclone, during cyclone and after cyclone period to understand the effect of wind forcing on the ocean variables. It was observed that there was a significant phytoplankton bloom like concentration along with 2-3 °C drop in SST after the passage of Ockhi. Thermocline displacements of up to 56 m were observed along the cyclone track. SLA data analyzed for the period shows formation of a cyclonic cold core eddy and weakening of anticyclonic warm core eddies. The entire cyclone track was divided into 12 track points based on the 12 hourly position and the change in SST and chlorophyll analyzed. The maximum change in chlorophyll and SST was observed where the cyclone was slowest and mixed layer shallow.

Deep‐Sea Oxygen Depletion and Ocean Carbon Sequestration During the Last Ice Age

AbstractEnhanced ocean carbon storage during the Pleistocene ice ages lowered atmospheric CO2 concentrations by 80 to 100 ppm relative to interglacial levels. Leading hypotheses to explain this phenomenon invoke a greater efficiency of the ocean's biological pump, in which case carbon storage in the deep sea would have been accompanied by a corresponding reduction in dissolved oxygen. We exploit the sensitivity of organic matter preservation in marine sediments to bottom water oxygen concentration to constrain the level of dissolved oxygen in the deep central equatorial Pacific Ocean during the last glacial period (18,000–28,000 years BP) to have been within the range of 20–50 μmol/kg, much less than the modern value of ~168 μmol/kg. We further demonstrate that reduced oxygen levels characterized the water column below a depth of ~1,000 m. Converting the ice age oxygen level to an equivalent concentration of respiratory CO2, and extrapolating globally, we estimate that deep‐sea CO2 storage during the last ice age exceeded modern values by as much as 850 Pg C, sufficient to balance the loss of carbon from the atmosphere (~200 Pg C) and from the terrestrial biosphere (~300–600 Pg C). In addition, recognizing the enhanced preservation of organic matter in ice age sediments of the deep Pacific Ocean helps reconcile previously unexplained inconsistencies among different geochemical and micropaleontological proxy records used to assess past changes in biological productivity of the ocean.

Changes in biological productivity and ocean-climatic fluctuations during the last ~ 1.5 kyr in the Humboldt ecosystem off northern Chile (27°S): A multiproxy approach

A sedimentary box core (BIAC072014) collected in a coastal environment in the Humboldt Current Ecosystem (HCE, Inglesa Bay, ~27°S, northern Chile) was used to reconstruct the changes in biological productivity and ocean-climate fluctuations during the last ~1.5kyr via geochemical, mineralogical and micropaleontological analyses. From ~510CE to ~930CE, “El Niño-like” conditions prevailed, while during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA, ~950CE to ~1450CE), “La Niña-like” conditions predominated. This pattern might have resulted from weakening/strengthening of the Walker cell, contraction/expansion of the South Pacific Sub-tropical High (SPSH) and a predominance of warm/cold phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Between ~1820CE and the present, Inglesa Bay experienced a reduction in the Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) intensity and biological productivity, an increase in the detritic input and a decrease in sea surface temperature (SST). Despite the regional intensification and secular cooling (~14°S and ~27°S) of coastal upwelling, the similarity between the reduction in biological productivity and OMZ intensity in this region and that in the central zone of Chile (~36°S) suggests that Inglesa Bay acts a transition zone in relation to the oceanographic behaviour of the HCE. The reduction in the OMZ intensity and biological productivity during the last ~200years could be explained by greater subsurface ventilation in intermediate depths due to more northward displacement of the subduction region of the Eastern South Pacific Intermediate Water (ESPIW) near ~30°S in response to the strengthening of the circulation of the Subtropical Gyre. The coastal cooling observed in the northern section of HCE during the current Warm Period suggests that it is not possible to demonstrate that El Niño-like conditions promoted the reduction in biological productivity and OMZ intensity in Inglesa Bay.

Changes in biological productivity associated with Ningaloo Niño/Niña events in the southern subtropical Indian Oceanin recent decades.

Using observations and long term simulations of an ocean-biogeochemical coupled model, we investigate the biological response in the southern subtropical Indian Ocean (SIO) associated with Ningaloo Niño and Niña events. Ningaloo events have large impact on sea surface temperature (SST) with positive SST anomalies (SSTA) seen off the west coast of Australia in southern SIO during Ningaloo Niño and negative anomalies during Niña events. Our results indicate that during the developing period of Ningaloo Niño, low chlorophyll anomaly appears near the southwest Australian coast concurrently with high SSTA and vice-versa during Niña, which alter the seasonal cycle of biological productivity. The difference in the spatiotemporal response of chlorophyll is due to the southward advection of Leeuwin current during these events. Increased frequency of Ningaloo Niño events associated with cold phase of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) resulted in anomalous decrease in productivity during Austral summer in the SIO in the recent decades.

Postglacial sediment deposition along a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic margin: New constraints from the drowned shelf-edge reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

A seismic stratigraphy analysis was conducted at two sites, Hydrographers and Noggin passages, separated by about 540km on the shelf-edge of the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia. We used recently available seismic and bathymetry data and a new synthesis of downhole logs and lithological, petrophysical and radiometric data from cores recovered by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 325 (Great Barrier Reef Environmental Changes). We compared the stratigraphy of both sites, identifying a full depositional sequence with deposits from at least 28ka BP to ~7ka BP, bounded by two marine flooding surfaces. Within this sequence, each systems tract is represented by unique depositional features characteristic of the shelf-edge systems. Despite the broad environmental and geomorphic similarities between the two sites, differences in postglacial reef development were remarkable. These contrasts can be explained as a result of: (1) local antecedent substrate variations and (2) the interplay of shelf physiography with Late Quaternary sea level fluctuations, which favoured changes in biological production and sediment flux as the palaeo-shoreline evolved from linear to complex during intermediate sea levels. During these intermediate sea levels, the northern estuarine coast and its steep substrate at shelf-edge locations contrasted strongly with the protected palaeo-lagoons and the extensive, gentle marginal terraces found at the southern central GBR. This setting enhanced the regional differences in sediment transport and reef development through the last transgression. The conceptual model presented here provides a broader depositional framework and improves the understanding of the main processes controlling the spatial and temporal depositional patterns on the shelf-edge of mixed siliciclastic-carbonate margins.

Changes in biological productivity along the northwest African margin over the past 20,000 years

The intertropical convergence zone and the African monsoon system are highly sensitive to climate forcing at orbital and millennial timescales. Both systems influence the strength and direction of the trade winds along northwest Africa and thus directly impact coastal upwelling. Sediment cores from the northwest African margin record upwelling-related changes in biological productivity connected to changes in regional and hemispheric climate. We present records of 230Th-normalized biogenic opal and Corg fluxes using a meridional transect of four cores from 19°N–31°N along the northwest African margin to examine changes in paleoproductivity since the last glacial maximum. We find large changes in biogenic fluxes synchronous with changes in eolian fluxes calculated using end-member modeling, suggesting that paleoproductivity and dust fluxes were strongly coupled, likely linked by changes in wind strength. Opal and Corg fluxes increase at all sites during Heinrich Stadial 1 and the Younger Dryas, consistent with an overall intensification of the trade winds, and changes in the meridional flux gradient indicate a southward wind shift at these times. Biogenic fluxes were lowest, and the meridional flux gradients were weakest during the African Humid Period when the monsoon was invigorated due to precessional changes, with greater rainfall and weaker trade winds over northwest Africa. These results expand the spatial coverage of previous paleoproxy studies showing similar changes, and they provide support for modeling studies showing changes in wind strength and direction consistent with increased upwelling during abrupt coolings and decreased upwelling during the African Humid Period.

Quantifying the biological impact of surface ocean light attenuation by colored detrital matter in an ESM using a new optical parameterization

Abstract. Light attenuation by colored detrital material (CDM) was included in a fully coupled Earth system model (ESM). This study presents a modified parameterization for shortwave attenuation, which is an empirical relationship between 244 concurrent measurements of the diffuse attenuation coefficient for downwelling irradiance, chlorophyll concentration and light absorption by CDM. Two ESM model runs using this parameterization were conducted, with and without light absorption by CDM. The light absorption coefficient for CDM was prescribed as the average of annual composite MODIS Aqua satellite data from 2002 to 2013. Comparing results from the two model runs shows that changes in light limitation associated with the inclusion of CDM decoupled trends between surface biomass and nutrients. Increases in surface biomass were expected to accompany greater nutrient uptake and therefore diminish surface nutrients. Instead, surface chlorophyll, biomass and nutrients increased together. These changes can be attributed to the different impact of light limitation on surface productivity versus total productivity. Chlorophyll and biomass increased near the surface but decreased at greater depths when CDM was included. The net effect over the euphotic zone was less total biomass leading to higher nutrient concentrations. Similar results were found in a regional analysis of the oceans by biome, investigating the spatial variability of response to changes in light limitation using a single parameterization for the surface ocean. In coastal regions, surface chlorophyll increased by 35 % while total integrated phytoplankton biomass diminished by 18 %. The largest relative increases in modeled surface chlorophyll and biomass in the open ocean were found in the equatorial biomes, while the largest decreases in depth-integrated biomass and chlorophyll were found in the subpolar and polar biomes. This mismatch of surface and subsurface trends and their regional dependence was analyzed by comparing the competing factors of diminished light availability and increased nutrient availability on phytoplankton growth in the upper 200 m. Understanding changes in biological productivity requires both surface and depth-resolved information. Surface trends may be minimal or of the opposite sign than depth-integrated amounts, depending on the vertical structure of phytoplankton abundance.

Using earth observation-based dry season NDVI trends for assessment of changes in tree cover in the Sahel

The co-existence of trees and grasses is a defining feature of savannah ecosystems and landscapes. During recent decades, the combined effect of climate change and increased demographic pressure has led to complex vegetation changes in these ecosystems. A number of recent Earth observation (EO)-based studies reported positive changes in biological productivity in the Sahelian region in relation to increased precipitation, triggering an increased amount of herbaceous vegetation during the rainy season. However, this ‘greening of the Sahel’ may mask changes in the tree–grass composition, with a potential reduction in tree cover having important implications for the Sahelian population. Large-scale EO-based evaluation of changes in Sahelian tree cover is assessed by analysing long-term trends in dry season minimum normalized difference vegetation index (NDVImin) derived from three different satellite sensors: Système Pour l’Observation de la Terre (SPOT)-VEGETATION (VGT), Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) dataset. To evaluate the reliability of using NDVImin as a proxy for tree cover in the Sahel, two factors that could potentially influence dry season NDVImin estimates were analysed: the total biomass accumulated during the preceding growing season and the percentage of burned area observed during the dry season. Time series of dry season NDVImin derived from low-resolution satellite time series were found to be uncorrelated to dry grass residues from the preceding growing season and to seasonal fire frequency and timing over most of the Sahel (88%), suggesting that NDVImin can serve as a proxy for assessing changes in tree cover. Good agreement (R2 = 0.79) between significant NDVImin trends (p < 0.05) derived from VGT and MODIS was found. Significant positive trends in NDVImin were registered by both MODIS and VGT dry season NDVImin time series over the Western Sahel, whereas trends based on GIMMS data were negative for the greater part of the Sahel. EO-based trends were generally not confirmed at the local scale based on selected study cases, partly caused by a temporal mismatch between data sets (i.e. different periods of analysis). Analysis of desert area NDVImin trends indicates less stable values for VGT and GIMMS data as compared with MODIS. This suggests that trends in dry season NDVImin derived from VGT and GIMMS should be used with caution as an indicator for changes in tree cover, whereas the MODIS data stream shows a better potential for tree-cover change analysis in the Sahel.

Eolian dust input to the Subarctic North Pacific

Eolian dust is a significant source of iron and other nutrients that are essential for the health of marine ecosystems and potentially a controlling factor of the high nutrient-low chlorophyll status of the Subarctic North Pacific. We map the spatial distribution of dust input using three different geochemical tracers of eolian dust, 4He, 232Th and rare earth elements, in combination with grain size distribution data, from a set of core-top sediments covering the entire Subarctic North Pacific. Using the suite of geochemical proxies to fingerprint different lithogenic components, we deconvolve eolian dust input from other lithogenic inputs such as volcanic ash, ice-rafted debris, riverine and hemipelagic input. While the open ocean sites far away from the volcanic arcs are dominantly composed of pure eolian dust, lithogenic components other than eolian dust play a more crucial role along the arcs. In sites dominated by dust, eolian dust input appears to be characterized by a nearly uniform grain size mode at ∼4 μm.Applying the 230Th-normalization technique, our proxies yield a consistent pattern of uniform dust fluxes of 1–2 g/m2/yr across the Subarctic North Pacific. Elevated eolian dust fluxes of 2–4 g/m2/yr characterize the westernmost region off Japan and the southern Kurile Islands south of 45° N and west of 165° E along the main pathway of the westerly winds. The core-top based dust flux reconstruction is consistent with recent estimates based on dissolved thorium isotope concentrations in seawater from the Subarctic North Pacific. The dust flux pattern compares well with state-of-the-art dust model predictions in the western and central Subarctic North Pacific, but we find that dust fluxes are higher than modeled fluxes by 0.5–1 g/m2/yr in the northwest, northeast and eastern Subarctic North Pacific. Our results provide an important benchmark for biogeochemical models and a robust approach for downcore studies testing dust-induced iron fertilization of past changes in biological productivity in the Subarctic North Pacific.

Early and Middle Eocene radiolarian assemblages in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean (IODP Leg 320 Site U1331): Faunal changes and implications for paleoceanography

Abstract Quantitative faunal analyses of radiolarians were used to reconstruct paleoceanographic conditions spanning the interval from Zones RP8 (Early Eocene) to RP16 (Middle Eocene) in pelagic sequences recovered at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1331 in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. On the basis of relative abundance data from the low to high latitudes reported in the previous literature, paleoceanographic indices were identified: (1) species indicative of warmer conditions include Stylosphaera coronata coronata , Phormocyrtis embolum , Dendrospyris didiceros , Phormocyrtis cf. proxima , and Thyrsocyrtis triacantha ; (2) species indicative of cooler conditions include: the Lophocyrtis aspera group, the Lithocyclia ocellus group, Hexacontium sp. A, Hexacontium sp. B, Thecosphaerella glebulenta , and Lithelius sp. A. Two warming and at least six cooling events in the Early to Middle Eocene were identified from radiolarian assemblage variations. The paleoclimatic trends can be summarized as follows: warming in C23n.2n to C21r (~ 51.5–49.0 Ma), and C18n (40.2–39.0 Ma); cooling in C21r (48.5–47.8 Ma), lower C20r (46.2–45.2 Ma), top C20r to C20n (44.0–43.0 Ma), top C20n to C19r (43.0–41.7 Ma), C19n to C18r (41.7–40.2 Ma), and C18n.1n (39.0–38.5 Ma). These cooling events corresponded to the ELi and BLi events, which were identified in benthic foraminiferal δ 18 O of the Southern Ocean. In general, radiolarian and opal mass accumulation rates (MARs) in the eastern equatorial Pacific had higher values in cooling conditions during the Middle Eocene. The changes in biological productivity in the eastern equatorial Pacific were associated with cooling of tropical surface water. The change in relative abundance of radiolarians and CaCO 3 content at Site U1331 indicated that Middle Eocene carbonate events (carbonate accumulation events [CAEs]; Lyle et al., 2005) coincided with the cooling events of tropical surface water. At least CAE-2 and CAE-3 were associated with high biological productivity as well as cooling.

Termination of a continent-margin upwelling system at the Permian–Triassic boundary (Opal Creek, Alberta, Canada)

Models of mass extinctions caused by greenhouse warming depend on the ability of warming to affect the oxygenation of the ocean, either through slowing circulation or changes in biological productivity and the organic carbon budget. Opal Creek, Alberta, Canada is a biostratigraphically continuous Permian–Triassic Boundary (PTB) section deposited in deep water on an outer shelf setting in the vast and understudied Panthalassic Ocean, along the western margin of Pangaea. The latest-Permian extinction is here represented as the disappearance of the previously dominant benthic fauna (siliceous sponges). On the basis of nitrogen and reduced sulfur isotopes as well as productivity-sensitive trace elements, the Middle Permian at Opal Creek is interpreted as a highly productive coastal upwelling zone where vigorous denitrification and sulfate reduction occurred in a mid-water oxygen minimum. Similar conditions appear to have continued into the latest Permian until the onset of a euxinic episode represented by a discrete pyrite bed and several trace element indicators of high productivity. This euxinic pulse is followed by the extinction of benthic fauna and a shift in nitrogen and sulfur isotopes to more normal marine values, suggesting the cessation of coastal upwelling and the consequent weakening of the mid-water oxygen minimum. The Lower Triassic appears to be a dysoxic, relatively unproductive environment with a bottom water oxygen minimum. Rhenium–osmium isotope systematics show a minimum of radiogenic Os near the main extinction event, which may be due to volcanic input, and increasingly radiogenic values approaching the PTB, possibly due to increased continental erosion. The Opal Creek system demonstrates that, while the biogeochemical crisis in the latest Permian was capable of impacting the coastal upwelling modality of ocean circulation, a transient increase in productivity likely drove the system toward euxinia and, ultimately, extinction.