Macro- and megafauna communities in three deep basins of the South-East Atlantic

During ‘Meteor’ expedition ‘DIVA 2’ in 2005 the abyssal macro- and megafauna communities were studied in the northern Cape Basin, in the northern Angola Basin and in the eastern and western Guinea Basin. Water depths varied between 5040 and 5670 m.Surface deposit feeding or predatory ophiuroids dominated the megafaunal community in the northern Cape Basin, sponges, sipunculids and fish in the northern Angola Basin, and asteroids, crustaceans and fish in the eastern Guinea Basin, while in the western Guinea Basin sipunculids dominated.In the northern Cape Basin, peracarid crustaceans were the dominant macrofaunal group, followed by polychaetes and bivalves. In the Guinea Basin, polychaetes, peracarid crustaceans and bivalves dominated, although omnivorous or predatory free-living nematodes of macrofaunal size (>0.5 mm) made up 40–60% of the total abundance, with maxima in the western basin.The chlorophyll a content of sediments was lower in the northern Cape and Angola Basins than in the Guinea Basin, which was consistent with the differences in water masses, primary production and flux rate of organic matter in the three basins of the South-East Atlantic. The differences in structure and function of the macro- and megafauna communities in the three basins correlated with the differences in the amount of food reaching the seafloor in tropical and subtropical settings.     

Benthic organic carbon flux and oxygen penetration reflect different plankton provinces in the Southern Ocean

For the investigation of organic carbon fluxes reaching the seafloor, oxygen microprofiles were measured at 145 sites in different sub-regions of the Southern Ocean. At 11 sites, an in situ oxygen microprofiler was deployed for the measurement of oxygen profiles and the calculation of organic carbon fluxes. At four sites, both in situ and ex situ data were determined for high latitudes. Based on this data set as well as on previous published data, a relationship was established for the estimation of fluxes derived by ex situ measured O₂ profiles. The fluxes of labile organic matter range from 0.5 to 37.1 mg C m^?2 d^?1. The high values determined by in situ measurements were observed in the Polar Front region (water depth of more than 4290 m) and are comparable to organic matter fluxes observed for high-productivity, upwelling areas like off West Africa. The oxygen penetration depth, which reflects the long-term organic matter flux to the sediment, was correlated with assemblages of key diatom species. In the Scotia Sea (～3000 m water depth), oxygen penetration depths of less than 15 cm were observed, indicating high benthic organic carbon fluxes. In contrast, the oxic zone extends down to several decimeters in abyssal sediments of the Weddell Sea and the southeastern South Atlantic. The regional pattern of organic carbon fluxes derived from microsensor data suggests that episodic and seasonal sedimentation pulses are important for the carbon supply to the seafloor of the deep Southern Ocean.     

Patterns of bathymetric zonation of bivalves in the Porcupine Seabight and adjacent Abyssal plain,NE Atlantic

Although the organization patterns of fauna in the deep sea have been broadly documented, most studies have focused on the megafauna. Bivalves represent about 10% of the deep-sea macrobenthic fauna, being the third taxon in abundance after polychaetes and peracarid crustaceans. This study, based on a large data set, examined the bathymetric distribution, patterns of zonation and diversity–depth trends of bivalves from the Porcupine Seabight and adjacent Abyssal Plain (NE Atlantic). A total of 131,334 individuals belonging to 76 species were collected between 500 and 4866 m. Most of the species showed broad depth ranges with some ranges extending over more than 3000 m. Furthermore, many species overlapped in their depth distributions. Patterns of zonation were not very strong and faunal change was gradual. Nevertheless, four bathymetric discontinuities, more or less clearly delimited, occurred at about 750, 1900, 2900 and 4100 m. These boundaries indicated five faunistic zones: (1) a zone above ∼750 m marking the change from shelf species to bathyal species; (2) a zone from ∼750 to 1900 m that corresponds to the upper and mid-bathyal zones taken together; (3) a lower bathyal zone from ∼1900 to 2900 m; (4) a transition zone from ∼2900 to 4100 m where the bathyal fauna meets and overlaps with the abyssal fauna and (5) a truly abyssal zone from approximately 4100–4900 m (the lower depth limit of this study), characterized by the presence of abyssal species with restricted depth ranges and a few specimens of some bathyal species with very broad distributions. The ∼4100 m boundary marked the lower limit of distribution of many bathyal species. There was a pattern of increasing diversity downslope from ∼500 to 1600 m, followed by a decrease to minimum values at about 2700 m. This drop in diversity was followed by an increase up to maximum values at ∼4100 m and then again, a fall to ∼4900 m (the lower depth limit in this study).     

Bathymetry and deep-water exchange across the central Lomonosov Ridge at 88–89°N

Seafloor mapping of the central Lomonosov Ridge using a multibeam echo-sounder during the Beringia/Healy–Oden Trans-Arctic Expedition (HOTRAX) 2005 shows that a channel across the ridge has a substantially shallower sill depth than the ∼2500 m indicated in present bathymetric maps. The multibeam survey along the ridge crest shows a maximum sill depth of about 1870 m. A previously hypothesized exchange of deep water from the Amundsen Basin to the Makarov Basin in this area is not confirmed. On the contrary, evidence of a deep-water flow from the Makarov to the Amundsen Basin was observed, indicating the existence of a new pathway for Canadian Basin Deep Water toward the Atlantic Ocean. Sediment data show extensive current activity along the ridge crest and along the rim of a local Intra Basin within the ridge structure.     

Carbon and biogenic silica export influenced by the Amazon River Plume: Patterns of remineralization in deep-sea sediments

The Amazon River Plume delivers freshwater and nutrients to an otherwise oligotrophic western tropical North Atlantic (WTNA) Ocean. Plume waters create conditions favorable for carbon and nitrogen fixation, and blooms of diatoms and their diazotrophic cyanobacterial symbionts have been credited with significant CO₂ uptake from the atmosphere. The fate of the carbon, however, has been measured previously by just a few moored or drifting sediment traps, allowing only speculation about the full extent of the plume's impact on carbon flux to the deep sea. Here, we used surface (0.5 m) sediment cores collected throughout the Demerara Slope and Abyssal Plain, at depths ranging from 1800 to 5000 m, to document benthic diagenetic processes indicative of carbon flux. Pore waters were extracted from sediments using both mm- and cm-scale extraction techniques. Profiles of nitrate (NO₃) and silicate (Si(OH)₄) were modeled with a diffusion-reaction equation to determine particulate organic carbon (POC) degradation and biogenic silica (bSi) remineralization rates. Model output was used to determine the spatial patterns of POC and bSi arrival at the sea floor. Our estimates of POC and Si remineralization fluxes ranged from 0.16 to 1.92 and 0.14 to 1.35 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively. A distinct axis of POC and bSi deposition on the deep sea floor aligned with the NW axis of the plume during peak springtime flood. POC flux showed a gradient along this axis with highest fluxes closest to the river mouth. bSi had a more diffuse zone of deposition and remineralization. The impact of the Amazon plume on benthic fluxes can be detected northward to 10°N and eastward to 47°W, indicating a footprint of nearly 1 million km². We estimate that 0.15 Tmol C y⁻¹ is remineralized in abyssal sediments underlying waters influenced by the Amazon River. This constitutes a relatively high fraction (~7%) of the estimated C export from the region.; the plume thus has a demonstrable impact on C_org export in the western Atlantic. Benthic fluxes under the plume were comparable to and in some cases greater than those observed in the eastern equatorial Atlantic, the southeastern Atlantic, and the Southern Ocean.     

Bathymetric distribution patterns of Southern Ocean macrofaunal taxa: Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Isopoda and Polychaeta

The aim of this study is to compare the depth distributions of four major Southern Ocean macrobenthic epi- and infaunal taxa, the Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Isopoda, and Polychaeta, from subtidal to abyssal depth. All literature data up to summer 2008, as well as the unpublished data from the most recent ANDEEP I–III (Antarctic benthic deep-sea biodiversity: colonisation history and recent community patterns) expeditions to the Southern Ocean deep sea are included in the analysis. Benthic invertebrates in the Southern Ocean are known for their wide bathymetric ranges. We analysed the distributions of four of the most abundant and species-rich taxa from intertidal to abyssal (5200 m) depths in depth zones of 100 m. The depth distributions of three macrofaunal classes (Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Polychaeta) and one order (Isopoda) showed distinct differences. In the case of bivalves, gastropods and polychaetes, the number of species per depth zone decreased from the shelf to the slope at around 1000 m depth and then showed stable low numbers. The isopods showed the opposite trend; they were less species rich in the upper 1000 m but increased in species numbers from the slope to bathyal and abyssal depths. Depth ranges of families of the studied taxa (Bivalvia: 31 families, Gastropoda: 60, Isopoda: 32, and Polychaeta: 46 families) were compiled and illustrated. At present vast areas of the deep sea in the Southern Ocean remain unexplored and species accumulation curves showed that only a fraction of the species have been discovered to date. We anticipate that further investigations will greatly increase the number of species known in the Southern Ocean deep sea.     

Macrofaunal succession in sediments around kelp and wood falls in the deep NE Pacific and community overlap with other reducing habitats

Sunken parcels of macroalgae and wood provide important oases of organic enrichment at the deep-sea floor, yet sediment community structure and succession around these habitat islands are poorly evaluated. We experimentally implanted 100-kg kelp falls and 200 kg wood falls at 1670 m depth in the Santa Cruz Basin to investigate (1) macrofaunal succession and (2) species overlap with nearby whale-fall and cold-seep communities over time scales of 0.25–5.5 yr. The abundance of infaunal macrobenthos was highly elevated after 0.25 and 0.5 yr near kelp parcels with decreased macrofaunal diversity and evenness within 0.5 m of the falls. Apparently opportunistic species (e.g., two new species of cumaceans) and sulfide tolerant microbial grazers (dorvilleid polychaetes) abounded after 0.25–0.5 yr. At wood falls, opportunistic cumaceans become abundant after 0.5 yr, but sulfide tolerant species only became abundant after 1.8–5.5 yr, in accordance with the much slower buildup of porewater sulfides at wood parcels compared with kelp falls. Species diversity decreased significantly over time in sediments adjacent to the wood parcels, most likely due to stress resulting from intense organic loading of nearby sediments (up to 20–30% organic carbon). Dorvilleid and ampharetid polychaetes were among the top-ranked fauna at wood parcels after 3.0–5.5 yr. Sediments around kelp and wood parcels provided low-intensity reducing conditions that sustain a limited chemoautrotrophically-based fauna. As a result, macrobenthic species overlap among kelp, wood, and other chemosynthetic habitats in the deep NE Pacific are primarily restricted to apparently sulfide tolerant species such as dorvilleid polychaetes, opportunistic cumaceans, and juvenile stages of chemosymbiont containing vesicomyid bivalves. We conclude that organically enriched sediments around wood falls may provide important habitat islands for the persistence and evolution of species dependent on organic- and sulfide-rich conditions at the deep-sea floor and contribute to β and γ diversity in deep-sea ecosystems.     

‘Live’ benthic foraminifera at an abyssal site in the equatorial Pacific nodule province: Abundance,diversity and taxonomic composition

Replicate sediment samples were obtained from 3 closely spaced stations in the Kaplan East (KE) area of the abyssal eastern Equatorial Pacific (∼15°N, 119°W; ∼4100 m water depth), just below the carbonate compensation depth. At each site, 2 (Stns 827, 838) or 3 (Stn 824) complete cores (57 mm i.d.) were subsampled using 2–3 cut-off syringes of 6.6 cm³ cross-sectional area. The 0–1 cm sediment layers (>32 μm fraction) of these 20 subsamples together yielded 12,513 small, rose-Bengal stained benthic foraminifera dominated by agglutinated taxa, most of them morphologically simple monothalamous types or komokiaceans. Almost two-thirds (65%) of specimens were either obvious fragments, mainly of komokiaceans and tubular foraminifera, or single chambers or small groups of chambers believed to be fragments of very fragile komokiaceans. The remaining 4438 specimens (35%) were considered to be complete individuals. Most (78%) of these complete tests were indeterminate agglutinated spheres (termed ‘psammosphaerids’) that constituted 27.6% of all specimens (complete plus fragments). Complete individuals that could be assigned to either described or undescribed species accounted for 983 specimens (22% of complete tests=7.6% of all specimens); only 26 specimens (0.59% of complete individuals) were calcareous and these had invariably lost their tests through dissolution. Some groups exhibited considerable spatial heterogeneity. For example, 45% of the 3455 indeterminate psammosphaerids and 45% of the 3087 Komokiacean-like chambers occurred in single subcores. A total of 252 morphospecies was recognised; 168 were represented by complete individuals and 84 by fragments. There are clear differences between these Pacific assemblages and those from other oceans; in particular, psammosphaerids and isolated komokiacean chambers appear to be much more prevalent in the Pacific compared to the Atlantic Ocean. Some morphospecies present in Kaplan samples are known from the Atlantic but many are not. Such species may either (1) be ubiquitous but undersampled because they are rare or (2) have geographically patterned distributions. Without further sampling, there is no way to distinguish between these 2 possibilities. Fossilisable tests represent a very small component of the KE assemblage. Many of the delicate, monothalamous species that have little fossilisation potential, including the komokiaceans, accumulate stercomata (waste pellets) and may consume organic material and bacteria associated with sediment. Because of their enormous abundance at abyssal depths, these poorly known taxa probably play a substantial role in carbon cycling over vast areas of the Pacific seafloor.     

Dianeutral mixing,transformation and transport of the deep water of the Indian Ocean

The realization of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) replacement in the deep northern Indian Ocean is crucial to the “conveyor belt” scheme. This was investigated with the updated 1994 Levitus climatological atlas. The study was performed on four selected neutral surfaces, encompassing the Indian deep water from 2000 to 3500 m. The Indian deep water comprises three major water masses: NADW, Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) and North Indian Deep Water (NIDW). Since NADW flowing into the southwest Indian Ocean is largely blocked by the ridges (the Madagascar Ridge in the east and Davie Ridge in the north in the Mozambique Channel) and NIDW is the only source in the northern Indian Ocean that cannot provide a large amount of volume transport, CDW has to be a major source for the Indian deep circulation and ventilation in the north. Thus the question of NADW replacement becomes that of how the advective flows of CDW from the south are changed to be upwelled flows in the north—a water-mass transformation scenario. This study considered various processes causing motion across neutral surfaces. It is found that dianeutral mixing is vital to achieve CDW transformation. Basin-wide uniform dianeutral upwelling is detected in the entire Indian deep water north of 32°S, somewhat concentrated in the eastern Indian Ocean on the lowest surface. However, the integrated dianeutral transport is quite low, about a net of 0.2 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³ s^-1) across the lowermost neutral surface upward and 0.4 Sv across the uppermost surface upward north of 32°S with an error band of about 10–20% when an uncertainty of half-order change in diffusivities is assumed. Given about 10–15% of rough ridge area where dianeutral diffusivity could be about one order of magnitude higher (10^-4 m² s^-1) due to internal-wave breaking, the additional amount of increased net dianeutral transport across the lowest neutral surface is still within that error band. The averaged net upward transport in the north is matched with a net downward transport of 0.3 Sv integrated in the Southern Ocean south of 45°S across the lowermost surface. With the previous works of You (1996. Deep Sea Research 43, 291–320) in the thermocline and You (Journal of Geophysical Research) in the intermediate water combined, a schematic dianeutral circulation of the Indian Ocean emerges. The integrated net dianeutral upwelling transport shows a steady increase from the deep water to the upper thermocline (from 0.2 to 4.6) north of 32°S. The dianeutral upwelling transport is accumulated upward as the northward advective transport provided from the Southern Ocean increases. As a result, the dianeutral upwelling transport north of 32°S can provide at least 4.6 Sv to south of 32°S from the upper main thermocline, most likely to the Agulhas Current system. This amount of dianeutral upwelling transport does not include the top 150–200 m, which may contribute much more volume transport to the south.     

Submarine ridges do not prevent large-scale dispersal of abyssal fauna: A case study of Mesocletodes (Crustacea, Copepoda, Harpacticoida)

We examined the large-scale distribution of deep-sea harpacticoid copepods at the species level, in order to clarify the underlying processes of copepod dispersal. The study was based on samples collected from 12 regions and a total of 113 stations: 57 stations at depths between 1107 and 5655 m on abyssal plains in the South and North Atlantic, Southern Ocean, southern Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean, and 56 stations above 900 m in the North Atlantic and eastern Mediterranean Sea.We chose the genus Mesocletodes Sars, 1909 as an ideal group to study the large-scale distribution of harpacticoid copepods in the deep oceans. Clear apomorphies and a comparatively large body size of about 1 mm allow rapid recognition of allied species in meiofauna samples. In addition, Mesocletodes represents more than 50% of the family Argestidae Por, 1986, one of the most abundant harpacticoid families in the deep sea.The geographical distributions of 793 adult females of Mesocletodes belonging to 61 species throughout the South and North Atlantic, Southern Ocean, southern Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and eastern Mediterranean Sea indicated that most species are cosmopolitan. Neither the topography of the sea bottom nor long distances seem to prevent species from dispersing. Passive transport by bottom currents after resuspension is likely the propulsive factor for the dispersal of Harpacticoida, while plate tectonics and movement of individuals in the sediment may play relatively minor roles.     

Agulhas leakage into the Atlantic estimated with subsurface floats and surface drifters

Surface drifters and subsurface floats drifting at depths near 800 m were used to study the pathways of warm, salty Indian Ocean water leaking into the South Atlantic that is a component of the upper limb of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC). Four drifters and 5 floats drifted from the Agulhas Current directly into the Benguela Current. Others looped for various amounts of time in Agulhas rings and cyclones, which translated westward into the Atlantic, contributing a large part of Indian Ocean leakage. Agulhas rings translated into the Benguela Current, where they slowly decayed. Some large, blob-like Agulhas rings with irregular shapes were found in the southeastern Cape Basin. Drifter trajectories suggest these rings become more circular with time, eventually evolving into the circular rings observed west of the Walvis Ridge. Agulhas cyclones, which form on the north side of the Agulhas Current south of Africa, translated southwestward (to 6°E) and contributed water to the southern Cape Basin. A new discovery is a westward extension from the mean Agulhas retroflection measured by westward drifting floats near 41°S out to at least 5°W, with some floats as far west as 25°W. The Agulhas extension appears to split the South Atlantic Current (SAC) into two branches and to transport Agulhas water westward, where it is mixed and blended with eastward-flowing water from the western Atlantic. The blended mixture flows northeastward in the northern branch of the SAC and into the Benguela Current. Agulhas leakage transport was estimated from drifters and floats to be at least 15 Sv in the upper 1000 m, which is equivalent to the transport of the upper layer MOC. It is suggested that the major component of the upper layer overturning circulation in the Atlantic is Agulhas leakage in the form of Agulhas rings.     

Deep flow and transport through the Ulleung Interplain Gap in the Southwestern East/Japan Sea

Deep circulation in the southwestern East/Japan Sea through the Ulleung Interplain Gap (UIG), a possible pathway for deep-water exchange, was directly measured for the first time. Five concurrent current meter moorings were positioned to effectively span the UIG between the islands of Ulleungdo to the west and Dokdo to the east. They provided a 495-day time series of deep currents below 1800 m depth spanning the full breadth of the East Sea Deep and Bottom Water flowing from the Japan Basin into the Ulleung Basin. The UIG circulation is found to be mainly a two-way flow with relatively weak southward flows directed into the Ulleung Basin over about two-thirds of the western UIG. A strong, persistent, and narrow compensating northward outflow occurs in the eastern UIG near Dokdo and is first referred to here as the Dokdo Abyssal Current. The width of the abyssal current is about 20 km below 1800 m depth. The low-frequency variability of the transports is dominated by fluctuations with a period of about 40 days for inflow and outflow transports. The 40-day fluctuations of both transports are statistically coherent, and occur almost concurrently. The overall mean transport of the deep water below 1800 m into the Ulleung Basin over the 16.5 months is about 0.005 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³ s^?1), with an uncertainty of 0.025 Sv indicating net transport is negligible below 1800 m through the UIG.     

Evaluation of the budget for silicic acid in Cascadia Basin deep water

Between 2 and 3 km depth, North Pacific deep waters contain a plume of water with high silicic acid concentrations. The plume extends outward from Cascadia Basin (the Washington Margin), where waters can contain in excess of 200 μM off the coast of Oregon and Washington. To identify the source of the high Si concentrations in Cascadia Basin, we measured silicic acid and germanium concentrations in deep waters, and their fluxes from sediments using incubated cores. The mean flux of silicic acid into bottom waters is 0.81±0.05 mmol/m²-day, and the Ge/Si ratio of this flux is 0.7±0.1 μmol/mol. A box model, incorporating these results with hydrographic data, indicates that (1) no more than 5% of the silicic acid added to Basin deep waters can have a hydrothermal source (either hot or warm seeps), and (2) the total input of silicic acid to Basin deep waters is 0.06±0.02 Tmol/y. This input is nearly all from remineralized biogenic debris and should contribute about 0.5% of the 14 Tmol/y that are estimated to be necessary to maintain the North Pacific plume.     

Mesozooplankton in the Arctic Ocean in summer

The biomass, species and chemical composition of the mesozooplankton and their impact on lower food levels were estimated along a transect across the Arctic Ocean. Mesozooplankton biomass in the upper 200 m of the water column was significantly higher (19–42 mg DW m^-3) than has previously been reported for the Arctic Ocean, and it reached a maximum at ca. 87°N in the Amundsen Basin. The lowest values were recorded in the Chukchi Sea and Nansen Basin, where ice cover was lower (50–80%) than in the central Arctic Ocean. In the deeper strata (200–500 m) of the Canadian and Eurasian Basins, the biomass was always much lower (4.35–16.44 mg DW m^-3). The C/N (g/g) ratio for the mesozooplankton population was high (6.5–8.5) but within the documented range. These high values (when compared to 4.5 at lower latitudes) may be explained by the high lipid content. Mesozooplankton accounted for approximately 40% of the total particulate organic carbon in the upper 100 m of the water column. Mesozooplankton species composition was homogeneous along the transect, consisting mainly of copepods (70–90% of the total number). It was dominated by four large copepod species (Calanus hyperboreus, C. glacialis, C. finmarchicus and Metridia longa), which together accounted for more than 80% of the total biomass. According to measurements of gut pigment and gut turnover rates, the mesozooplankton on average ingested between 6 and 30% of their body carbon per day as phytoplankton. Microzooplankton may have provided an additional source of energy for the mesozooplankton community. These data emphasize the importance of mesozooplankton in the arctic food web and reinforce the idea that the Arctic Ocean should no longer be considered to be a “biological desert”.     

Depth-related distribution and abundance of seastars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in the Porcupine Seabight and Porcupine Abyssal Plain,N.E. Atlantic

The depth-related distribution of seastar (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) species between 150 and 4950 m in the Porcupine Seabight and Porcupine Abyssal Plain is described. 47 species of asteroid were identified from ∼14,000 individuals collected. The bathymetric range of each species is recorded. What are considered quantitative data, from an acoustically monitored epibenthic sledge and supplementary data from otter trawls, are used to display the relative abundance of individuals within their bathymetric range. Asteroid species are found to have very narrow centres of distribution in which they are abundant, despite much wider total adult depth ranges. Centres of distribution may be skewed. This might result from competition for resources or be related to the occurrence of favourable habitats at particular depths. The bathymetric distributions of the juveniles of some species extend outside the adult depth ranges. There is a distinct pattern of zonation with two major regions of faunal change and six distinct zones. An upper slope zone ranges from 150 to ∼700 m depth, an upper bathyal zone between 700 and 1100 m, a mid-bathyal zone from 1100 to1700 m and a lower bathyal zone between 1700 and 2500 m. Below 2500 m the lower continental slope and continental rise have a characteristic asteroid fauna. The abyssal zone starts at about 2800 m. Regions of major faunal change are identified at the boundaries of both upper and mid-bathyal zones and at the transition of bathyal to abyssal fauna. Diversity is greatest at ∼1800 m, decreasing with depth to ∼2600 m before increasing again to high levels at ∼4700 m.     

Year-long float trajectories in the Labrador Sea Water of the eastern North Atlantic Ocean

Year-long Lagrangian trajectories within the Labrador Sea Water of the eastern North Atlantic Ocean are analysed for basic flow statistics. Root-mean-square velocities at 1750 m depth are about 2 cm/s, except within the North Atlantic Current, where they are twice as large. These values are consistent with previous Eulerian measurements and extend those results to a much larger domain of the eastern basin. Mean flow estimates in boxes large enough to contain about 1 float-year of data indicate that Labrador Sea Water, having crossed the Mid- Atlantic Ridge (not resolved) near 50–55^°N, presumably with the North Atlantic Current, partially recirculates to the north in the subpolar gyre, as well as entering the subtropical gyre and continuing south and west. The circulation of this water mass, as defined by the 1 yr average velocities, is stronger than traditional models of deep circulation would suggest, with an interior flow of roughly 1 cm/s. Mean speeds up to 3 cm/s were observed, with the highest values near the Azores Plateau. North of 45°N–55°N, mean eastward speeds closer to 0.2 cm/s were observed. Wind-generated barotropic fluctuations may be responsible for some part of the transport at this depth.     

Organic complexation of iron in the Southern Ocean

The chemical speciation of iron was determined in the Southern Ocean along a transect from 48 to 70°S at 20°E. Dissolved iron concentrations were low at 0.1–0.6 nM, with average concentrations of 0.25±0.13 nM. Organic iron complexing ligands were found to occur in excess of the dissolved iron concentration at 0.72±0.23 nM (equivalent to an excess of 0.5 nM), with a complex stability of log K_FeL′=22.1±0.5 (on the basis of Fe³⁺ and L′). Ligand concentrations were higher in the upper water column (top 200 m) suggesting in situ production by microorganisms, and less at the surface consistent with photochemical breakdown. Our data are consistent with the presence of stable organic iron-complexing ligands in deep global ocean waters at a background level of ∼0.7 nM. It has been suggested that this might help stabilise iron at levels of ∼0.7 nM in deep ocean waters. However, much lower iron concentrations in the waters of the Southern Ocean suggest that these ligands do not prevent the removal of iron (by scavenging or biological uptake) to well below the concentration of these ligands. Scavenging reactions are probably inhibited by such ligand competition, so it is likely that biological uptake is the chief cause for the further removal of iron to these low levels in waters that suffer from very low iron inputs.     

Large Vesicomyidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) from cold seeps in the Gulf of Guinea off the coasts of Gabon,Congo and northern Angola

Two new genera and three new species of large Vesicomyidae are described from cold-seep sites on pockmarks and other sulfide-rich environments in the Gulf of Guinea (tropical east Atlantic) off Gabon, Congo (Brazzaville) and northern Angola, from 500 to 4000 m depth: “Calyptogena” (s.l.) regab n. sp., Wareniconcha (n.g.) guineensis (Thiele and Jaeckel 1931), Elenaconcha guiness n.g. n. sp., and Isorropodon atalantae n. sp. For two other species already taken by the R/V Valdivia in 1898, Calyptogena valdiviae (Thiele and Jaeckel 1931) and Isorropodon striatum (Thiele and Jaeckel 1931) new localities were discovered, and the species are rediscussed. E. guiness n.g. n.sp. is also recorded from off Banc d’Arguin, Mauritania, collected by commercial fishing vessels. The vesicomyid species here treated were encountered in different depth ranges along the Gabon–Congo–Angola margin, between 500 and 4000 m depth, and it was found that, in comparison with the dredge samples taken by the Valdivia expedition off southern Cameroon and off Rio de Oro (both at 2500 m), the same species occur in other depth ranges, in some cases with a vertical difference of more than 1000 m. .That means that the species are not confined to a given depth thought being typical for them and that the characteristics of the biotope are likely to play a major role in the distribution of the vesicomyids associated to cold seeps or other reduced environments along the West African margin.     

Role of colloidal material in the removal of 234Th in the Canada basin of the Arctic Ocean

The phase partitioning of ²³⁴Th between dissolved (<10-kiloDalton, kD), colloidal (10 kD—0.4 μm), and particulate (⩾0.5 μm) matter across a horizontal transect, from a coastal station to the deep Canada Basin, and a vertical profile in the deep Canada Basin of the western Arctic Ocean was investigated. Concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM), dissolved, colloidal and particulate organic carbon, particulate organic nitrogen and nutrients (silicate, phosphate and nitrate) were also measured to assess transport and scavenging processes.Total ²³⁴Th (colloidal+particulate+dissolved) indicated deficiencies relative to secular equilibrium with its parent, ²³⁸U in the upper 100 m, which suggests active scavenging of ²³⁴Th onto particle surfaces. In contrast, at depths >200 m, general equilibrium existed between total ²³⁴Th and ²³⁸U. The inventory of SPM and the specific activity of particulate ²³⁴Th in the Canada Basin was about an order of magnitude higher than the profile reported for the Alpha Ridge ice camp station. This higher concentration of SPM in the southwestern Canada Basin is likely derived from ice-rafted sedimentary particles. Inventories of nutrients, and dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in the upper 100 m of the Canada Basin are comparable to the other estimates for the central Arctic Ocean. Comparison of the mass concentrations of colloidal and filter-retained particulate matter as well as the activity of ²³⁴Th in these phases indicates that only a very small component of the colloidal material is actively involved in Th scavenging. Lower values of the conditional partition coefficient between the colloidal and dissolved phase indicate that the Arctic colloids are less reactive than colloidal material from other regions. The conditional partition coefficient between the filter-retained and dissolved phases (K_f) is generally higher than that for other regions, which is attributed to the higher complexation capacity of glacio-marine sedimentary particles in these waters. The ²³⁴Th-derived export of POC for the shelf and deep Canada Basin ranges between 5.6 and 6.5 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹, and is in agreement with other estimates reported for the central Arctic Ocean and Beaufort Sea.     

Stable abundance,but changing size structure in grenadier fishes (Macrouridae) over a decade (1998–2008) in which deepwater fisheries became regulated

A ten-year time series (1998–2008) from a trawl survey of the continental slope of the NE Atlantic was analyzed to assess temporal variation in the abundance and length frequency of seven species of deepwater grenadier fish. This period coincided (in 2003) with the regulation of deepwater fisheries in this area. None of the species declined in numbers or biomass over the period, and 2 species significantly increased. This suggests that the declines in abundance of these deepwater species following the onset of fishing in the 1970s may now have stabilized, albeit at much lower levels than the virgin biomass. Although two metrics of body size (mean length and maximum length) did not show any evidence for consistent decrease over time, there were significant changes in the overall length–frequency distributions. The species found in shallower depths (500 m) had a greater number of larger individuals in 2008 whereas those found deeper (1500 m) tended to have a greater number of smaller individuals. This suggests the presence of a lagged indirect effect of fishing on species that live beyond the actual depths that fishing takes place.