Asphalt mounds and associated biota on the Angolan margin

Release of hydrocarbons from sediments is important in increasing habitat heterogeneity on deep ocean margins. Heterogeneity arises from variation in abiotic and biotic conditions, including changes in substratum, geochemistry, fluid flow, biological communities and ecological interactions. The seepage of heavy hydrocarbons to the seafloor is less well studied than most other cold seep systems and may lead to the formation of asphalt mounds. These have been described from several regions, particularly the Gulf of Mexico. Here, we describe the structure, potential formation and biology of a large asphalt mound province in Block 31SE Angola. A total of 2254 distinct mound features was identified by side-scan sonar, covering a total area of 3.7 km² of seafloor. The asphalt mounds took a number of forms from small (<0.5 m diameter; 13% observations) mounds to large extensive (<50 m diameter) structures. Some of the observed mounds were associated with authigenic carbonate and active seepage (living chemosynthetic fauna present in addition to the asphalt). The asphalt mounds are seabed accumulations of heavy hydrocarbons formed from subsurface migration and fractionation of reservoir hydrocarbons primarily through a network of faults. In Angola these processes are controlled by subsurface movement of salt structures. The asphalt mounds were typically densely covered with epifauna (74.5% of mounds imaged had visible epifauna) although individual mounds varied considerably in epifaunal coverage. Of the 49 non-chemosynthetic megafaunal taxa observed, 19 taxa were only found on hard substrata (including asphalt mounds), 2 fish species inhabited the asphalt mounds preferentially and 27 taxa were apparently normal soft-sediment fauna. Antipatharians (3.6±2.3% s.e.) and poriferans (2.6±1.9% s.e.) accounted for the highest mean percentage of the observed cover, with actinarians (0.9±0.4% s.e.) and alcyonaceans (0.4±0.2% s.e.) covering smaller proportions of the area. Asphalt mounds represent a common and important habitat on several margin systems globally and should be recognised in future environmental assessment and management of these areas.     

Mud volcanoes at the front of the Makran accretionary complex,Pakistan

Conical mounds, 1–1.5 km in diameter, and up to 65 m high were mapped at the foot of the active Makran continental margin. The mounds developed seaward of the accretionary front in a relatively planar zone where the beginning of build-up of tectonic pressure initiates deformation. Based on shallow high-resolution 4 kHz sediment echosounding, the sedimentary sequence in this area is generally well stratified, as indicated by closely spaced horizontal reflections. However, in the vicinity of the mounds the sediment is characterised by many acoustically transparent zones, which are 100–300 m in diameter and cut near-vertically through the horizontal reflectors.Two sediment cores from the top of the largest cone and a neighbouring acoustically transparent zone reveal small-scale post-depositional deformation in a stratified sequence and methane concentrations up to 40,000 ng/g. This deformation and disruption of potential reflectors provides a clue to explain the acoustic transparency: we interpret it as caused by the rise of charged fluids and mud, leading initially to the (slight) disturbance of the generally good acoustic reflectors and eventually to the formation of conical mud mounds (mud volcanoes). MCS data, showing a buried mound in an analogous structural position, support the idea of tectonically induced mud/fluid expulsion seaward of the accretionary front.     

Scale of temperature variability in the maritime Antarctic intertidal zone

The Antarctic Peninsula is currently considered as one of the fastest changing regions on Earth yet temperature variability in some of its environments and habitats is not well-documented. Given the increased glacier retreat, summer melts, sea level rise and ozone losses the intertidal zone is likely to be one of the most rapidly altering of environments but also one of the least investigated in polar waters. This study aims to quantify summer temperature variability in some habitats of the intertidal zone at King George Island. Three transects were selected across tidal flat. Four temperature loggers were deployed at each of them from extreme low water spring tide level to extreme high water spring tide level between 07.12.2010 and 18.03.2011. All the loggers were deployed at the rocky substratum. The temperature range across the study tidal flat was between − 2.26 °C and + 21.18 °C. The average (summer) temperature obtained from 12 loggers varied from + 1.89 to + 3.26 °C. In all the three transects average temperature increased with tidal height. Much higher temperature variability was recorded at higher than at lower tide locations. Differences in temperature between the three study transects existed. Results obtained from the studied tidal flat show that several factors combined altogether, including: water movement by tidal forces, wave action, air temperature, sun light intensity, shore lithology and the presence of ice and snow in the area, seem to influence its temperature.     

Near-bed particle deposition and resuspension in a cold-water coral mound area at the Southwest Rockall Trough margin,NE Atlantic

Cold-water coral reefs and mounds are observed mainly on slopes and topographic highs, in areas with high current speeds. Previous investigations of the near-bed hydrodynamic regime around cold-water coral mounds at the Southwest Rockall Trough margin have revealed the presence of internal waves with a diurnal tidal frequency. Hitherto only short-term measurements existed on the particle supply to the corals and data are lacking on the seasonal variability. Bottom landers equipped with sensors recording near-bottom current dynamics were deployed at two sites in a mound area on the Southwest Rockall Trough margin, one with a dense coral cover and one without coral cover. At both sites a similar seasonal variation in internal-wave activity was recorded with high activity during winter and summer months and less dynamic conditions in spring and autumn. Increased intensity of internal-wave activity, reflected in higher average near-bottom current speed and amplitude of daily temperature fluctuations, results in higher mass fluxes as recorded in the sediment traps. On the site without coral cover, mass fluxes are two times higher, compared to the site with dense coral cover. During periods of high mass fluxes a predominance of resuspended material was observed at both sites, as indicated by reduced ²¹⁰Pb activity and low organic matter concentrations. The flux of resuspended material largely masked the primary pelagic signal. However, low δ¹⁵N values in early spring and summer marked the arrival of fresh particles on both sites. A dense coral framework, baffling a large amount of particles settling between the coral branches, results in differences in particle flux, chemical composition and freshness of the trapped material. On the long term the presence of a coral framework plays a crucial role in the build-up of cold-water coral mounds.     

Eddies and a mesoscale deflection of the slope current in the Faroe–Shetland Channel

The mesoscale dynamics of the Scottish side of the Faroe–Shetland Channel have been investigated using synoptic in situ and remote sensing observations. A cold core cyclonic eddy, identified from an AVHRR image, had a diameter of about 50 km and surface current speeds of up to 50 cm s^-1; it appeared to be attached to the 800 m isobath as it moved north-eastward along the edge of the channel at about 8 cm s^-1. Speeds in the slope current were about 50 cm s^-1 but increased to 70 cm s^-1 where the current was compressed by the eddy. Offshore, over the 1000 m isobath in the cooler water, speeds in the current were slower (ca. 20 cm s^-1). North-west of the Shetlands the offshore edge of the slope current was deflected across the channel for a distance of about 70 km from the shelf edge. The speed of drifters in the slope current increased to over 60 cm s^-1 as they moved anti-cyclonically around this deflection. CTD profiles suggest that the movement of the surface waters was mirrored in the deep water of the channel. The deflection carried a very large quantity of North Atlantic Water into the central part of the channel; its cause and ultimate fate are not known, although it is likely to have had a significant impact on the dynamics of the channel.     

Solitary wave generation dynamics at Luzon Strait

A high resolution modeling study is undertaken, with a 2.5-dimensional nonhydrostatic model, of the generation of internal waves induced by tidal motion over the ridges in Luzon Strait. The model is forced by the barotropic tidal components K1, M2, and O1. These tidal components, along with the initial density field, were extracted from data and models. As the barotropic tide moves over the Luzon Strait sills, there is a conversion of barotropic tidal energy into baroclinic tidal energy. Depressions are generated that propagate towards the Asian Seas International Acoustics Experiment (ASIAEX) test site on the Chinese continental shelf. Nonlinear effects steepen the depressions, frequency and amplitude dispersion set in, and disintegration into large amplitude solitary waves occurs. The effects of varying the initial density field, tidal component magnitudes, as well as adding a steady background current to represent the occasional excursions of the Kuroshio Current into the strait, are considered.Depressions are generated at each of the two sills in Luzon Strait which radiate away, steepening and evolving into internal solitary wave trains. Baroclinic fluxes of available potential energy, kinetic energy and linear are calculated for various parameter combinations. The solitary wave trains produced in the simulations generally consist of large amplitude wave trains alternating with small amplitude wave trains. During strong tidal flow, Kelvin–Helmholtz type instabilities can develop over the taller double-humped sill. The solitary waves propagating towards the ASIAEX test site have been observed to reach amplitudes of 120–250 m, depending on the tidal strength. ASIAEX observations indicate amplitudes up to 150 m and the Windy Island Experiment (WISE) measurements contain magnitudes over 200 m. The model results yield solitary wave amplitudes of 70–300 m and half widths of 0.60–3.25 km, depending on parameter values. These are in the range of observations. Measurements by Klymak et al. (2006), in the South China Sea, exhibit amplitudes of 170 m, half widths of 3 km and phase speeds of 2.9 m s^?1. Model predictions indicate that the solitary waves making up the wave packet each experience different background currents with strong near surface shear.The energy in the leading soliton of the large amplitude wave trains ranges between 1.8 and 9.0 GJ m^?1. The smaller value, produced using barotropic tidal currents based on the Oregon State University data base, is the same as the energy estimated to be in a solitary wave observed by Klymak et al. (2006). Estimates of the conversion of barotropic tidal energy into radiating internal wave energy yield conversion rates ranging between 3.6% and 8.3%.     

Short-term environmental variability in cold-water coral habitat at Viosca Knoll,Gulf of Mexico

The Lophelia pertusa community at Viosca Knoll (VK826) is the most extensive found to date in the Gulf of Mexico. As part of a multi-disciplinary study, the physical setting of this area was described using benthic landers, CTD transects and remotely operated vehicle observations. The site was broadly characterised into three main habitats: (1) dense coral cover that resembles biogenic reef complexes, (2) areas of sediment, and (3) authigenic carbonate blocks with sparse coral and chemosynthetic communities. The coral communities were dominated by L. pertusa but also contained numerous solitary coral species. Over areas that contained L. pertusa, the environmental conditions recorded were similar to those associated with communities in the north-eastern Atlantic, with temperature (8.5–10.6 °C) and salinity (～35) falling within the known species niche for L. pertusa. However, dissolved oxygen concentrations (2.7–2.8 ml l^?1) and density (σ_Θ, 27.1–27.2 kg m^?3) were lower and mass fluxes from sediment trap data appeared much higher (4002–4192 mg m^?2 d^?1). Yet, this species still appears to thrive in this region, suggesting that L. pertusa may not be as limited by lower dissolved oxygen concentrations as previously thought. The VK826 site experienced sustained eastward water flow of 10–30 cm s^?1 over the 5-day measurement period but was also subjected to significant short-term variability in current velocity and direction. In addition, two processes were observed that caused variability in salinity and temperature; the first was consistent with internal waves that caused temperature variations of 0.8 °C over 5–11 h periods. The second was high-frequency variability (20–30 min periods) in temperature recorded only at the ALBEX site. A further pattern observed over the coral habitat was the presence of a 24 h diel vertical migration of zooplankton that may form part of a food chain that eventually reaches the corals. The majority of detailed studies concerning local environmental conditions in L. pertusa habitats have been conducted within the north-eastern Atlantic, limiting most knowledge of the niche of this species to a single part of an ocean basin. Data presented here show that the corals at VK826 are subjected to similar conditions in temperature, salinity, and flow velocity as their counterparts in the north-east Atlantic, although values for dissolved oxygen and density (sigma-theta: σ_Θ) are different. Our data also highlight novel observations of short-term environmental variability in cold-water coral habitat.     

Factors influencing the abundance of deep pelagic bioluminescent zooplankton in the Mediterranean Sea

Measurements of the density of deep pelagic bioluminescent zooplankton (BL) were made with the Intensified Silicon Intensifier Target (ISIT) profiler in the Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, Ionian Seas and the Strait of Sicily from ～300 m to near seafloor. Mean BL densities ranged from 2.61 m^?3 at 500–1000 m depth in the Adriatic Sea to 0.01 m^?3 at 4000–5000 m depth in the E Ionian Sea. We investigated drivers of spatial variation of deep pelagic BL density. Linear regression was applied between surface chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration and underlying BL density. Chl a values were determined from satellite derived 100 km radius composites (six 10-day means per ISIT deployment, over preceding 60 days). At 500–1000 m depth we found a significant positive relationship between mean BL density and mean Chl a in the period prior to 0–10 days (at 1% level) and prior to 10–40 days (at 5% level). Beyond 40 days no relationship between BL density and Chl a was found at this depth. At depths 1000–1500 m BL density values were low and no significant relationship with Chl a was detected. Generalised additive modelling (GAM) was used to assess the influence of benthic hotspots (seamount; cold water coral mound; mud volcano) on overlying BL density. A reduction in BL density was found downstream of the Palinuro seamount from 300 to 600 m. No effect on BL density in the overlying water column was detected from the presence of cold water corals. Higher BL densities were detected over the W Madonna dello Ionio mud volcano than at other sites sampled in the NW Ionian Sea. We find surface Chl a to be a good predictor of BL density in the mesopelagic zone; below this depth we hypothesise that processes affecting the efficiency of particle export to deep water may exert greater influence on BL density.     

The deep-water motion through the Lifamatola Passage and its contribution to the Indonesian throughflow

In order to estimate the contribution of cold Pacific deep water to the Indonesian throughflow (ITF) and the flushing of the deep Banda Sea, a current meter mooring has been deployed for nearly 3 years on the sill in the Lifamatola Passage as part of the International Nusantara Stratification and Transport (INSTANT) programme. The velocity, temperature, and salinity data, obtained from the mooring, reflect vigorous horizontal and vertical motion in the lowest 500 m over the ～2000 m deep sill, with speeds regularly surpassing 100 cm/s. The strong residual flow over the sill in the passage and internal, mainly diurnal, tides contribute to this bottom intensified motion. The average volume transport of the deep throughflow from the Maluku Sea to the Seram Sea below 1250 m is 2.5 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³/s), with a transport-weighted mean temperature of 3.2 °C. This result considerably increases existing estimates of the inflow of the ITF into the Indonesian seas by about 25% and lowers the total mean inflow temperature of the ITF to below 13 °C. At shallower levels, between 1250 m and the sea surface, the flow is directed towards the Maluku Sea, north of the passage. The typical residual velocities in this layer are low (～3 cm/s), contributing to an estimated northward flow of 0.9–1.3 Sv. When more results from the INSTANT programme for the other Indonesian passages become available, a strongly improved estimate of the mass and heat budget of the ITF becomes feasible.     

Benthic foraminifera as bioindicator for cold-water coral reef ecosystems along the Irish margin

Cold-water coral ecosystems building cold-water carbonate mounds occur worldwide and are especially developed along the European margin, from northern Norway to the Gulf of Cadiz. A remarkable mound province is documented southwest of Ireland along the Porcupine and Rockall Banks. In this area carbonate mounds are formed in water depths between 500 and 1200 m and are often densely settled by cold-water coral ecosystems offering many ecological niches for benthic foraminifera. We investigated total (unstained) benthic foraminiferal assemblages from surface sediments (0–1 cm, >63 μm size fraction) of this region with the aim to trace their distribution patterns and to test if they can be used as bioindicators for facies characterization in different parts of carbonate mound systems. Our quantitative data were further statistically treated with non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) based on Bray–Curtis similarity matrix to highlight community patterns that were not readily apparent. Our results indicate that different benthic foraminiferal assemblages characterize different facies along cold-water carbonate mounds and are related to the environmental conditions and available substrates. The following facies can be described: (1) the Off-Mound Facies is dominated by uvigerinids and other infaunal species; (2) the Dropstone Facies is characterized by infaunal Globocassidulina subglobosa and attached-epifaunal Cibicidoides sp.; (3) the Dead Coral Facies is characterised by epifaunal species (e.g., Planulina ariminensis, Hanzawaia boueana) and infaunal species (Spiroplectinella wrightii, Angulogerina angulosa, Epistominella vitrea); (4) the Living Coral Facies includes both infaunal and epifaunal species, but is dominated by the epifaunal Discanomalina coronata; and (5) the Sandwave Facies contains high abundances of epifaunal species including D. coronata. Based on this distribution, we propose D. coronata, as an indicator species to identify active mounds and/or living cold-water coral ecosystems. Our results also emphasise the importance of studying the small size fractions that yield many infaunal species. A causal link exists between distribution patterns of benthic foraminifera and cold-water coral facies, thus providing an independent tool to identify and describe the different facies in this setting.     

Mesoscale distribution and advection of overwintering Calanus finmarchicus off the shelf of northern Norway

Data collected on a cruise in January 2008, using a laser optical plankton counter, conductivity–temperature–depth sensors, and a lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler, was used to study the mesoscale distribution and advection of overwintering Calanus finmarchicus in its deep water winter habitat off the shelf of northern Norway. The overwintering animals were generally located immediately below the Atlantic Water (AW) in Arctic Intermediate Water (AIW), in the 600–1200 m depth range. The depth of the interface between AW and AIW varied considerably in the area and this was clearly reflected in the C. finmarchicus distribution. Maximum abundance varied from about 80 ind m^?3 to more than 200 ind m^?3 at the different stations. Current measurements showed the richness of mesoscazle eddies, with speeds exceeding 70 cm s^?1 at the surface and rapidly decreasing with depth. In the main overwintering layer the eddy features were also clearly seen, but with speeds generally below 20 cm s^?1. C. finmarchicus were found in the whole survey area, but they were not homogeneously distributed. Advection of the copepods resulted in relatively high local rates of change in overwintering C. finmarchicus abundance with mean value of 8% per day in the area. It is clear that mesoscale physical processes greatly contribute to the variability in the abundance of overwintering C. finmarchicus off the shelf of northern Norway. The collected data are also a valuable addition to the generally sparse datasets on the C. finmarchicus winter distribution and the role of the Lofoten basin in the large scale system is also discussed.     

Enhancement of particulate organic carbon export flux induced by atmospheric forcing in the subtropical oligotrophic northwest Pacific Ocean

The effects of extreme atmospheric forcing on the export flux of particulate organic carbon (POC) in the warm oligotrophic nitrogen-limited northwest Pacific Ocean were examined in 2007 during the spring Asian dust storm period. Several strong northeast monsoon events (maximum sustained wind speeds approaching 16.7 m s^? 1, and gusts up to 19.0 m s^? 1) accompanied by dust storms occurred during a 1-month period. The cold stormy events decreased surface water temperature and induced strong wind-driven vertical mixing of the water column, resulting in nutrient entrainment into the mixed layer from subsurface waters. As a result, the export flux of POC ranged from 49 to 98 (average value = 71 ± 16) mg m^? 2 day^? 1, approximately 2–3 times greater than average values in other seasons. As dry and wet deposition of nitrogen attributable to Asian dust storm events does not account for the associated increases in POC stocks in this N-limited oligotrophic oceanic region, the enhancement of POC flux must have been caused by nutrient entrainment from subsurface waters because of the high winds accompanying the dust storm events.     

Hydrographic and hydrodynamic characteristics of the eastern basin of the Bransfield Strait (Antarctica)

Hydrographic station and current meter data are used to estimate circulation and transport in the eastern basin of the Bransfield Strait. The short distance between adjacent hydrographic stations (20 km) allows evaluation of structures at scales seldom addressed in previous studies. The main feature of the derived circulation is the Bransfield Front and its associated baroclinic jet (the Bransfield Current). This frontal current crosses the northern half of the basin in a generally SW–NE direction, has maximum geostrophic speeds of 22 cm s^−l (at the jet entrance), and has geostrophic transport relative to 500 dbar estimated to be 1 Sv. Dynamically significant mesoscale features associated with the Bransfield Current are seen to be relevant down to 500 dbar. Specific aspects inferred from our analysis are the apparent high degree of stationarity of the described circulation, the shallow intrusions of Circumpolar Deep Water through the northern boundary of the domain (from the Drake Passage), and the northward sinking of Weddell Sea water over most of the domain.     

Distribution and quality of sedimentary organic matter on the Aquitanian margin (Bay of Biscay)

During the ECOFER experiment (French ECOMARGE program), surficial sediments were sampled on the Aquitanian margin with box corers and analyzed to determine the quantity and quality of organic matter. Sediments from the margin are enriched in organic carbon (mean value 1.35%) in comparison to deep-sea and shelf sediments, due to a fine grain-size sedimentation. As sedimentation rates are high, the margin appears to be an organic depocenter. Some preferential organic enrichment zones were identified in the Cap-Ferret Canyon. There is a supply of continental material from the Gironde estuary, but marine contribution seems more possible than Adour or spanish rivers. No seasonal variations of organic matter were observed at the surface of sediments, suggesting mineralization processes of labile organic matter: average organic carbon consumption was evaluated to 9.0 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹. Rapid biological mineralization processes are lower than on the Mediterranean margin, mainly related to significant differences in water temperature. The great width of the canyon, its distance from the continent, and the current circulation pattern prevent any precise recording of the variable organic inputs to the sediment and favor nepheloı̈d transport, resuspension and shelf break processes, which wipe out any print of fresh material input. An organic carbon budget indicates that an equilibrium between organic inputs and organic mineralization+accumulation is not obtainable. The supply of suspended matter could have been minor during the year in question, and sedimentation rates are still imprecise.     

The role of crabs (Macrophthalmus japonicus) burrows on organic carbon cycle in estuarine tidal flat,Japan

The objective of this study is to elucidate the burrow structure and to clarify the role of burrows in material cycle in the tidal flat. In our work, we focused on the dominant species in muddy tidal flat, crab Macrophthalmus japonicus.Burrow structure of Macrophthalmus japonicus was investigated on a Katsuura river tidal flat in Tokushima prefecture, Japan, using in situ resin casting. Sampling was conducted in August 2006, and a total of 48 burrow casts were obtained. Burrows consisted mainly of J-shaped structures (98%) while the rest belonged to U-shaped structures (2%). The maximum measured burrow volume was 120 cm³ and wall surface area was 224 cm², while maximum burrow length and depth were 23.2 cm and 16.5 cm, respectively. Burrow volume and surface area were strongly correlated with carapace width of M. japonicus. Investigation of the individual number of M. japonicus in 13 quadrats (50 × 50 × 20 cm) was conducted using 2 mm sieve. The number of M. japonicus was 15–31 ind./m². Using cohort analysis we estimated that surface area of burrows was 0.07–0.15 m²/m².CO₂ emission rate was measured at the surface sediment during the period from June to December 2008. Results varied from 13.8 ± 2.2 to 49.4 ± 3.2 mg CO₂/m²/h, and organic carbon decomposition was 3.8 ± 0.6–13.5 ± 0.9 mg C/m²/h. This leads the increase of organic carbon decomposition by 1.1 times, because of the expansion of the tidal flat surface area by burrowing activity. Organic carbon decomposition in burrow walls therefore contributed to organic matter decomposition in the tidal flat. These results indicated that in situ activities of Macrophthalmus japonicus significantly influence the material cycle and it is important to consider the existence of burrow in order to understand the fluxes of materials and to evaluate the purification function of the tidal flat.     

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) as a main nutrient source for benthic and water-column primary production in a large intertidal environment of the Yellow Sea

The biogeochemistry and magnitude of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) was investigated in one of the largest tidal flat ecosystems worldwide, along the Yellow Sea coast. A representative semi-enclosed embayment located in the south eastern Yellow Sea, Hampyeong Bay, was chosen for this purpose. Groundwater and seawater samples were collected in three seasons (May, July, and September) and analyzed for Ra isotopes, nutrients, and photosynthetic pigments. The biogeochemistry of SGD was strongly influenced by tidal oscillations and seasonal precipitation changes and switched from a brackish, nutrient-enriched regime in May and July to an exclusively saline regime, with lower nutrient concentrations, in September. SGD magnitudes, calculated by using a ²²⁶Ra mass balance model, were 0.14 m³ m^? 2 d^? 1 in May and 0.35 m³ m^? 2 d^? 1 in September. A nutrient mass balance was established for the two campaigns, which suggests that SGD causes the flushing of substantial amounts of pore water nutrients into this embayment; because of SGD, the embayment acts as a source of dissolved inorganic silicates (DSi) that are transported to the open ocean. Potential C fixation rates derived from this nutrient mass balance were compared with two different models for water-column phytoplankton productivity based on water-column Chl a and local irradiation levels. The Chl a-based models generally showed lower C fixation rates than the nutrient-based mass balance, indicating removal of up to 70% of the nutrients by other primary producers, such as benthic algae. During monsoon season, when benthic algal biomass is high and nutrient fluxes are substantial due to a terrestrial component, SGD — driven benthic primary production could play a significant role in this large tidal flat ecosystem.     

In situ modification of modern submarine hyaloclastic/pyroclastic deposits by oceanic currents: an example from the Southern Kermadec arc (SW Pacific)

Submarine volcaniclastic deposits, both modern and ancient, pose a conundrum in distinguishing between syn- and post-eruptive processes. High-standing, submarine volcanic edifices of the late Quaternary southern Kermadec arc (SW Pacific) are point sources of pyroclastic/hyaloclastic deposits that are bathed and modified by a complex current system of the South Pacific gyre flowing southeast along the northern margin of New Zealand, which in part comprises the anticyclonic flow of the warm-cored East Cape Eddy (ECE). Flow of the ECE across the southern Kermadec arc provides a present-day case of extensive and in situ, post-eruptive, textural modification of modern pyroclastic/hyaloclastic deposits on the crests and upper flanks of submarine stratovolcanoes. Photographic observations (and limited textural data) from seven Kermadec volcanoes reveal pervasive evidence of sediment winnowing (including crag and tail structures, scour and moating around volcanic blocks, coarse sand-granule lag deposits, epifaunal deflection, lineated mud streaking, and moulded bioturbation mounds) and asymmetric current-ripple bedforms at water-depths of at least 1500 m. All bedforms indicate increasing current speed at progressively higher elevations (decreasing water-depth) for each volcano. Current-ripples mostly have discontinuous, asymmetric, shorted-crested, linguoid–lunate forms below 1000 m water-depth, progressing to semi-continuous, asymmetric, shorted-crested, linear-sinuous forms above 500 m. Current elutriation of the Kermadec deposits progressively removes fines with decreasing water-depth resulting in relatively fines-depleted, volcaniclastic sands and granules. This post-eruptive process overprints syn-eruptive processes that notionally generate more comminuted fine-grained clasts with decreasing water-depth as phreatomagmatic explosive eruptions become more vigorous. Current-elutriation also modifies volcaniclastic detritus prior to subsequent removal by episodic, mass-gravity flow. In addition the sand-granule traction load, driven by current-flow, moves sediment nearly continuously to gully and rill heads for removal down-slope, independently of syn-eruptive sediment flux. The underlying observation is that volcaniclastic deposits rarely reflect just syn-eruptive processes, and that significant in situ current-elutriation of at the least surficial pyroclastic/hyaloclastic eruption products can occur on submarine volcanoes.Threshold current velocities, derived assuming unidirectional flow over cohesionless sand-lapilli grainsizes, and accounting for bed friction, yield current velocities (at 100 cm above the bed) of ≤15 cm s⁻¹ for water-depths >1500 m through to ∼70 cm s⁻¹ for depths <500 m at the crests of Rumble III and V volcanoes. Estimated velocities are consistent with short-term current velocities of 30–40 cm s⁻¹, measured directly from either acoustic doppler current profile data or relative geostrophic flow, since the latter do not account for seafloor topographic intensification. The variable hydrographic climatology of the ECE, known from sea-surface dynamic heights and repeat CTD surveys, is possibly recorded by seafloor substrates as evinced by worm-trails post-dating ripple formation and differing orientations of winnowed structures and ripples.     

Winter and spring phytoplankton composition and production in a shallow eutrophic Baltic lagoon

Taxonomic composition and productivity of winter and spring phytoplankton in a eutrophic estuary have been investigated in order to elucidate the carbon flux under conditions of limitation by physical factors – light and temperature. In spite of the important differences in nutrients, solar radiation and water temperature between winter and spring season, mean concentrations of particulate organic carbon were equal to 13.2 and 13.0 mgC l⁻¹, respectively. Chlorophyll a averaged at 79 μgChl l⁻¹ in winter, that is 69% of spring. Although community respiration accounted for only 6–26% of light saturated photosynthesis, integrated net primary production of the 1.2 m deep water column was negative until April. High attenuation of the water body (K_o = 2.9 m⁻¹) lead to a negative carbon balance (net heterotrophy) below 35 cm for all sampling dates. Thus, the high winter POC and phytoplankton values can only originate from summer or autumn primary production. This assumption was supported by a carbon loss rate of just 3% of total organic carbon per day for the whole water column. The composition of phytoplankton was very constant through both seasons: 39% Chlorophyceae, 33% Cyanobacteria and 25% Bacillariophyceae. As expected, phytoplankton was low light acclimated, having high α values (slope of light limited photosynthesis), but moderate maximum photosynthesis rates at saturating irradiances, which were heavily affected by temperature. Calculation of net carbon flux yet showed net heterotrophy of the Bodden waters in winter and early spring were caused by external physical limitation (low surface irradiance and low temperature) in combination with a high light attenuation of the water body.     

The importance of tides for sediment dynamics in the deep sea—Evidence from the particulate-matter tracer 234Th in deep-sea environments with different tidal forcing

Key aspects of deep-ocean fluid dynamics such as basin-scale (residual) and tidal flow are believed to have changed over glacial/interglacial cycles, with potential relevance for climatic change. To constrain the mechanistic links, magnitudes and temporal succession of events analyses of sedimentary paleo-records are of great importance. Efforts have been underway for some time to reconstruct residual-flow patterns from sedimentary records. Attempts to reconstruct tidal flow characteristics from deep-sea sediment deposits, however, are at a very early stage and first require a better understanding of the reflection of modern tides in sediment dynamics. In this context internal (baroclinic) tides, which are formed by the surface (barotropic) tide interacting with seafloor obstacles, are believed to play a particularly important role. Here we compare two modern deep-sea environments with respect to the effect of tides on sediment dynamics. Both environments are influenced by kilometre-scale topographic features but with vastly different tidal forcing: (1) two sites in the Northeast Atlantic (NEA) being surrounded by, or located downstream of, fields of short seamounts (maximum barotropic tidal current velocities ～5 cm s^?1); and (2) a site next to the Anaximenes seamount in the Eastern Mediterranean (EMed) (maximum barotropic tidal current velocities ～0.5 cm s^?1). With respect to other key fluid-dynamical parameters both environments are very similar. Signals of sedimentary particle dynamics, as influenced by processes taking place in the bottom boundary layer, were traced by the vertical water-column distribution of radioactive disequilibria (daughter/parent activity ratios≠1) between the naturally occurring, short-lived (half-life: 24.1 d) particulate-matter tracer ²³⁴Th relative to its very long-lived and non-particle-reactive parent nuclide ²³⁸U. Activity ratios of ²³⁴Th/²³⁸U<1 in water samples collected near the seafloor indicate fast ²³⁴Th scavenging onto particles followed by fast settling of these particles from the sampled parcel of water and, therefore, imply active sediment resuspension and dynamics on time scales of up to several weeks. In the Northeast Atlantic study region tides (in particular internal tides) are very likely to locally push total current velocities near the seafloor across the critical current velocity threshold for sediment erosion or resuspension whereas in the Eastern Mediterranean the tides are much too weak for this to happen. This difference in tidal forcing is reflected in a difference of the frequency of the occurrence of radioactive disequilibria <1 between total ²³⁴Th and ²³⁸U: In the near-bottom water column of the Northeast Atlantic region 59% of samples had detectable ²³⁴Th/²³⁸U disequilibria whereas at the Eastern Mediterranean site this fraction was only 7% (including a few disequilibria >1). The results of this study, therefore, add to the evidence suggesting that tides in the deep sea of the open oceans are more important for sediment dynamics than previously thought. It is hypothesised that (a) tide/seamount interactions in the deep open ocean control the local distribution of erosivity proxies (e.g., distributions of sediment grain sizes, heavy minerals and particle-reactive radionuclides) in sedimentary deposits and (b) the aforementioned topographically controlled sedimentary imprints of (internal) tides are useful in the reconstruction of past changes of tidal forcing in the deep sea.     

Distribution of deep-water corals along the North American continental margins: Relationships with environmental factors

Despite the increasing attention to assemblages of deep-water corals in the past decade, much of this research has been focused on documenting and enumerating associated fauna. However, an understanding of the distribution of most species of coral and the ecological processes associated with these assemblages is still lacking. In this study, we qualitatively and quantitatively described the habitats of two families of deep-water corals in relation to six oceanographic factors (depth, slope, temperature, current, chlorophyll a concentration and substrate) on the Pacific and Atlantic Continental Margins of North America (PCM and ACM study areas, respectively). This study focused primarily on the distributions of Primnoidae and Paragorgiidae because of the large number of documented occurrences. For each environmental factor, deep-water coral locations were compared to the surrounding environment using χ² tests. On both continental margins, coral locations were found to be not randomly distributed within the study areas, but were within specific ranges for most environmental factors. In the PCM study area, Paragorgiidae and Primnoidae locations were found in areas with slopes ranging from 0° to 10.0°, temperature from −2.0 to 11.0 °C and currents from 0 to 143 cm s⁻¹. In the ACM study area, Paragorgiidae and Primnoidae locations were found in areas with slopes ranging from 0° to 1.4°, temperature ranging from 0 to 11.0 °C and currents ranging from 0 to 207 cm s⁻¹. Although the patterns in habitat characteristics were similar, differences existed between families with respect to particular environmental factors. In both study areas, most environmental parameters in locations where corals occurred were significantly different from the average values of these parameters as determined with χ² tests ($p<0.05$) except for substrate in Paragorgiidae locations and depth in Primnoidae locations on the PCM. This is the first study to show coral distributional patterns at the continental shelf/slope scale.