Spatial variability in organic material sinking export in the Hudson Bay system,Canada, during fall

Spatial variations in the sinking export of organic material were assessed within the Hudson Bay system (i.e., Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait and Foxe Basin) during the second oceanographic expedition of ArcticNet, on board the CCGS Amundsen in early fall 2005. Sinking fluxes of particulate organic material were measured using short-term free-drifting particle interceptor traps deployed at 50, 100 and 150 m for 8–20 h at eight stations. Measurements of chlorophyll a (chl a), pheopigments (pheo), particulate organic carbon (POC), biogenic silica (BioSi), protists, fecal pellets and bacteria were performed on the collected material. In parallel, sea surface salinity and temperature were determined at 121 stations in the Hudson Bay system. Three hydrographic regions presenting different sedimentation patterns were identified based on average surface salinity and temperature. Hudson Strait was characterized by a marine signature, with high salinity (average=32.3) and low temperature (average=2.1 °C). Eastern Hudson Bay was strongly influenced by river runoff and showed the lowest average salinity (26.6) and highest average temperature (7.6 °C) of the three regions. Western Hudson Bay showed intermediate salinity (average=29.4) and temperature (average=4.4 °C). Sinking fluxes of total pigments (chl a+pheo: 3.37 mg m⁻² d⁻¹), diatom-associated carbon (19.8 mg m⁻² d⁻¹) and BioSi (50.2 mg m⁻² d⁻¹) at 50 m were highest in Hudson Strait. Eastern Hudson Bay showed higher sinking fluxes of total pigments (0.52 mg m⁻² d⁻¹), diatom-associated carbon (3.29 mg m⁻² d⁻¹) and BioSi (36.6 mg m⁻² d⁻¹) compared to western Hudson Bay (0.19, 0.05 and 7.76 mg m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively). POC sinking fluxes at 50 m were low and relatively uniform throughout the Hudson Bay system (50.0–76.8 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹), but spatial variations in the composition of the sinking organic material were observed. A large part (37–78%) of the total sinking POC was unidentifiable by microscopic observation and was qualified as amorphous detritus. Considering only the identifiable material, the major contributors to the POC sinking flux were intact protist cells in Hudson Strait (28%), fecal pellets in eastern Hudson Bay (52%) and bacteria in western Hudson Bay (17%). A significant depth-related attenuation of the POC sinking fluxes (average loss between 50 and 150 m=32%) and a significant increase in the BioSi:POC ratio (average increase between 50 and 150 m=76%) were observed in Hudson Strait and eastern Hudson Bay. For all other sinking fluxes and composition ratios, we found no statistically significant difference with depth. These results show that during fall, the sinking export of total POC from the euphotic zone remained fairly constant throughout the Hudson Bay system, whereas other components of the organic sinking material (e.g., chl a, BioSi, fecal pellets, protist cells) showed strong spatial variations.     

Phytoplankton biomass and primary production responses to physico-chemical forcing across the northeastern New Zealand continental shelf

Phytoplankton biomass and primary production were monitored in the Hauraki Gulf and on the northeastern continental shelf, New Zealand - using ship surveys, moored instruments and satellite observations (1998-2001) - capturing variability across a range of space and time scales. A depth-integrated primary production model (DIM) was used to predict integrated productivity from surface parameters, enabling regional-specific estimates from satellite data. The shelf site was dominated by pico-phytoplankton, with low chlorophyll-a (<1 mg m⁻³) and annual production (136 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹). In contrast, the gulf contained a micro/nano-phytoplankton-dominated community, with relatively high chlorophyll-a (>1 mg m⁻³) and annual production (178 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹). Biomass and productivity responded to physico-chemical factors; a combination of light, critical mixing depths and/or nutrient limitation—particularly new nitrate-N. Relatively low biomass and production was observed during 1999. This coincided with inter-annual variability in the timing and extent of upwelling- and downwelling-favourable along-shelf wind-stress, influencing the fluxes of new nitrate-N to the shelf and gulf. Relationships with the Southern Oscillation Index are also discussed. Our multi-scaled sampling highlighted details associated with stratification and de-stratification events, and deep sub-surface chlorophyll-a not visible to satellite sensors. This study demonstrates the importance of multi-scaled sampling in gaining estimates of regional production and its responses to physico-chemical forcing.     

Seasonal variation of microzooplankton (20–200 μm) and its possible implications on the vertical carbon flux in the western Bay of Bengal

Stratification (throughout the year) and low solar radiation (during monsoon periods) have caused low chlorophyll a and primary production (seasonal average 13–18 mg m⁻² and 242–265 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively) in the western Bay of Bengal (BoB). The microzooplankton (MZP) community of BoB was numerically dominated by heterotrophic dinoflagellates (HDS) followed by ciliates (CTS). The highest MZP abundance (average 665±226×10⁴ m⁻²), biomass (average 260±145 mg C m⁻²) and species diversity (Shannon weaver index 2.8±0.42 for CTS and 2.6±0.35 for HDS) have occurred during the spring intermonsoon (SIM). This might be due to high abundance of smaller phytoplankton in the western BoB during SIM as a consequence of intense stratification and nitrate limitation (nitracline at 60 m depth). The strong stratification during SIM was biologically evidenced by intense blooms of Trichodesmium erythraeum and frequent Synechococcus–HDS associations. The high abundance of smaller phytoplankton favors microbial food webs where photosynthetic carbon is channeled to higher trophic levels through MZP. This causes less efficient transfer of primary organic carbon to higher trophic levels than through the traditional food web. The microbial food web dominant in the western BoB during SIM might be responsible for the lowest mesozooplankton biomass observed (average 223 mg C m⁻²). The long residence time of the organic carbon in the surface waters due to the active herbivorous pathways of the microbial food web could be a causative factor for the low vertical flux of biogenic carbon during SIM.     

Effects of macroalgal blooms on carbon and nitrogen biogeochemical cycling in photoautotrophic sediments: an experimental mesocosm

The effects of floating macroalgae (250 g DW m⁻²) on photoautotrophic microbenthos were studied in a flow-through mesocosm with a parallel mesocosm without macroalgae serving as Control. Vertical microprofiles of O₂ at the sediment-water interface showed a immediate and complete suppression of photosynthetic activity of microphytobenthos (MPB) under the macroalgal canopy, resulting in a shift of benthic metabolism from autotrophic to heterotrophic. MPB abundance and chlorophyll a content decreased and a change from a diatom-dominated to cyanobacteria-dominated community was observed. Inorganic nitrogen nutrients´ concentrations increased in the porewater as a result of the inhibition of MPB nutrient demand, leading to an increase in net ammonification and anaerobic consumption rates. No organic matter transfer from macroalgae to the sediment was detected, resulting in a net consumption of the carbon and nitrogen stored in the sediment. In consequence, sediment was progressively impoverished in nitrogen, reducing sediment nutrient regeneration.     

Seasonal contribution of living phytoplankton carbon to vertical fluxes in a coastal upwelling system (Ría de Vigo, NW Spain)

The aim of this study is to explore the contribution of living phytoplankton carbon to vertical fluxes in a coastal upwelling system as a key piece to understand the coupling between primary production in the photic layer and the transfer mechanisms of the organic material from the photic zone. Between April 2004 and January 2005, five campaigns were carried out in the Ría de Vigo (NW Iberian Peninsula) covering the most representative oceanographic conditions for this region. Measurements of particulate organic carbon (POC), chlorophyll-a (chl a), phaeopigments (phaeo), and identification of phytoplankton species were performed on the water column samples and on the organic material collected in sediment traps.The POC fluxes measured by the sediment traps presented no seasonal variation along the studied period ranging around a mean annual value of 1085±365 mg m⁻² d⁻¹, in the upper range of the previously reported values for other coastal systems. The fact that higher POC fluxes were registered during autumn and winter, when primary production rates were at their minimum levels points to a dominant contribution of organic carbon from resuspended sediments on the trap collected material. On the contrary, fluxes of living phytoplankton carbon (C_phyto) and chl a clearly presented a seasonal trend with maximum values during summer upwelling (546 mg m⁻² d⁻¹ and 22 mg chl a m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively) and minimum values during winter (22 mg m⁻² d⁻¹ and 0.1 mg chl a m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively). The contribution of C_phyto to the vertical flux of POC ranged between 2% and 49% in response to the pelagic phytoplankton community structure. Higher values of C_phyto fluxes were registered under upwelling conditions which favour the dominance of large chain-forming diatoms (Asterionellopsis glacialis and Detonula pumila) that were rapidly transferred to the sediments. By contrast, C_phyto fluxes decreased during the summer stratification associated with a pelagic phytoplankton community dominated by single-cell diatoms and flagellates. Minimal C_phyto fluxes were observed during the winter mixing conditions, when the presence of the benthic specie Paralia sulcata in the water column also points toward strong sediment resuspension.     

Pelagic production and respiration in the Gulf of Papua during May 2004

The metabolic balance between production and respiration in plankton communities of the Gulf of Papua was investigated in May 2004. Water samples taken at 19 stations were allocated to groups on the basis of physico-chemical characteristics. Oxygen consumption and production in flasks incubated in the dark and in the light was determined by micro-Winkler titration. Dark bottle respiration in samples influenced by the estuarine plume averaged 3.09±1.92 (SD) mmol O₂ m⁻³ d⁻¹ and production within surface light bottles averaged 7.63±3.36 (SD)  mmol O₂ m⁻³ d⁻¹. Corresponding values in stations more typical of the central Gulf of Papua were 1.68±1.30 (SD) mmol O₂ m⁻³ d⁻¹ and 1.08±2.25 (SD) mmol O₂ m⁻³ d⁻¹. Despite a shallow (<10 m) euphotic zone within the plume stations, phytoplankton production in the surface layers was sufficiently high to subsidise total water column respiration. Integrating production and respiration over the water column resulted in a calculation of net community production (NCP) of 626±504 (SD) mg C m⁻² d⁻¹, and community respiration (CR) of 712±492 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹ at the plume stations, with an average P:R ratio of 1.97. In the offshore group NCP was 157±450 (SD) mg C m⁻² d⁻¹ and CR was 1620±1576 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹. The average P:R ratio was 1.27. Three of the 7 stations allocated to the offshore group were net heterotrophic. In contrast to earlier studies in the area indicating that the Gulf of Papua waters is heterotrophic [Robertson, A.I., Dixon, P., Alongi, D.M., 1998. The influence of fluvial discharge on pelagic production in the Gulf of Papua, Northern Coral Sea. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 46, 319–331], our data indicate that in May 2004 the Gulf was in positive metabolic balance, but by only ∼120 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹. We conclude that waters of the Gulf of Papua under riverine influence are net autotrophic, but that within the central Gulf there is a fine metabolic balance alternating between autotrophy and heterotrophy.     

The temporal series of the New Guinea 29 April 1996 aftershock sequence

The aim of our search is the analysis of aftershock temporal series following a mainshock with magnitude M ≥ 7.0. Investigating aftershock behavior may find the key to explain better the mechanism of seismicity as a whole.In particular, the purpose of this work is to highlight some methodological aspects related to the observation of possible anomalies in the temporal decay. The data concerning the temporal series, checked according to completeness criteria, come from the NEIC-USGS data bank. Here we carefully analyze the New Guinea 29 April 1996 seismic sequence.The observed temporal series of the shocks per day can be considered as a sum of a deterministic contribution (the aftershock decay power law, n(t) = K·(t + c)^−p + K₁) and of a stochastic contribution (the random fluctuations around a mean value represented by the above mentioned power law). If the decay can be modeled as a non-stationary Poissonian process where the intensity function is equal to n(t) = K·(t + c)^−p + K₁, the number of aftershocks in a small time interval Δt is the mean value n(t)·Δt, with a standard deviation .     

Estimation of nearshore groundwater discharge and its potential effects on a fringing coral reef

Radon (²²²Rn) measurements were conducted in Shiraho Reef (Okinawa, Japan) to investigate nearshore submarine groundwater discharge (SGD_nearshore) dynamics. Estimated average groundwater flux was 2-3 cm/h (maximum 7-8 cm/h). End-member radon concentration and gas transfer coefficient were identified as major factors influencing flux estimation accuracy. For the 7-km long reef, SGD_nearshore was 0.39-0.58 m³/s, less than 30% of Todoroki River’s baseflow discharge. SGD_nearshore was spatially and temporally variable, reflecting the strong influence of subsurface geology, tidal pumping, groundwater recharge, and hydraulic gradient. SGD_nearshore elevated nearshore nitrate concentrations (0.8-2.2 mg/l) to half of Todoroki River’s baseflow -N (2-4 mg/L). This increased nearshore Chl-a from 0.5-2 μg/l compared to the typically low Chl-a (<0.1-0.4 μg/l) in the moat. Diatoms and cyanobacteria concentrations exhibited an increasing trend. However, the percentage contributions of diatoms and cyanobacteria significantly decreased and increased, respectively. SGD may significantly induce the proliferation of cyanobacteria in nearshore reef areas.     

The contribution of various types of settling particles to the flux of organic carbon in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

The contents of 31 samples from free-drifting sediment traps deployed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) were analyzed for the individual contribution of the different types of particles encountered to the total particulate organic carbon (POC) flux. Two trap models were used in 1993-1994: small traps at 50 m depth and large traps at 50 and 150 m. Total POC fluxes averaged 42 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹ for the more reliable large trap and 149 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹ for the small trap. The POC fluxes were attributed to different classes of particles based upon microscopically determined particle dimensions and carbon/volume algorithms available in the literature. Fecal pellets, followed by phytoplankton, were the major attributable components, with important contributions by microzooplankton, particularly during the summer of 1994. The mean fluxes for pellets (6 and 60 mg  C m⁻² d⁻¹, for the large and small traps, respectively) and phytoplankton (3.2 and 42.9 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) were in the range of those encountered in other areas of moderate primary productivity. Mean zooplankton carbon fluxes (1.8 and 8.5 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively), however, reflect higher than average zooplankton abundances in the GSL. The C fluxes of specific algal groups confirmed the existence of three trophic regimes previously identified from water column studies and numeric cell fluxes: (1) a period when diatoms were dominant during the spring, (2) a longer interval, which was dominated by dinoflagellates at most others times of the year, and (3) a period of transition during summer. Carbon of animal origin dominated the attributable flux, including an important fraction associated with heterotrophic dinoflagellates. The contribution of marine snow to the total flux (estimated as the difference between the total POC flux and the sum of the attributed components) frequently amounted to more than 60%. The true importance of marine snow remains uncertain, however, because the errors associated with each of the measured components accumulate to produce large uncertainties. The methodological problems involved are discussed.     

Grain-growth kinetics in wadsleyite: Effects of chemical environment

Grain-growth kinetics in wadsleyite was investigated using a multianvil high-pressure apparatus. Fine-grained wadsleyite aggregates were synthesized by isostatic hot-pressing and were subsequently annealed under high pressure and temperature in a controlled chemical environment. Wadsleyite samples show normal grain-growth characterized by a log-normal grain-size distribution following the relation, where n is a constant, L the grain-size at time t, L₀ the grain-size at time t = 0 and k is a rate constant that depends on temperature T and chemical environments (fO₂: oxygen fugacity in Pa, C_OH: water content in H/10⁶Si) as:

     

Export fluxes of biogenic matter in the presence and absence of seasonal sea ice cover in the Chukchi Sea

Drifting sediment traps were deployed at 9 stations in May-June (ice-covered conditions) and July-August (ice-free conditions) 2004 in the Chukchi Sea to investigate the variability in export fluxes of biogenic matter in the presence and absence of sea ice cover. Measurements of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate nitrogen (PN), phytoplankton, zooplankton fecal pellets, and the stable carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) of the sinking material were performed along Barrow Canyon (BC) and a parallel shelf-to-basin transect from East Hanna Shoal (EHS) to the Canada Basin. POC export fluxes were similarly high in the presence (378±106 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) and in the absence of ice cover (442±203 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) at the BC stations, while fluxes were significantly higher in the absence (129±98 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) than in the presence of ice cover (44±29 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) at the EHS stations. The C/N ratios and δ¹³C values of sinking organic particles indicated that POC export fluxes on the Chukchi continental shelf were mostly composed of freshly produced labile material, except at the EHS stations under ice cover where the exported matter was mostly composed of refractory material probably advected into the EHS region. Chl-a fluxes were higher under ice cover than in ice-free water, however, relatively low daily loss rates of Chl-a and similar phytoplankton carbon fluxes in ice-covered and ice-free water suggest the retention of phytoplankton in the upper water column. An increase in fecal pellet carbon fluxes in ice-free water reflected higher grazing pressure in the absence of ice cover. Elevated daily loss rates of POC at the BC stations confirmed other indications that Barrow Canyon is an important area of carbon export to the basin and/or benthos. These results support the conclusion that there are large spatial and temporal variations in export fluxes of biogenic matter on the Chukchi continental shelf, although export fluxes may be similar in the presence and in the absence of ice cover in highly productive regions.     

Seasonal variations and trophic ecology of microzooplankton in the southeastern Arabian Sea

The seasonal ecological response of microzooplankton in the southeastern Arabian Sea is presented. During the spring intermonsoon period, stratification and depletion of nitrate in the surface waters (nitracline was at 60 m depth) cause low integrated chlorophyll a (av. 19±11.3 mg m⁻²) and primary production (av. 164±91 mgC m⁻² d⁻¹). On the other hand, nutrient enrichment associated with coastal upwelling and river influx during the onset and peak summer monsoon resulted in high integrated chlorophyll a (av. 21±6 mg m⁻² and av. 29±21 mg m⁻², respectively) and primary production (av. 255±94 mgC m⁻² d⁻¹ and av. 335±278 mgC m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively). During all three periods, diazotropic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum dominated in the nutrient depleted surface waters. A general increase in abundance of larger diatoms was evident in the surface waters of the inshore region during monsoon periods. The microzooplankton abundance was found to be significantly higher during the spring intermonsoon (av.241±113×10³ ind m⁻²) as compared to onset of summer monsoon (av. 105±89×10³ ind m⁻²) and peak summer monsoon (av.185±175×10³ ind m⁻²). Microzooplankton community during the spring intermonsoon was numerically dominated by ciliates while heterotrophic dinoflagellate was the dominant ones during the monsoon periods. The high abundance of ciliates during the spring intermonsoon could be attributed to the stratified environmental condition prevailed in the study area which favors high abundance of smaller phytoplankton and cyanobacteria, the most preferred food of ciliates. On the other hand, the dominance of heterotrophic dinoflagellates during the monsoon periods could be linked to their ability to graze larger diatoms which were abundant during the monsoon periods. The overall results show low abundance of microzooplankton in the eastern Arabian Sea during the monsoon periods mainly due to a decline in ciliates abundance. This decline during the monsoon periods could be the result of (a) low abundance of smaller phytoplankton and (b) high stock of mesozooplankton predators (av. 245 ml 100 m⁻³).