Ocean Surface Waters Research Articles

Ocean thermal energy conversion and open ocean mariculture: The prospect of Mainland-Taiwan collaborative research and development

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) is an energy generation technology that uses cold deep ocean water (DOW) and warm surface water to produce electricity. Active development of OTEC was started in the 1970s with Hawaii as a major research and development center. In the following several decades, small pilot-scale closed-cycle and open-cycle OTEC plants were successfully designed, constructed, and tested. An open-cycle OTEC plant produces both electricity and freshwater. Besides its low temperature, DOW is also nutrient-rich and free from pathogenic bacteria. DOW-enhanced open ocean mariculture can significantly increase the world fish catch and induce an air to water transfer of greenhouse gas CO2. Therefore, an integrated development of DOW as a natural resource is the center of a “blue revolution” that has the potential to solve four of the most urgent world problems: energy, freshwater, food, and global warming. This paper will review technological development of OTEC and open ocean mariculture, followed by a discussion of the prospect of Mainland-Taiwan research collaboration on the technological development and application of DOW resources.

Concentrations, provenance and flux of aerosol trace elements during US GEOTRACES Western Arctic cruise GN01

The Arctic region is undergoing significant changes in climate, with a notable decrease in summertime sea ice coverage over the past three decades. This trend means an increasing proportion of Arctic Ocean surface waters can receive direct deposition of material from the atmosphere, potentially influencing marine biogeochemical cycles and delivery of pollutants to the Arctic ecosystem. Here, we present aerosol concentrations of selected trace elements (Al, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) measured during the US GEOTRACES Western Arctic cruise (GN01, also known as HLY1502) in August–October 2015. Concentrations of “lithogenic” elements (Al, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, and Co) were similar to those measured in remote and predominantly marine-influenced air masses in previous studies, reflecting the remoteness of the Arctic Ocean from major dust sources. Concentrations of Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd showed significant enrichments over crustal values, and were often of similar magnitude to concentrations measured over the North Atlantic in air masses of North American or European provenance. We use 7Be inventory and flux data from GN01 to estimate a bulk atmospheric deposition velocity during the study period, and combine it with our aerosol concentrations to calculate atmospheric deposition fluxes of the trace elements in the Arctic region during late summer. The resulting estimates for mineral dust and Fe deposition fall at the low end of global estimates and confirm the Arctic Ocean as a low-dust environment during the summer months.This article is part of a special issue entitled: Conway GEOTRACES - edited by Tim M. Conway, Tristan Horner, Yves Plancherel, and Aridane G. González.

Changes to the Air‐Sea Flux and Distribution of Radiocarbon in the Ocean Over the 21st Century

AbstractWe investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of radiocarbon (Δ14C) in the ocean over the 21st century under different scenarios for anthropogenic CO2 emissions and atmospheric CO2 and radiocarbon changes using a 3‐D ocean carbon cycle model. Strong decreases in atmospheric Δ14C in the high‐emission scenario result in strong outgassing of 14C over 2050–2100, causing Δ14C spatial gradients in the surface ocean and vertical gradients between the surface and intermediate waters to reverse sign. Surface Δ14C in the subtropical gyres is lower than Δ14C in Pacific Deep Water and Southern Ocean surface water in 2100. In the low‐emission scenario, ocean Δ14C remains slightly higher than in 1950 and relatively constant over 2050–2100. Over the next 20 years we find decadal changes in Δ14C of −30‰ to +5‰ in the upper 2 km of the ocean, which should be detectable with continued hydrographic surveys. Our simulations can help in planning future observations, and they provide a baseline for investigating natural or anthropogenic changes in ocean circulation using ocean Δ14C observations and models.

Increased Arctic Precipitation Slows Down Sea Ice Melt and Surface Warming

Climate model projections of future climate change exhibit a robust increase in Arctic precipitation, which invokes an array of climate effects. Idealized climate model simulations with artificially increased Arctic precipitation rates exhibit cooling of near-surface atmospheric temperatures and sea ice expansion. We show here that this cooling cannot be attributed to increased surface albedo from fresh snow and less absorption of solar radiation by sea ice, but rather to a reduction in upward oceanic heat flux. This reduction in heat flux is due to increased precipitation that leads to fresher ocean surface waters and, hence, to more stable stratification of the upper Arctic Ocean. This stratification results in cooling of the ocean surface and warming of deeper ocean layers. The simulations show that sea ice expansion and surface cooling peak in the Barents Sea, a region that is very sensitive to changes in mixed layer depth, which decreases considerably there. In the context of a warming Arctic, with concurrent 50% increases in precipitation in 2100, this negative feedback is estimated to slow down projected RCP8.5 Arctic warming by up to 2.0°C in winter and sea ice retreat by a maximum of 11% in autumn, although seasonal variations are considerable.

Chemical patterns in sediments of ancient Theodosius Harbour (Istanbul)

The use of fossil fuels, cement production and the reduction of forest areas cause a high amount of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere which in turn causes the ocean to be acidified. Acidity of seawater can directly change sediment properties. It is expected that the average pH value of the ocean surface water will decrease between 0.3 and 0.5 pH units according to the projection to year 2100. This study aimed to make a contribution to the understanding of long-term pollution trends. In the study, sediment samples from Neolithic Era, Early Byzantine Era and Byzantine Era from archaeological excavations jointly conducted by Istanbul Archaeological Museums and the Istanbul University Department of Conservation of Underwater Cultural Heritages were investigated. The sediment samples were taken from ancient Theodosius Harbour (5000 BC). Major elements (Si, Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, K, Na, Mn, Ti), rare earth elements (Tb, Yb, Eu, Dy, Tm) and toxic elements (As, Cr, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in sediment samples were determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The chemical abundance of the ancient sediments was evaluated with the ecological risk factor and geo-accumulation index. The sediment samples from the Neolithic Era reflect the contribution of both parent rock and also anthropogenic pollution. In the Early Byzantine and Byzantine Era, the development of the industry has increased the basic element concentrations in the environment and potential ecological risk and geo-accumulation indices. As, Cu, Cr, Zn, Ni and Co contents of Neolithic Era samples were found to be lower than Early Byzantine and Byzantine Era. The obtained the results showed that the toxic elements in the Neolithic Era, which the industry never developed, started to rise and increased concentrations of Ni by about two and a half times, Zn four times, Pb two times, Cr two times, Co six times and As three times in the Early Byzantine and Byzantine Eras. The concentrations of major elements (Al, Ba, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Si) did not show any significant difference during these three eras.

Comparison of Machine Learning Techniques in Inferring Phytoplankton Size Classes

The size of phytoplankton not only influences its physiology, metabolic rates and marine food web, but also serves as an indicator of phytoplankton functional roles in ecological and biogeochemical processes. Therefore, some algorithms have been developed to infer the synoptic distribution of phytoplankton cell size, denoted as phytoplankton size classes (PSCs), in surface ocean waters, by the means of remotely sensed variables. This study, using the NASA bio-Optical Marine Algorithm Data set (NOMAD) high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) database, and satellite match-ups, aimed to compare the effectiveness of modeling techniques, including partial least square (PLS), artificial neural networks (ANN), support vector machine (SVM) and random forests (RF), and feature selection techniques, including genetic algorithm (GA), successive projection algorithm (SPA) and recursive feature elimination based on support vector machine (SVM-RFE), for inferring PSCs from remote sensing data. Results showed that: (1) SVM-RFE worked better in selecting sensitive features; (2) RF performed better than PLS, ANN and SVM in calibrating PSCs retrieval models; (3) machine learning techniques produced better performance than the chlorophyll-a based three-component method; (4) sea surface temperature, wind stress, and spectral curvature derived from the remote sensing reflectance at 490, 510, and 555 nm were among the most sensitive features to PSCs; and (5) the combination of SVM-RFE feature selection techniques and random forests regression was recommended for inferring PSCs. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of machine learning techniques in selecting sensitive features and calibrating models for PSCs estimations with remote sensing.

Glacial-to-deglacial changes in North Atlantic meltwater advection and deep-water formation – Centennial-to-millennial-scale 14C records from the Azores plateau

The last deglacial was marked by tremendous changes in ocean temperature and circulation as well as atmospheric CO2 and 14C. We employed the “14C plateau-tuning technique” to a centennial-scale planktic 14C record of core MD08-3180 retrieved S.W. of the Azores Islands at ∼3060 m water depth to establish both a new standard of absolute age control and a record of past 14C reservoir ages of ocean surface waters. Both δ18O minima of G. bulloides and high planktic reservoir ages of ∼1600 to 2170 yr suggest two major melt water incursions that reached from the Labrador Sea up to the subtropics over Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS-1). In parallel, we established a record of (apparent) benthic ventilation ages that add the planktic 14C reservoir ages together with the benthic-planktic 14C age difference at the site and time of deposition, a sum finally adjusted to past changes in atmospheric 14C that occurred since the time of deep-water formation. Near the Azores apparent deep-water ages of the Last Glacial Maximum were as low as 340–740 yr, which suggests a lateral advection of young North Atlantic Deep Waters (NADW) from subpolar regions south of Iceland, in harmony with recent model simulation and in contrast to a widely assumed major shoaling of glacial deep-water formation. During HS-1, local benthic ventilation ages increased up to 2200–2550 yr, thus suggest an incursion of old southern-source deep waters, an unstable regime that was interrupted by brief pulses of NADW incursion near 16, 15.6 cal. ka, and most salient, near 14.9/14.7 ka.

A virus or more in (nearly) every cell: ubiquitous networks of virus-host interactions in extreme environments.

The application of viral and cellular metagenomics to natural environments has expanded our understanding of the structure, functioning, and diversity of microbial and viral communities. The high diversity of many communities, e.g., soils, surface ocean waters, and animal-associated microbiomes, make it difficult to establish virus-host associations at the single cell (rather than population) level, assign cellular hosts, or determine the extent of viral host range from metagenomics studies alone. Here, we combine single-cell sequencing with environmental metagenomics to characterize the structure of virus-host associations in a Yellowstone National Park (YNP) hot spring microbial community. Leveraging the relatively low diversity of the YNP environment, we are able to overlay evidence at the single-cell level with contextualized viral and cellular community structure. Combining evidence from hexanucelotide analysis, single cell read mapping, network-based analytics, and CRISPR-based inference, we conservatively estimate that >60% of cells contain at least one virus type and a majority of these cells contain two or more virus types. Of the detected virus types, nearly 50% were found in more than 2 cellular clades, indicative of a broad host range. The new lens provided by the combination of metaviromics and single-cell genomics reveals a network of virus-host interactions in extreme environments, provides evidence that extensive virus-host associations are common, and further expands the unseen impact of viruses on cellular life.

Diatom performance in a future ocean: interactions between nitrogen limitation, temperature, and CO2-induced seawater acidification

Abstract Phytoplankton cells living in the surface waters of oceans are experiencing alterations in environmental conditions associated with global change. Given their importance in global primary productivity, it is of considerable concern to know how these organisms will perform physiologically under the changing levels of pH, temperatures, and nutrients predicted for future oceanic ecosystems. Here we show that the model diatom, Thalassiosira pseudonana, when grown at different temperatures (20 or 24 °C), pCO2 (400 or 1000 µatm), and nitrate concentrations (2.5 or 102.5 µmol l−1), displayed contrasting performance in its physiology. Elevated pCO2 (and hence seawater acidification) under the nitrate-limited conditions led to decreases in specific growth rate, cell size, pigment content, photochemical quantum yield of PSII, and photosynthetic carbon fixation. Furthermore, increasing the temperature exacerbated the negative effects of the seawater acidification associated with elevated pCO2 on specific growth rate and chlorophyll content under the N-limited conditions. These results imply that a reduced upward transport of nutrients due to enhanced stratification associated with ocean warming might act synergistically to reduce growth and carbon fixation by diatoms under progressive ocean acidification, with important ramifications for ocean productivity and the strength of the biological CO2 pump.

Evaluation of phosphate-uptake mechanisms by Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides in Early Proterozoic oceanic conditions

Environmental contextReconstructing the Precambrian oceanic P cycle, in conjunction with the As cycle, is critical for understanding the rise of atmospheric O2 in Earth’s history. Bioavailable phosphorus (P) has been found to regulate photosynthetic activity, whereas dissolved arsenic (As) maxima correlate with photosynthetic minima. New data on empirical adsorption and coprecipitation models with Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides suggest coprecipitation is a more efficient method of P sorption than is adsorption in Precambrian surface ocean conditions. AbstractBanded iron formations (BIF) are proxies of global dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) content in Precambrian marine waters. Estimates of Precambrian DIP rely on constraining the mechanisms by which Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides scavenge DIP in NaCl solutions mimicking elevated Precambrian marine Si and Fe(II) concentrations. The two DIP binding modes suggested for Early Proterozoic marine waters are (1) surface attachment on pre-formed Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides (adsorption), and (2) incorporation of P into actively growing Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides (coprecipitation) during the oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides in the presence of DIP. It has been suggested that elevated Si concentrations, such as those suggested for Precambrian seawater, strongly inhibit adsorption of DIP in Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides; however, recent coprecipitation experiments show that DIP is scavenged by Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides in the presence of Si, seawater cations and hydrothermal As. In the present study, we show that the DIP uptake onto Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides by adsorption is less than 5 % of DIP uptake by coprecipitation. Differences in surface attachment and the possibility of structural capture within the Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides are inferred from the robust influence Si has on DIP binding during adsorption, meanwhile the influence of Si on DIP binding is inhibited during coprecipitation when As(III) and As(V) are present. In the Early Proterozoic open oceans, Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides precipitated when deep anoxic Fe(II)-rich waters rose and mixed with the first permanently oxygenated ocean surface waters. Our data imply that, DIP was removed from surface waters through coprecipitation with those Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides, rather than adsorption. Local variations in DIP and perhaps even stratification of DIP in the oceans were likely created from the continuous removal of DIP from surface waters by Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides, and by the partial release of DIP into the anoxic bottom waters and buried sediments. In addition to a DIP famine, the selectivity for DIP over As(V) may have led to As enrichment in surface waters, both of which would have most likely decreased the productivity of cyanobacteria and O2 production.

The immune-related fatty acids are responsive to CO2 driven seawater acidification in a crustacean brine shrimp Artemia sinica

The gradual increase of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, absorbed by the ocean surface water through air to sea equilibration termed ocean acidification (OA), leads to the decline of pH in seawater. It is not clear so far how the composition of fatty acids, particular the immune-related, in marine crustacean and the subsequent energy supply in marine ecosystem are affected by OA. The brine shrimp Artemia sinica is an open and common feed that provide essential fatty acids for mariculture. In this study, the fatty acids profiles of brine shrimp cultured under different lower pH levels of CO2 driven seawater were investigated. The results showed a significant reduction of the proportion of total saturated fatty acids under the pH7.6 within one week. Meanwhile, the percentage of total monounsaturated fatty acids was significantly decreased at day 14 under pH7.8, and this percentage gave a significant increase of proportion within one week under pH7.6. Furthermore, the relative content of total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was found to be clearly increased with exposure to different seawater acidification at day 1, suggesting that the brine shrimp immune response was likely to be affected by acidified seawater as the PUFAs have been well known to be involved in immunomodulatory effects through alterations on cell membrane fluidity/lipid mediators and gene expression of cell signaling pathways. Notably, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, which have essential effect on various physiological processes such as inflammatory cytokines production and cell structural stability, were strongly increased under two lower pH treatments within one week and with the significant increase at day 1 under pH7.6. These data clearly supported the hypothesis that OA might affect fatty acids composition, likely also the innate immunity, in crustacean and the subsequent energy transfer by food-chain system in the marine ecosystem.

Effect of nutritional condition on photosymbiotic consortium of cultured Globigerinoides sacculifer (Rhizaria, Foraminifera)

Several foraminifers found in warm and low-nutrient ocean surface water have photosynthetic algae as endosymbionts (photosymbiosis). To understand the trophic interactions, we studied Globigerinoides sacculifer, a spinose planktic foraminifer that has a dinoflagellate endosymbiont. We controlled two nutritional factors, feeding and inorganic nutrients in the seawater. The growth of the host and the symbionts and the photophysiological parameters were monitored under four experimental conditions. The results demonstrated that the holobionts primarily relied on phagotrophy for growth. The foraminifers grew considerably, and the chlorophyll a content per foraminifer, which is an indicator of the symbiont population, increased in the fed groups, but not in the unfed groups. The nutrient-rich seawater used for some of the cultures made no difference in either the growth or photophysiology of the holobionts. These observations indicated that the symbionts mainly utilized metabolites from the hosts for photosynthesis rather than inorganic nutrients in the seawater. Additionally, we observed that the symbionts in the starved hosts maintained their photosynthetic capability for at least 12 days, and that the hosts maintained at least some symbionts until gametogenesis was achieved. This suggests that the hosts have to retain the symbionts as an energy source for reproduction. The symbionts may also play an indispensable role in the metabolic activities of the hosts including waste transport or essential compound synthesis. Overall, our results revealed a novel mode of photosymbiosis in planktic foraminifers which contrasts with that found in benthic photosymbiotic foraminifers and corals.

A denitrifying community associated with a major, marine nitrogen fixer.

The diazotrophic cyanobacterium, Trichodesmium, is an integral component of the marine nitrogen cycle and contributes significant amounts of new nitrogen to oligotrophic, tropical/subtropical ocean surface waters. Trichodesmium forms macroscopic, fusiform (tufts), spherical (puffs) and raft-like colonies that provide a pseudobenthic habitat for a host of other organisms including marine invertebrates, microeukaryotes and numerous other microbes. The diversity and activity of denitrifying bacteria found in association with the colonies was interrogated using a series of molecular-based methodologies targeting the gene encoding the terminal step in the denitrification pathway, nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ). Trichodesmium spp. sampled from geographically isolated ocean provinces (the Atlantic Ocean, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean) were shown to harbor highly similar, taxonomically related communities of denitrifiers whose members are affiliated with the Roseobacter clade within the Rhodobacteraceae (Alphaproteobacteria). These organisms were actively expressing nosZ in samples taken from the mid-Atlantic Ocean and Red Sea implying that Trichodesmium colonies are potential sites of nitrous oxide consumption and perhaps earlier steps in the denitrification pathway also. It is proposed that coupled nitrification of newly fixed N is the most likely source of nitrogen oxides supporting nitrous oxide cycling within Trichodesmium colonies.

Submesoscale Sea Ice‐Ocean Interactions in Marginal Ice Zones

AbstractSignatures of ocean eddies, fronts, and filaments are commonly observed within marginal ice zones (MIZs) from satellite images of sea ice concentration, and in situ observations via ice‐tethered profilers or underice gliders. However, localized and intermittent sea ice heating and advection by ocean eddies are currently not accounted for in climate models and may contribute to their biases and errors in sea ice forecasts. Here, we explore mechanical sea ice interactions with underlying submesoscale ocean turbulence. We demonstrate that the release of potential energy stored in meltwater fronts can lead to energetic submesoscale motions along MIZs with spatial scales O(10 km) and Rossby numbers O(1). In low‐wind conditions, cyclonic eddies and filaments efficiently trap the sea ice and advect it over warmer surface ocean waters where it can effectively melt. The horizontal eddy diffusivity of sea ice mass and heat across the MIZ can reach O(200 m2 s−1). Submesoscale ocean variability also induces large vertical velocities (order 10 m d−1) that can bring relatively warm subsurface waters into the mixed layer. The ocean‐sea ice heat fluxes are localized over cyclonic eddies and filaments reaching about 100 W m−2. We speculate that these submesoscale‐driven intermittent fluxes of heat and sea ice can contribute to the seasonal evolution of MIZs. With the continuing global warming and sea ice thickness reduction in the Arctic Ocean, submesoscale sea ice‐ocean processes are expected to become increasingly prominent.

The Air-Sea Nitrous Oxide Flux along Cruise Tracks to the Arctic Ocean and Southern Ocean

Nitrous oxide is a trace gas with two global environmental effects: it depletes stratospheric ozone and contributes to the greenhouse effect. Oceans are one of the most significant nitrous oxide sources; however, there are ocean areas whose contributions to the nitrous oxide budget are not yet well studied. The Southern Ocean and the Arctic Ocean feature strong winds and portions that are covered by sea ice. These intense environmental conditions and the remoteness of these regions hamper fieldwork; hence, very limited data are available on the distributions and the source and sink characteristics of nitrous oxide. Using data from the 4th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition and the 27th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition, the first global-scale investigation of the surface water N2O distribution pattern, the factors influencing the N2O distribution and the air-sea N2O flux are discussed in this study. The results show that the tropical and subtropical regions (30° N–30° S) exhibit significant source characteristics, with a maximum air-sea flux of approximately 21.0 ± 3.9 μmol·m−2·d−1. The high air-sea flux may result from the coastal influences and high wind speeds in certain areas. The distribution patterns of N2O in the sub-polar regions (30° N–60° N, 30° S–60° S) transition from oversaturated to approximate equilibrium with the atmosphere, and the boundaries generally correspond with frontal structures. The distributions of N2O in the high-latitude Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean (>60° N and 60° S) exhibit contrasting patterns. With the exception of the continental shelf hotspot, the Arctic Ocean surface water is undersaturated with N2O; in contrast, the high-latitude Southern Ocean along the cruise track is oversaturated with N2O. The high-latitude Southern Ocean may act as a N2O source, with a maximum air-sea N2O flux of approximately 9.8 ± 0.5 μmol·m−2·d−1 at approximately 60° S, whereas the air-sea N2O flux of the Arctic Ocean is close to zero due to the low wind speed conditions at these latitudes.

Combined Effects of Experimental Acidification and Eutrophication on Reef Sponge Bioerosion Rates

Health of tropical coral reefs depends largely on the balance between constructive (calcification and cementation) and destructive forces (mechanical-chemical degradation). Gradual increase in dissolved CO2 and the resulting decrease in carbonate ion concentration ('ocean acidification') in ocean surface water may tip the balance towards net mass loss for many reefs. Enhanced nutrients and organic loading in surface waters (‘eutrophication’), may increase the susceptibility of coral reef and near shore environments to ocean acidification. The impacts of these processes on coral calcification have been repeatedly reported, however the synergetic effects on bioerosion rates by sponges are poorly studied. Erosion by excavating sponges is achieved by a combination of chemical dissolution and mechanical chip removal. In this study, Cliona caribbaea, a photosymbiont-bearing excavating sponge widely distributed in Caribbean reef habitats, was exposed to a range of CO2 concentrations, as well as different eutrophication levels. Total bioerosion rates, estimated from changes in buoyant weights over 1 week, increased significantly with pCO2 but not with eutrophication. Observed chemical bioerosion rates were positively affected by both pCO2 and eutrophication but no interaction was revealed. Net photosynthetic activity was enhanced with rising pCO2 but not with increasing eutrophication levels. These results indicate that an increase in organic matter and nutrient renders sponge bioerosion less dependent on autotrophic products. At low and ambient pCO2, day-time chemical rates were ~50% higher than those observed at night-time. A switch was observed in bioerosion under higher pCO2 levels, with night-time chemical bioerosion rates becoming comparable or even higher than day-time rates. We suggest that the difference in rates between day and night at low and ambient pCO2 indicates that the benefit of acquired energy from photosynthetic activity surpasses the positive effect of increased pCO2 levels at night due to holobiont respiration. This implies that excavation must cost cellular energy, by processes such as ATP usage for active Ca2+ and/or active proton pumping. Additionally, competition for dissolved inorganic carbon species may occur between bioerosion and photosynthetic activity by the symbionts. Either way, the observed changing role of symbionts in bioerosion can be attributed to enhanced photosynthetic activity at high pCO2 levels.

Evidence of microbial rhodopsins in Antarctic Dry Valley edaphic systems.

Microorganisms able to synthesize rhodopsins have the capacity to translocate ions through their membranes, using solar energy to generate a proton motive force. Rhodopsins are the most abundant phototrophic proteins in oceanic surface waters and are key constituents in marine bacterial ecology. However, it remains unclear how rhodopsins are used in most microorganisms. Despite their abundance in marine and fresh-water systems, the presence of functional rhodopsin systems in edaphic habitats has never been reported. Here, we show the presence of several new putative H+ , Na+ and Cl+ pumping rhodopsins identified by metagenomic analysis of Antarctic desert hypolithic communities. Reconstruction of two Proteobacteria genomes harboring xanthorhodopsin-like proteins and one Bacteroidetes genome with a Na-pumping-like rhodopsin indicated that these bacteria were aerobic heterotrophs possessing the apparent capacity for the functional expression of rhodopsins. The existence of these protein systems in hypolithic bacteria expands the known role of rhodopsins to include terrestrial environments and suggests a possible predominant function as heterotrophic energy supply proteins, a feasible microbial adaptation to the harsh conditions prevalent in Antarctic edaphic systems.

Enhanced warming of the subtropical mode water in the North Pacific and North Atlantic

Warming of surface ocean waters is well known, but how the subsurface waters are changing is less clear. This study shows that subtropical mode water in the North Atlantic and North Pacific is warming at twice the rate of the surface waters. Over the past six decades, the subtropical surface ocean has warmed at rates close to those of global mean surface ocean temperature1 except in western boundary current regions where the surface warming is locally enhanced by a factor of two2. Changes in the subsurface ocean, however, remain unclear because of lack of data. Compiling historical temperature measurements—some available for the first time—here we show that the subtropical mode water has warmed over the past six decades in both the North Pacific and North Atlantic. The rate of the warming is twice as large in the mode waters than at the surface. Subtropical mode waters are important water masses of vertically uniform temperature that are a few hundred metres thick and distributed widely in the main thermocline of the subtropical oceans3. The enhanced warming of subtropical mode waters can be traced back to the surface warming in the formation regions along the western boundary current extensions. Furthermore, we detect increased temperature stratification and decreased dissolved oxygen in the subtropical mode waters. The latter change has clear implications for predicting biogeochemical responses to climate warming.

Inputs of humic fluorescent dissolved organic matter via submarine groundwater discharge to coastal waters off a volcanic island (Jeju, Korea)

The abundance of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) in the surface ocean plays a critical role in the growth of marine microorganisms and corals by affecting the optical properties (i.e., the penetration of UV radiation) of seawater. In general, it is known that rivers are the main source of FDOM to surface ocean waters. Here, however, we show that the concentrations of FDOM in coastal seawater off a volcanic island, Jeju, Korea, are dependent primarily on submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). Based on a significant correlation between 222Rn and salinity in seawater, fresh groundwater was found to be the main source of groundwater as well as fresh water in the bay. The addition of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and protein-like FDOM to the bay via SGD was generally negligible or negative. However, SGD enhanced the inventory of humic-like FDOM (FDOMH) in seawater by 2–3 times over all seasons, with conservative behavior of FDOMH in bay seawater. These results suggest that SGD-driven fluxes of FDOM regulate its inventory in seawater and consequently play a significant role in determining the optical properties of coastal waters off islands and associated coastal ecosystems (i.e., corals).

Photochemical behavior of dissolved and colloidal organic matter in estuarine and oceanic waters

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), carbohydrates, and amino acids were analyzed to investigate the photochemistry of total dissolved (<0.22μm) organic matter (DOM), high-molecular-weight (HMW, 1kDa–0.22μm) DOM and low-molecular-weight (LMW, <1kDa) DOM at stations in the Yangtze River and its coastal area, and in the Western Pacific Ocean. Results revealed that the humic-like and tryptophan-like CDOM fluorescent components in riverine, coastal, and oceanic surface waters were photodegraded during irradiation. However, the photochemical behavior of tyrosine-like component was obscured by the excessive fluorescence intensities of humic- and tryptophan-like fluorescent components. Light sensitivity varied depending on the source material; terrestrially derived DOM was more susceptible to irradiation than autochthonous DOM. In contrast to the expected photodegradation of CDOM, photo-induced synthetic reaction transformed the LMW matters to polysaccharides (PCHO) and degradation reaction decomposed the HMW DOM to Monosaccharides. Colloidal DOM preferentially underwent photodegradation, whereas permeate DOM mainly photosynthesized PCHO. The total hydrolysable amino acid (THAA) pool changed because of the additional input by the photodegradation of DOM or THAA itself. The compositions of THAA changed during the irradiation experiments, indicating that the different photochemical behavior of individual amino acids were related to their different original photoreactivities; the relatively stable amino acids (e.g., Ser and Gly) significantly accumulated during irradiation, whereas photo-active aromatic amino acids (e.g. Tyr and His) were prone to photodegradation. The data presented here demonstrated that irradiation significantly influence the conversion between dissolved and colloid organic matter. These results can promote the understanding of irradiation effect on the carbon and nitrogen cycle in riverine, estuarine and oceanic ecosystems.