Nepheloid Research Articles

Trophic ecology of Lampanyctus crocodilus on north-west Mediterranean Sea slopes in relation to reproductive cycle and environmental variables.

This study examined the population structure, reproductive cycle and feeding pattern of the lanternfish Lampanyctus crocodilus in the Balearic Basin (north-west Mediterranean Sea) from a depth of 450 to 1800 m and at a seasonal scale. Juveniles were mainly located at shallower depths, but also at deepest stations in autumn, while adults mostly inhabited intermediate depths with their centre of population density (CPD) located at 800-1000 m of depth. The migration of adults to deeper depths was detected in late summer to autumn, probably linked to the occurrence of nepheloid layers at c. 1200 m, which in turn enhances the biomass of the zooplankton prey. The diet was mainly based on euphausiids and mysids, with marked seasonal variations both on the upper (450-800 m) and lower (1000-1800 m), where suprabenthic gammariids and pelagic decapods were also dominant. Stomach fullness increased from winter to autumn on the US, while it had a maximum in spring on the LS, in parallel with high consumption of gelatinous zooplankton, which is probably more available after the phytoplankton bloom in late winter. Reproduction occurred in winter, confirmed by the higher percentage of mature females and high gonadosomatic indices (I(G)) at both depth ranges. Hepatosomatic indices (I(H)) showed an inverse trend to I(G) on the US, except in autumn, and was almost parallel on the LS, probably attributable to the migration of adults, which determined different temporal schemes in energy use and storage for reproduction on the US v. LS. Consistent with the different patterns observed at the two depth ranges, environmental drivers of fullness (i.e. feeding intensity) and I(G) (as a proxy of reproductive cycle) differed on the US and LS. The biomass of mysids and euphausiids was the greatest explanatory variables of fullness on the US and LS, pointing to the increasing feeding intensity when a resource was more available. I(H) also explained fullness, suggesting that greater feeding intensity in pre-reproductive periods enabled energy storage in the liver. I(G) was linked directly (i.e. mysids) or indirectly (i.e. surface primary production recorded 2 months before sampling) to food availability, implying a rapid response to vertical food inputs by deep-sea predators. Also, I(G) in L. crocodilus was related to population density, which suggests aggregations for reproduction. Estimates of L. crocodilus trophic levels, and of other accompanying mesopelagic fishes, indicated that the species feed through a continuum spanning the third trophic level, confirming the key role of mesopelagic fishes in transferring organic carbon between trophic levels. Trophic niche segregation among mesopelagic species was pronounced and non-overlapping groups could be distinguished because of the different vertical distribution and migratory behaviour. The study highlights the important role of the benthic boundary layer in sustaining benthopelagic communities in the deep Mediterranean Sea and the need to study the biology of a species throughout its whole depth range and not just at exploited depths (i.e. fishing grounds).

Distribution of intact and core tetraether lipids in water column profiles of suspended particulate matter off Cape Blanc, NW Africa

In the reconstruction of sea surface temperature (SST) from sedimentary archives, secondary sources, lateral transport and selective preservation are considered to be mainly negligible in terms of influencing the primary signal. This is also true for the archaeal glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) that form the basis for the TEX86 SST proxy. Our samples represent four years variability on a transect off Cape Blanc (NW Africa). We studied the subsurface production, vertical and lateral transport of intact polar lipids and core GDGTs in the water column at high vertical resolution on the basis of suspended particulate matter (SPM) samples from the photic zone, the subsurface oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), nepheloid layers (NL) and the water column between these. Furthermore we compared the water column SPM GDGT composition with that in underlying surface sediments. This is the first study that reports TEX86 values from the precursor intact polar lipids (IPLs) associated with specific head groups (IPL-specific TEX86). We show a clear deviation from the sea surface GDGT composition in the OMZ between 300 and 600m. Since neither lateral transport nor selective degradation provides a satisfactory explanation for the observed TEX-derived temperature profiles, with a bias towards higher temperatures for both core- and IPL-specific TEX86 values, we suggest that subsurface in situ production of archaea with a distinct relationship between lipid biosynthesis and temperature is a responsible mechanism. However, in the NW-African upwelling system the GDGT contribution of the OMZ to the surface sediments did not seem to affect the sedimentary TEX86 as it showed no bias and still reflected the signal of the surface waters between 0 and 60m.

Colloid characterization at the sediment-water interface of Vidy Bay, Lake Geneva

Colloids play a critical role in the transport of particle-bound contaminants. Knowledge of colloids and their aggregates provides insight into contaminant transport and fate within a given aquatic environment. Here, colloids and aggregates at the sediment-water interface of Vidy Bay, Lake Geneva, Switzerland, were characterized with a combination of analytical techniques to understand their structure, size distribution, concentration, and stability (the potential for aggregation). Vidy Bay is known to be the most contaminated part of Lake Geneva, being influenced by the effluents of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Colloids were a heterogeneous mix of inorganic constituents (diatom fragments, quartz, clay, endogenic calcite, iron oxy-hydroxides) bridged together by rigid biopolymer strands or gels. The presence of rigid biopolymers was quite significant and they were typically found to have iron oxy-hydroxides embedded within their structure. Ion chromatographic data were comparable to previous values attained for the water column of Lake Geneva; however, single particle counting results indicated the presence of a nepheloid layer in Vidy Bay. In such, the stability of colloids was likely influenced by their proximity to the sediment-water interface. Zeta potential results inferred charge neutralization and destabilization of colloids and aggregates. Self-assembly of rigid biopolymers, along with cationic bridging between rigid biopolymers and inorganic constituents readily aggregated colloids. Taken together, colloids at the sediment water interface of Vidy Bay appeared to be unstable and to play a minor role in the transport of contaminants over long distances.

Controls on seawater 231Pa, 230Th and 232Th concentrations along the flow paths of deep waters in the Southwest Atlantic

Measurements of dissolved 230Th, 231Pa and 232Th were made for twelve full-depth profiles along a Southwest Atlantic section during GEOTRACES cruise GA02S. Sampling captures all the main Atlantic deep water masses along their meridional flow paths and allows insight into the control on Th and Pa in a setting where waters are flowing in opposing directions, with direct relevance to understanding the use of 231Pa/230Th as an ocean-circulation proxy. Water-column 230Th increases linearly with depth, in line with expected reversible scavenging models. 231Pa increases from the surface to ∼1200–1500 m, but is invariant or decreases with greater depth, deviating from the behavior expected for reversible scavenging. Dissolved 231Pa/230Th ratios display a mid-water-column maximum at ∼1000–2000 m which is broadly coincident with Upper Circumpolar Deep Water. Below 2000 m, nuclide distributions and ratios exhibit no dependence on water mass, nor any indication of progressive change within a water mass, challenging the use of 231Pa/230Th as a past circulation tracer in the South Atlantic. Calculation of horizontal transport of 230Th and 231Pa by ocean circulation indicates a net southward export out of the Atlantic of 19% of the 231Pa and 3% of the 230Th produced in that ocean. This removal is all from the North Atlantic while, in the South Atlantic, removal to sediment equals production. Simple one-dimensional modeling can simulate 230Th profiles but not the mid-water-column maximum observed in 231Pa profiles, suggesting an additional source of 231Pa (perhaps lateral transport from the margin) or removal at depth due to bottom scavenging. Near seafloor minima in concentrations indicates bottom scavenging of 230Th and 231Pa, which is enhanced in the presence of nepheloid layers, particularly for 231Pa. This additional scavenging fractionates 230Th and 231Pa and, in the presence of nepheloid layers, may lead to an increase in sedimentary 231Pa/230Th ratios. 232Th concentrations were paired with 230Th-derived residence times in the upper 250 m of the water column to test the application of Th as a tracer of dust deposition. Maxima in 232Th indicate high dust input from the African and possibly South American continents.

2000years of frequent turbidite activity in the Capbreton Canyon (Bay of Biscay)

Abstract Capbreton Canyon extends from 200 m water depth near the Aquitanian coast to 3000 m water depth before abruptly turning northward and merging with the Cap-Ferret systems. The Capbreton Canyon has been disconnected from the Adour River input since 1310 AD. Despite this situation, modern sedimentary activity is evident in the first kilometres from the head. Present sedimentation in the Capbreton Canyon was studied by combined analysis of acoustic data and cores. Cores from the topographic highs document moderate hemipelagic sedimentation and record the global climatic signal of the Bay of Biscay. Within the canyon, at ± 80 km from the head, on terraces bordering the thalweg at 1600 m water depth, cores attest to recent turbidite activity. Massive medium sand is restricted to the thalweg floor, where sediment transfer dominates. Fine-grained turbidites are preferentially accumulated on the shallower terraces near the thalweg (the accumulation rate is 3 and 1 cm/year at 75 m and 125 m above the thalweg, respectively). On a higher terrace (225 m), turbidite sequences are absent or too thin to be preserved from bioturbation. The sedimentation rate is lower (approximately 0.17 cm/year) but still 10 times higher than the hemipelagic sedimentation outside the Capbreton Canyon. We demonstrate that frequent turbidity currents (1/year) are currently responsible for very high accumulation of dominantly fine-grained sediments on the terraces that are the nearest from the thalweg. We assume an impact of nepheloid layers on the sedimentation of the highest terraces. Looking for any impact on sediment supply of the disconnection of the Capbreton Canyon head from the Adour River mouth, it appears that the impact on the sedimentation affected the nature of the particles, which are less carbonate-rich, rather than the quantity of sediments. This result suggests that the longshore drift at the canyon head and hydrodynamic events are major factors in the sedimentation of Capbreton Canyon.

A Vertical Wall Dominated by Acesta excavata and Neopycnodonte zibrowii, Part of an Undersampled Group of Deep-Sea Habitats

We describe a novel biotope at 633 to 762 m depth on a vertical wall in the Whittard Canyon, an extensive canyon system reaching from the shelf to the deep sea on Ireland’s continental margin. We explored this wall with an ROV and compiled a photomosaic of the habitat. The assemblage contributing to the biotope was dominated by large limid bivalves, Acesta excavata (mean shell height 10.4 cm), and deep-sea oysters, Neopycnodonte zibrowii, at high densities, particularly at overhangs. Mean density of N. zibrowii increased with depth, with densities of the most closely packed areas of A. excavata also increasing with depth. Other taxa associated with the assemblage included the solitary coral Desmophyllum dianthus, cerianthid anemones, comatulid crinoids, the trochid gastropod Margarites sp., the portunid crab Bathynectes longispina and small fish of the family Bythitidae. The scleractinian coral Madrepora oculata, the pencil urchin Cidaris cidaris and a species of Epizoanthus were also common. Prominent but less abundant species included the flytrap anemone Actinoscyphia saginata, the carrier crab Paramola cuvieri, and the fishes Lepidion eques and Conger conger. Observations of the hydrography of the canyon system identified that the upper 500 m was dominated by Eastern North Atlantic Water, with Mediterranean Outflow Water beneath it. The permanent thermocline is found between 600 and 1000 m depth, i.e., in the depth range of the vertical wall and the dense assemblage of filter feeders. Beam attenuation indicated nepheloid layers present in the canyon system with the greatest amounts of suspended material at the ROV dive site between 500 and 750 m. A cross-canyon CTD transect indicated the presence of internal waves between these depths. We hypothesise that internal waves concentrate suspended sediment at high concentrations at the foot of the vertical wall, possibly explaining the large size and high density of filter-feeding molluscs.

Sediment resuspension and nepheloid layers induced by long internal solitary waves shoaling orthogonally on uniform slopes

Two-dimensional, nonlinear and nonhydrostatic field-scale numerical simulations are used to examine the resuspension, dispersal and transport of mud-like sediment caused by the shoaling and breaking of long internal solitary waves on uniform slopes. The patterns of erosion and transport are both examined, in a series of test cases with varying conditions. Shoreward sediment movement is mainly within boluses, while seaward movement is within intermediate nepheloid layers. Several relationships between properties of the suspended sediment and control parameters are determined such as the horizontal extent of the nehpeloid layers, the total mass of resuspended sediment and the point of maximum bed erosion. The numerical results provide a plausible explanation for acoustic backscatter patterns observed during and after the shoaling of internal solitary wavetrains in a natural coastal environment. The results may be useful in the interpretation of some sedimentary structures, and suggest an effective mechanism for offshore dispersal of muddy sediments.

Investigating the importance of sediment resuspension in Alexandrium fundyense cyst population dynamics in the Gulf of Maine

Cysts of Alexandrium fundyense, a dinoflagellate that causes toxic algal blooms in the Gulf of Maine, spend the winter as dormant cells in the upper layer of bottom sediment or the bottom nepheloid layer and germinate in spring to initiate new blooms. Erosion measurements were made on sediment cores collected at seven stations in the Gulf of Maine in the autumn of 2011 to explore if resuspension (by waves and currents) could change the distribution of over-wintering cysts from patterns observed in the previous autumn; or if resuspension could contribute cysts to the water column during spring when cysts are viable. The mass of sediment eroded from the core surface at 0.4Pa ranged from 0.05kgm−2 near Grand Manan Island, to 0.35kgm−2 in northern Wilkinson Basin. The depth of sediment eroded ranged from about 0.05mm at a station with sandy sediment at 70m water depth on the western Maine shelf, to about 1.2mm in clayey–silt sediment at 250m water depth in northern Wilkinson Basin. The sediment erodibility measurements were used in a sediment-transport model forced with modeled waves and currents for the period October 1, 2010 to May 31, 2011 to predict resuspension and bed erosion. The simulated spatial distribution and variation of bottom shear stress was controlled by the strength of the semi-diurnal tidal currents, which decrease from east to west along the Maine coast, and oscillatory wave-induced currents, which are strongest in shallow water. Simulations showed occasional sediment resuspension along the central and western Maine coast associated with storms, steady resuspension on the eastern Maine shelf and in the Bay of Fundy associated with tidal currents, no resuspension in northern Wilkinson Basin, and very small resuspension in western Jordan Basin. The sediment response in the model depended primarily on the profile of sediment erodibility, strength and time history of bottom stress, consolidation time scale, and the current in the water column. Based on analysis of wave data from offshore buoys from 1996 to 2012, the number of wave events inducing a bottom shear stress large enough to resuspend sediment at 80m ranged from 0 to 2 in spring (April and May) and 0 to 10 in winter (October through March). Wave-induced resuspension is unlikely in water greater than about 100m deep. The observations and model results suggest that a millimeter or so of sediment and associated cysts may be mobilized in both winter and spring, and that the frequency of resuspension will vary interannually. Depending on cyst concentration in the sediment and the vertical distribution in the water column, these events could result in a concentration in the water column of at least 104cystsm−3. In some years, resuspension events could episodically introduce cysts into the water column in spring, where germination is likely to be facilitated at the time of bloom formation. An assessment of the quantitative effects of cyst resuspension on bloom dynamics in any particular year requires more detailed investigation.

Benthic foraminiferal thanatocoenoses from the Cap-Ferret Canyon area (NE Atlantic): A complex interplay between hydro-sedimentary and biological processes

Benthic foraminiferal thanatocoenoses from the Cap-Ferret Canyon area were studied in the >150-µm fraction of 4–5cm deep sediment levels, at 13 stations. The shallowest station (151m depth) is located at the shelf break, close to the canyon head. All other stations are located along two bathymetric transects: seven stations along the canyon axis between 300 and 3000m depth, and five stations from 300m to 2000m depth along the southern flank of the canyon. The comparison between the live (Rose-Bengal-stained) and dead assemblages shows that biological (i.e. population dynamic) and taphonomic processes (i.e. test destruction, transport) generate important discrepancies between live and dead assemblages. An important question is, to what degree post-mortem transport and redeposition of foraminiferal tests contribute to the difference between living and dead assemblages? The composition of the thanatocoenoses (<1% of neritic species) indicates that there is no substantial transport of shells >150µm from the inner continental shelf to the Cap-Ferret Canyon axis. However, transport of tests from outer shelf or upper canyon axis towards deeper sites occurs, as indicated by an increase of diversity indices of the dead fauna along the canyon axis. Moreover, some species (e.g., Cassidulina carinata) are observed in the living fauna restricted to the shallow sites, but occur in important amounts in the dead fauna at deeper stations, suggesting that these taxa have been transported from upper canyon stations toward deeper sites. Since Cap-Ferret Canyon is inactive in terms of massive sediment transport (i.e. gravity events), downslope transport of foraminiferal tests probably takes place in nepheloid layers. Downslope transports of foraminiferal tests may create important biases for the utilisation of paleoceanographic proxies using the assemblage characteristics and/or the geochemical composition of selected species. However, the study of dead assemblages along a canyon axis can give important clues about the sedimentary dynamics, especially an idea of the quantity of reworked foraminifera transported through the canyon axis. Along the adjacent flank, such evidence of downslope transport was not observed. Despite taphonomic (test destruction) and biological processes (population dynamics), the live fauna closely resembles the distribution and the composition of the dead assemblage. Therefore, ecological information obtained from the fossil flank samples can be more reliably used to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions.

Effects of bottom trawling on the Ebro continental shelf sedimentary system (NW Mediterranean)

A monitoring effort to address the physical effects of bottom trawling was conducted on the Ebro prodeltaic mud belt during the RESPONSE project. The monitoring was carried out for 14 months covering periods of different trawling intensities and a close season for the trawling fleet. The seabed morphology was studied by side-scan sonar and sediment texture and organic carbon content were analysed. Suspended sediment vertical distribution was recorded by CTD+turbidity hydrographic profiles and sediment transport was computed using time series from moored turbidimeters and current meters. The results show that the seabed of the fishing ground is strongly affected by scraping and ploughing induced by bottom trawling. Part of the finer fraction of the prodeltaic mud resuspended by trawling is winnowed, increasing the silt content of the settling sediment and also near-bottom turbidity. Sediment resuspended by trawling is incorporated in the bottom nepheloid layer and transported across- and along-shelf, increasing sediment fluxes. Trawling also induces an increase in the organic carbon content in the bottom sediment. All these effects induced by trawling have occurred during the last few decades, changing natural conditions in the fishing ground.

Alkenones as tracers of surface ocean temperature and biological pump processes on the Northwest Atlantic margin

We have examined alkenone distributions, specifically the temperature proxy U37K′, in sinking particulate organic matter (POM) intercepted at three depths by time-series sediment traps deployed between 2004 and 2007 on the Northwest Atlantic margin. The goal was to assess physical and biogeochemical processes acting upon alkenones during passage through the water column. U37K′ did not exhibit any systematic trend with increasing depth despite several-fold attenuation in alkenone flux. Because of the extensive reduction in C37 alkenone flux in the water column and more efficient alkenone degradation during the period of high alkenone flux, the temperature bias toward that of more productive seasons was reduced with increasing trap depth. The temporal variation of U37K′ and alkenone-derived temperature compared best with the satellite-derived SST at an upstream region approximately 160km east of the mooring site with a time lag of about 30 days, suggesting this region as the dominant source of alkenone-bearing POM. The alkenone-derived temperature of core-top sediments (15°C) at the study site was lower than the flux-weighted average alkenone-derived temperature of sinking POM at 50m above the seafloor. This discrepancy may reflect additional supply of resuspended sediment carrying alkenones produced in cooler waters to the northeast, and transported in bottom nepheloid layers.

Benthic foraminifera from Capbreton Canyon revisited; faunal evolution after repetitive sediment disturbance

At a 650m deep site in the axis of Capbreton Canyon an 18-cm-thick turbidite was deposited in December 1999. During subsequent campaigns, an almost monospecific fauna of the benthic foraminifer Technitella melo, considered as a pioneer species, was found in May 2000. In 2001 this fauna had disappeared and was replaced by an exceptionally rich fauna strongly dominated by the opportunistic species Bolivina subaenariensis. We present sedimentological, radionuclide and foraminiferal data of new cores, sampled in 2005 and 2011, taken with the aim to study the further evolution of the benthic ecosystem. Cores sampled in 2005 show that in the canyon axis a new, ca. 5cm thick, turbidite has been deposited. The live benthic foraminiferal faunas were much poorer than in 2001, but still had a high dominance and low diversity, although less extreme than in 2001. We conclude that in the canyon axis, benthic foraminiferal faunas remain in an early stage of ecosystem colonization. It appears that the very thick 1999 turbidite marks an exceptional event. The uncommonly rich faunas observed in 2001 could be a response to the concentration of organic-rich material in the fine-grained top of this deposit. In 2011, cores were sampled at a slightly different site, on the lower canyon flank. The sedimentary sequence here is marked by the absence of coarse turbidite layers, although some levels show slightly increased grain size, and lower 210Pbxs activities, indicative of an admixture with advected older sediments. Live foraminiferal faunas are much more equilibrated, as shown by their higher diversity, lower dominance, and deeper penetration into the sediment. All these characteristics are indicative of a much more stable ecosystem. Dead faunas are present throughout the core, indicating that the levels with slightly elevated grain size are not typical turbidites resulting from hyperpycnal currents (which are characterized by levels barren of foraminifera) but denote other, more long-term sedimentary processes leading to the advection of older material, such as bottom nepheloid layers, or repetitive fine-grained turbidite deposits due to small-scale slumping. The comparison of live and dead fauna shows that at both sites, the foraminiferal turnover rates are fairly low. At the lower canyon flank site sampled in 2011, the foraminiferal faunas are renewed every 1.5–2years. Such a fairly long foraminiferal lifespan corresponds to earlier estimates, but is surprisingly high for the opportunistic taxa that dominate the faunal assemblages in these unstable and food-enriched submarine canyon settings.

Molecular and isotopic insights into particulate organic carbon sources and dynamics in Jordan Basin, Gulf of Maine

The carbon isotope and lipid biomarker composition of suspended particles and surface sediment was measured to examine the impact of sediment supply, redistribution and post-depositional alteration processes on organic matter cycling in the Gulf of Maine, a semi-enclosed shelf sea in the northwest Atlantic. A beam attenuation profile revealed a >50m-thick benthic nepheloid layer (BNL) in the Jordan Basin at the time of sampling (April 2006). The relatively low radiocarbon content of suspended particulate organic carbon (POC) in the BNL indicates that up to 82% of the POC in this layer was supplied from resuspension of sediment. The concentration of alkenones normalized to POC increased with increasing depth in the water column and was highest in the surface sediment. In contrast to these markers of surface ocean photoautotrophy, the vertical profiles for the concentration and composition of short-chain (C14–C18) n-alkanoic acids provided evidence for enhanced heterotrophic processes near the top of the BNL. Suspended POC samples from two depths within the BNL exhibited marked differences in radiocarbon content and fatty acid composition, suggesting that biological activity and associated processes within the BNL are vertically heterogeneous.

Reproductive biology and recruitment of the deep-sea fish community from the NW Mediterranean continental margin

Temporal patterns in deep-sea fish reproduction are presently unknown for the majority of deep continental margins. A series of seasonal trawling surveys between depths of 300 to 1750m in the Blanes submarine canyon and its adjacent open slope (NW Mediterranean) were conducted. The bathymetric size distributions and reproductive cycles of the most abundant species along the NW Mediterranean margin were analyzed to assess the occurrence of (i) temporal patterns in reproduction (i.e., spawning season) along a bathymetric gradient and (ii) preferential depth strata for recruitment. The fish assemblages were grouped in relation to their bathymetric distribution: upper slope, middle slope and lower slope species. Middle-slope species (i.e., 800–1350m) showed short (i.e., highly seasonal) reproductive activity compared to the upper (300–800m) and lower (1350–1750m) ones. Our results, together with those previously published for megabenthic crustacean decapods in the area, suggest a cross-phyla depth-related trend of seasonality in reproduction. In the middle and lower slope species, the reproductive activity reached a maximum in the autumn–winter months and decreased in the spring. The observed seasonal spawning patterns appear to be ultimately correlated with changes in the downward transport of organic particles and with seasonal changes in the physicochemical characteristics of the surrounding water masses. The distribution of juveniles was associated with the bathymetric stratum where intermediate nepheloid layers interact with the continental margins, indicating that this stratum acts as a deep-sea fish nursery area.

Long-term reworking of volcanic ash deposited in the abyssal ocean based on uranium and thorium isotope measurements

A red-clay core from north of New Zealand contains a 21cm-thick layer of the 340thousand-year old Rangitawa ash. Uranium and thorium isotope measurements on this core show that ash continuously contributes to sediments overlying the ash layer, ranging from ~58% immediately above the ash to ~8% at the core top. Rather than from an upward bioturbation or subsequent volcanic eruptions, the ash in sediments is most likely sourced from suspended Rangitawa ash in the nepheloid layer that has steadily re-deposited at the core site ever since the Whakamaru super-eruption. We suggest that this lateral transport bears important influence on interpreting marine sediment proxy records.

Trawling-induced daily sediment resuspension in the flank of a Mediterranean submarine canyon

Commercial bottom trawling is one of the anthropogenic activities causing the biggest impact on the seafloor due to its recurrence and global distribution. In particular, trawling has been proposed as a major driver of sediment dynamics at depths below the reach of storm waves, but the issue is at present poorly documented with direct observations. This paper analyses changes in water turbidity in a tributary valley of the La Fonera (=Palamós) submarine canyon, whose flanks are routinely exploited by a local trawling fleet down to depths of 800m. A string of turbidimeters was deployed at 980m water depth inside the tributary for two consecutive years, 2010–2011. The second year, an ADCP profiled the currents 80m above the seafloor. The results illustrate that near-bottom water turbidity at the study site is heavily dominated, both in its magnitude and temporal patterns, by trawling-induced sediment resuspension at the fishing ground. Resuspended sediments are channelised along the tributary in the form of sediment gravity flows, being recorded only during working days and working hours of the trawling fleet. These sediment gravity flows generate turbid plumes that extend to at least 100m above the bottom, reaching suspended sediment concentrations up to 236mgl−1 close to the seafloor (5m above bottom). A few hours after the end of daily trawling activities, water turbidity progressively decreases but resuspended particles remain in suspension for several hours, developing bottom and intermediate nepheloid layers that reach background levels ∼2mgl−1 before trawling activities resume. The presence of these nepheloid layers was recorded in a CTD+turbidimeter transect conducted across the fishing ground a few hours after the end of a working day. These results highlight that deep bottom trawling can effectively replace natural processes as the main driving force of sediment resuspension on continental slope regions and generate increased near-bottom water turbidity that propagates from fishing grounds to wider and deeper areas via sediment gravity flows and nepheloid layer development.

Hadal disturbance in the Japan Trench induced by the 2011 Tohoku–Oki Earthquake

In situ video observations and sediment core samplings were performed at two hadal sites in the Japan Trench on July, 2011, four months after the Tohoku–Oki earthquake. Video recordings documented dense nepheloid layers extending ~30–50 m above the sea bed. At the trench axis, benthic macrofauna was absent and dead organisms along with turbid downslope current were observed. The top 31 cm of sediment in the trench axis revealed three recent depositions events characterized by elevated 137Cs levels and alternating sediment densities. At 4.9 km seaward from the trench axis, little deposition was observed but the surface sediment contained 134Cs from the Fukushima Dai–ichi nuclear disaster. We argue that diatom blooms observed by remote sensing facilitated rapid deposition of 134Cs to hadal environment and the aftershocks induced successive sediment disturbances and maintained dense nepheloid layers in the trench even four months after the mainshock.

Benthic nepheloid layers in the Gulf of Maine and Alexandrium cyst inventories

Cysts residing in benthic nepheloid layers (BNLs) documented in the Gulf of Maine have been proposed as a possible source of inoculum for annual blooms of a toxic dinoflagellate in the region. Herein we present a spatially extensive data set of the distribution and thickness of benthic nepheloid layers in the Gulf of Maine and the abundance and inventories of suspended Alexandrium fundyense cysts within these near-bottom layers. BNLs are pervasive throughout the gulf and adjacent Bay of Fundy with maximum layer thicknesses of 50–60m observed. Mean BNL thickness is 30m in the eastern gulf and Bay of Fundy, and 20m in the western gulf. Cyst densities in the near-bottom particle resuspension layers varied by three orders of magnitude across the gulf with maxima of 105cystsm−3. An important interconnection of elevated BNL cyst densities is observed between the Bay of Fundy, the Maine Coastal Current and the south-central region of the gulf. BNL cyst inventories estimated for the eastern and western gulf are each on the order of 1015 cysts, whereas the BNL inventory in the Bay of Fundy is on the order of 1016. Although BNL cyst inventories in the eastern and western gulf are 1–2 orders of magnitude smaller than the abundance of cysts in the upper 1cm of sediment in those regions, BNL and sediment-bound cyst inventories are comparable in the Bay of Fundy. The existence of widespread BNLs containing substantial cyst inventories indicates that these near-bottom layers represent an important source of germinating A. fundyense cysts in the region.

A submarine canyon as a climate archive — Interaction of the Antarctic Intermediate Water with the Mar del Plata Canyon (Southwest Atlantic)

Abstract The Mar del Plata Canyon is located at the continental margin off northern Argentina in a key intermediate and deep-water oceanographic setting. In this region, strong contour currents shape the continental margin by eroding, transporting and depositing sediments. These currents generate various depositional and erosive features which together are described as a Contourite Depositional System (CDS). The Mar del Plata Canyon intersects the CDS, and does not have any obvious connection to the shelf or to an onshore sediment source. Here we present the sedimentary processes that act in the canyon and show that continuous Holocene sedimentation is related to intermediate-water current activity. The Holocene deposits in the canyon are strongly bioturbated and consist mainly of the terrigenous “sortable silt” fraction (10–63 μm) without primary structures, similarly to drift deposits. We propose that the Mar del Plata Canyon interacts with an intermediate-depth nepheloid layer generated by the northward-flowing Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW). This interaction results in rapid and continuous deposition of coarse silt sediments inside the canyon with an average sedimentation rate of 160 cm/kyr during the Holocene. We conclude that the presence of the Mar del Plata Canyon decreases the transport capacity of AAIW, in particular of its deepest portion that is associated with the nepheloid layer, which in turn generates a change in the contourite deposition pattern around the canyon. Since sedimentation processes in the Mar del Plata Canyon indicate a response to changes of AAIW contour-current strength related to Late Glacial/Holocene variability, the sediments deposited within the canyon are a great climate archive for paleoceanographic reconstructions. Moreover, an additional involvement of (hemi) pelagic sediments indicates episodic productivity events in response to changes in upper ocean circulation possibly associated with Holocene changes in intensity of El Nino/Southern Oscillation.

Alexandrium fundyense cyst viability and germling survival in light vs. dark at a constant low temperature

Both observations and models suggest that large-scale coastal blooms of Alexandrium fundyense in the Gulf of Maine are seeded by deep-bottom cyst accumulation zones (“seed beds”) where cysts germinate from the sediment surface or the overlying near-bottom nepheloid layers at water depths exceeding 100m. The germling cells and their vegetative progeny are assumed to be subject to mortality while in complete darkness, as they swim to illuminated surface waters. To test the validity of this assumption we conducted laboratory investigations of cyst viability and the survival of the germling cells and their vegetative progeny during prolonged exposure to darkness at a temperature of 6°C, simulating the conditions in deep Gulf of Maine waters. We isolated cysts from bottom sediments collected in the Gulf of Maine under low red light and incubated them in 96-well tissue culture-plates in culture medium under a 10:14h light:dark cycle and under complete darkness. Cyst viability was high, with excystment frequency reaching 90% in the illuminated treatment after 30 days and in the dark treatment after 50 days. Average germination rates were 0.062 and 0.038d−1 for light and dark treatments, respectively. The dark treatment showed an approximately 2-week time lag in maximum germination rates compared to the light treatment. Survival of germlings was considerably lower in the dark treatment. In the light treatments, 47% of germinated cysts produced germlings that were able to survive for 7 days and produce vegetative progeny, i.e., there were live cells in the well along with an empty cyst at least once during the experiment. In the dark treatments 12% of the cysts produced germlings that were able to survive for the same length of time. When dark treatments are scaled to take into account non-darkness related mortality, approximately 28% of the cysts produced germlings that were able to survive for at least 7 days. Even though cysts are able to germinate in darkness, the lack of illumination considerably reduces survival rate of germling cells. In addition to viability of cysts in surface sediments and the near-bottom nepheloid layer, survivability of germling cells and their vegetative progeny at aphotic depths is an important consideration in assessing the quantitative role of deep-coastal cyst seed beds in bloom formation.