Trans-Atlantic responses of Calanus finmarchicus populations to basin-scale forcing associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation

Populations of the copepod species Calanus finmarchicus often dominate the springtime biomass and secondary production of shelf ecosystems throughout the North Atlantic Ocean. Recently, it has been hypothesised that interannual to interdecadal fluctuations observed in such populations are driven primarily by climate-associated changes in ocean circulation. Here, we compare evidence from the North Sea and Gulf of Maine/Western Scotian Shelf (GoM/WSS) linking fluctuations in C. finmarchicus abundance to changes in ocean circulation associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). A particularly striking contrast emerges from this Trans-Atlantic comparison: whereas the North Sea C. finmarchicus population exhibits a negative correlation with the NAO index, the GoM/WSS population exhibits a more complex, positive association with the index. The physical processes underlying these contrasting population responses are discussed in the context of regional- to basin-scale circulation changes associated with the NAO.     

Distribution of Calanus finmarchicus in the northern North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean—Expatriation and potential colonization

The distribution of Calanus finmarchicus was studied on a transect across the central Greenland Sea, and on five transects from the Eurasian shelves across the Atlantic Inflow in the Arctic Ocean. Stage composition was used as an indicator for successful growth; gonad maturity and egg production were taken as indicators for reproductive activity. On the Arctic Ocean transects, these parameters were measured simultaneously from the sibling species Calanus glacialis. Response of egg production rate to different temperatures at optimal food conditions was very similar between both species in the laboratory. C. finmarchicus was present at all stations studied, but young developmental stages were only present close to the regions of submergence of Atlantic water under the Polar water. This together with a decreasing abundance and biomass from west to east along the Atlantic Inflow in the Arctic Ocean and reproductive failure indicates that C. finmarchicus is expatriated in the Arctic Ocean. We hypothesize that the late availability of food in the Arctic Ocean, rather than low temperature per se, limits reproductive success. Better reproductive success in the very low temperature regions of the Return Atlantic Current and the marginal ice zone in the Greenland Sea supports this hypothesis. The possibility for a replacement of C. glacialis by C. finmarchicus and consequences for the ecosystem after increasing warming of the Arctic are discussed.     

Seasonal development of Calanus finmarchicus in relation to phytoplankton bloom dynamics in the Norwegian Sea

Seasonal development of Calanus finmarchicus was studied in relation to the physical environment and phytoplankton bloom dynamics in the Norwegian Sea during eight basin-scale surveys from March to August 1995. Our main objective was to gain new knowledge about the life cycle of C. finmarchicus and its adaptation to the physical and biological environment of the Norwegian Sea. Time of spawning, estimated by temperature-dependent back-calculations from the occurrences of copepodite stage 1 (CIs), varied by water mass and occurred mainly during the phytoplankton pre-bloom and bloom periods. Recruitment to CI of the year's first generation (G1) generally occurred during the bloom and late bloom. The seasonal development of C. finmarchicus was progressively delayed from Coastal to Atlantic and to Arctic water, and from south to north within Atlantic and Arctic waters. This delay was partly linked to the phytoplankton bloom development that followed the same pattern, but development of C. finmarchicus also showed an increasing tendency to lag behind the phytoplankton development in colder waters. This may explain why C. finmarchicus are less successful in colder water. The consumption of nitrate was used as proxy for the seasonal history of phytoplankton development to aid interpretation of the lifecycle of C. finmarchicus. This approach allows us to align phytoplankton bloom and copepod development sequences despite temporal and geographical variation in bloom development, which otherwise tend to cause variability in quasi-synoptic and large-scale data. Two generations of C. finmarchicus were found in southern and northern regions of Coastal Water, and in southern Atlantic Water. In northern Atlantic Water and in Arctic Water, one generation was observed.     

Trophic position of Calanus finmarchicus (Copepoda, Calanoida) in the Trondheim Fjord

The trophic position of Calanus finmarchicus in the Trondheim Fjord in 2004 was determined through stable isotope analyses. Wild specimens were sampled monthly in the fjord and δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N signatures of the developmental stages from CIII to adults were measured. There were statistically significant differences in the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N signatures of three identified groups: overwintered parental generation, developing new generation and new generation preparing for overwintering. C. finmarchicus individuals raised in a laboratory on a pure algal diet (Dunaliella tertiolecta and Isochrysis galbana) provided stable isotope signatures for purely herbivorous copepods. With these signatures as comparison, the trophic position of C. finmarchicus in the Trondheim Fjord in 2004 was determined as trophic level 2.4, thus indicating omnivory under natural conditions. Additionally, our data suggest that seasonal differences in the δ¹³C signatures of C. finmarchicus are due to the varying lipid content of the different developmental stages.     

Structure and resilience of overwintering habitats of Calanus finmarchicus in the Eastern Norwegian Sea

Very high concentrations of overwintering Calanus finmarchicus were found in the eastern Lofoten Basin of the Norwegian Sea close to the shelf break in January 2001–2002. A coupled 3D hydrodynamic and ecological model was used to study the formation of this deep overwintering aggregation and its stability. The ecological model includes nutrients, phytoplankton and microzooplankton in addition to a stage-structured model of C. finmarchicus. Using a Eulerian approach, the model was initiated with an overwintering stock evenly distributed in the oceanic regions of the Norwegian Sea, i.e. where depths>600 m. Spawning and development of the new generation take place in response to vertical mixing and phytoplankton development. Animals are assumed to begin their descent to overwintering depths of 700–1000 m as late stage Vs. Model results show that, in late summer, high concentrations of animals were found at overwintering depths near the shelf break north of the North Sea, off the northeastern Vøring Plateau and in the eastern Lofoten Basin along the slope of the Barents Sea shelf. They remained there for months due to deep eddies and southward, deep currents along the Norwegian shelf. The simulation experiments indicate that the combined effect of deep anticyclonic circulation and vertical migration behavior of the animals may explain the high concentrations of overwintering C. finmarchicus found in field surveys in the Eastern Lofoten Basin, close to the shelf break.     

Egg production of Calanus finmarchicus—A basin-scale study

Egg production of Calanus finmarchicus was studied during joint basin-scale surveys in April–June 2003 in the Norwegian Sea. Surveys covered the whole Norwegian Sea and were conducted from Norwegian, Icelandic and Faroese research vessels. Stations were classified as being in pre-bloom, bloom or post-bloom phase according to levels of chlorophyll a and nitrate. Individual egg production rates and population egg production rates were calculated and compared between areas. Both individual egg production rates (eggs female⁻¹ day⁻¹) and population egg production rates (eggs m⁻² day⁻¹) were significantly higher in bloom areas compared with pre-bloom and post-bloom areas. However, when integrated over an estimated duration of the three phases, the time-integrated egg production (eggs m⁻²) in most years was highest in the pre-bloom phase, and this was explained by the longer duration of this phase compared with the two other phases.     

Manganese in the Western North Atlantic Ocean

Dissolved and total dissolvable manganese concentrations have been measured at four stations in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Total dissolvable manganese concentrations are high in surface waters, decrease to uniformly low levels throughout the bulk of the water column, and increase in the bottom nepheloid layer. Dissolved Mn (Mn_d) concentrations follow the total dissolvable concentrations throughout the surface and deep waters but do not increase in the near-bottom waters.Deep water concentrations of Mn_d decrease from 30 ng l^?1 in the Newfoundland Basin to 20 ng l^?1 in the Sargasso Sea. This change and other features of the deep water distribution of dissolved manganese could be associated with the slow oxidation of Mn²⁺ to MnO₂. There is also evidence at one station of scavenging of manganese from the dissolved phase in the near-bottom layer which may again be related to the kinetics of manganese oxidation.     

Silver in the far North Atlantic Ocean

Total (unfiltered) silver concentrations in higher latitudes of the North Atlantic (52–68°N) are reported for the second Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Global Investigation of Pollutants in the Marine Environment (GIPME) baseline survey of 1993. These silver concentrations (0.69–7.2 pM) are oceanographically consistent with those (0.24–9.6 pM) previously reported for lower latitudes in the eastern North and South Atlantic (Flegal et al., 1995). However, surface (⩽200 m) water concentrations of silver (0.69–4.6 pM) in the northern North Atlantic waters are, on average, ten-fold larger than those (0.25 pM) considered natural background concentrations in surface waters of the central Atlantic. In contrast, variations in deep far North Atlantic silver concentrations are associated with discrete water masses. Consequently, the cycling of silver in the far North Atlantic appears to be predominantly controlled by external inputs and the advection of distinct water masses, in contrast to the nutrient-like biogeochemical cycling of silver observed in the central Atlantic and Pacific oceans.     

Source regions for recruitment of Calanus finmarchicus to Georges Bank: evidence from molecular population genetic analysis of mtDNA

Molecular population genetic analysis has provided evidence that the copepod, Calanus finmarchicus, of the Labrador Current, Gulf of St Lawrence, Scotian Shelf, Gulf of Maine, and Georges Bank constitute a single, interbreeding population. The DNA sequence of a 350 base pair portion of the mitochondrial large subunit (16S) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene was determined for a total of 72 individuals collected in 1992, and 110 individuals collected in 1993 from these regions. There was significant heterogeneity in haplotype frequencies among the samples collected in 1992, but this heterogeneity did not resolve into regional patterns. The only regional differences seen were between pooled samples of the western N. Atlantic and those of the Norwegian Sea. There were no significant differences in haplotype frequencies among the samples collected in 1993, and fewer haplotypes were observed in these samples. Intraspecific molecular variation was typical of other marine species: there were 29 haplotypes among the 182 individuals sequenced. The frequency distribution of the haplotypes was highly skewed: 128 individuals shared one haplotype and 19 individuals were unique. There were 24 variable sites among the 350 bases sequenced; estimated nucleotide diversity was 0.0042. The genetic character of C. finmarchicus populations in the western N. Atlantic was stable over time in that three of the haplotypes (including the most abundant) occurred in both 1992 and 1993. However, haplotype frequencies differed significantly between the two years. The lack of regional structure in the 1992 samples and the genetic homogeneity of samples collected in 1993 across the domain from the Labrador Current to the Gulf of St Lawrence to Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine indicated that there is significant gene flow across this region. The persistent genetic pattern suggests that the Gulf of St Lawrence may be an important source region for recruitment of C. finmarchicus to Georges Bank. Determination of zooplankton dispersal patterns within high gene flow species will provide information that may not be determined by conventional oceanographic analyses.     

Reactive mercury in the central North Atlantic Ocean

The level of reactive mercury in pelagic waters near the Mid Atlantic Ridge, south of the Azores, and in the Sargasso Sea, north of Bermuda, was studied. The reactive Hg concentration in both locations was shown to be fairly uniform with depth at a level of 2.5 ± 0.5 pmol l⁻¹. The profiles show no indication of a simple Hg-nutrient relationship. The deep water from the Famous area was also sampled and showed no elevated Hg levels.     

西北冰洋陆坡区极北哲水蚤种群快速补充研究

在北冰洋的高纬度海区,陆坡—海盆之间的交换对极北哲水蚤（Calanus hyperboreus）的种群补充具有非常重要的意义。为了研究极北哲水蚤在西北冰洋种群补充的地理差异,我们利用2003年夏季所采集的样品,分析了该物种的丰度、种群结构和体长分布。从总丰度的地理分布来看,极北哲水蚤主要分布在楚科奇海与楚科奇深海平原之间的陆坡区（CS-slope）,而在水深较浅的楚科奇海并没有记录。在CS-slope区域,极北哲水蚤的总丰度在1 110.0—5 815.0个/m³之间,而其他海区的总丰度在40.0—950.0个/m³之间。从不同的发育期分布上来看,早期幼体（CI-CIV）在CS-slope区域占优势,而CV期幼体和成体在深水海盆区占优势。从体长的地理分布上来看,差异最为明显的是CⅢ期幼体,其在CS-slope区域的前体长在2.48—2.61 mm之间,而在其他海区的前体长在2.16—2.37 mm之间。与环境因子相关性的分析结果显示,早期幼体（CI-CIV）的丰度与叶绿素a的浓度呈正相关关系,而CV期幼体和成体却与叶绿素a的浓度呈负相关关系。我们的结果表明,极北哲水蚤可以通过加快第一个生长季节的发育速度而受益于初级生产力的增加,并且高生产力的CS-slope区域是陆坡-海盆之间种群补充的潜在来源。     

Speciation of Fe in the Eastern North Atlantic Ocean

In the Eastern North Atlantic Ocean iron (Fe) speciation was investigated in three size fractions: the dissolvable from unfiltered samples, the dissolved fraction (<0.2 μm) and the fraction smaller than 1000 kDa (<1000 kDa). Fe concentrations were measured by flow injection analysis and the organic Fe complexation by voltammetry. In the research area the water column consisted of North Atlantic Central Water (NACW), below which Mediterranean Overflow Water (MOW) was found with the core between 800 and 1000 m depth. Below 2000 m depth the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) proper was recognised. Dissolved Fe and Fe in the <1000 kDa fraction showed a nutrient like profile, depleted at the surface, increasing until 500–1000 m depth below which the concentration remained constant. Fe in unfiltered samples clearly showed the MOW with high concentrations (4 nM) compared to the overlying NACW and the underlying NADW, with 0.9 nM and 2 nM Fe, respectively. By using excess ligand (Excess L) concentrations as parameter we show a potential to bind Fe. The surface mixed layer had the highest excess ligand concentrations in all size fractions due to phytoplankton uptake and possible ligand production. The ratio of Excess L over Fe proved to be a complementary tool in revealing the relative saturation state of the ligands with Fe. In the whole water column, the organic ligands in the larger colloidal fraction (between 0.2 μm and 1000 kDa) were saturated with Fe, whereas those in the smallest fraction (<1000 kDa) were not saturated with Fe, confirming that this fraction was the most reactive one and regulates dissolution and colloid aggregation and scavenging processes. This regulation was remarkably stable with depth since the alpha factor (product of Excess L and K′), expressing the reactivity of the ligands, did not vary and was 10¹³. Whereas, in the NACW and the MOW, the ligands in the particulate (>0.2 μm) fraction were unsaturated with Fe with respect to the dissolved fraction, thus these waters had a scavenging potential.     

北大西洋大青鲨渔业生物学初步研究

大青鲨(Prionace glauca)是金枪鱼延绳钓渔业中最主要的兼捕鱼种之一,作为海洋生物链的顶端物种对海洋生态系统的稳定性和多样性起到了重要作用。作者根据中国金枪鱼渔业科学观察员在北大西洋海域(3°~55°N,15°~40°W)采集的2 112尾大青鲨数据,按不同性别对其渔业生物学特征进行初步研究。结果表明:雌、雄大青鲨的优势叉长组分别为180~220 cm、190~230 cm,雄性叉长均值显著大于雌性,雌、雄性比符合1︰1;大青鲨叉长-全长、尾凹长-全长的线性关系分别为L_F=0.8008L_T+7.3361,L_P=0.7576L_T–1.8479;北大西洋热带海域(3°~13°N)兼捕的大青鲨群体组成以大个体为主(180~240 cm),冰岛附近海域(48°~51°N)兼捕的大青鲨群体组成以小个体为主(100~210 cm);大青鲨叉长和质量关系式为W_R=7×10~(–6)L_F~(2.9994);大青鲨肝脏为性腺的发育提供能量,成熟个体的肝质量指数显著小于未成熟个体;热带海域兼捕的大青鲨以性成熟个体为主(96.9%),冰岛海域兼捕的大青鲨以未成熟个体居多(77.1%);50%雌性性成熟个体对应的叉长为178.7 cm,50%雄性性成熟个体对应叉长为173.6 cm;雌性怀仔大青鲨的叉长与其怀仔数量线性关系为L_S=0.419×L_F–49.7(R~2=0.3905),幼仔雌雄性比符合1︰1;胃含物中以沙丁鱼和鱿鱼出现频率最高。作者的研究有助于更好地了解北大西洋大青鲨的生物学特征,为区域性渔业管理组织评估大青鲨种群资源状态提供数据参考。     

Spatial and seasonal patterns in abundance and age-composition of Calanus finmarchicus in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank: 1977–1987

The mean seasonal cycle and distribution of various life history stages of C. finmarchicus throughout the Georges Bank (GB)-Gulf of Maine (GOM) region were characterized based on 5966 MARMAP zooplankton samples collected during 106 surveys over a 10-year period (autumn 1977–autumn 1987). A high degree of seasonal and spatial variability in C. finmarchicus abundance throughout the region was evident in contoured portrayals of data, grouped into standard stations and 2-month “seasons”.Eight subareas of the Gulf of Maine-Georges Bank region were identified through cluster analysis of standard stations having similar seasonal patterns in mean abundance of C. finmarchicus stages C3, C4, C5 and adults. These were the northern Gulf of Maine (Northern GOM); southern Gulf of Maine (Southern GOM); Scotian Shelf-coastal Gulf of Maine (Scotian-Coastal GOM); Mass Bay; tidally mixed Georges Bank (Mixed GB); tidal front on the Bank separating mixed from seasonally stratified water (Tidal Front GB); seasonally stratified water on the Bank (Stratified GB) and the Continental Slope adjacent to Georges Bank (SLOPE).A distinct seasonal abundance cycle was present in all subareas, but, the magnitude and timing of annual maxima varied greatly among subareas. Peak abundance was reached early (March–April) in Mixed GB, Tidal Front GB and Mass Bay, and late (July–August) in Northern GOM and Scotian-Coastal GOM. Remaining subareas had maxima in May–June. Abundance increased 10-fold from January–February to March–April and decreased sharply from July–August to September–October in all areas except southern GOM and northern GOM. The amplitude of the annual cycle was weakest in northern GOM and southern GOM, where high concentrations of C. finmarchicus persisted year-round, and strongest in the tidally mixed shallow water on GB, where the sparsest densities of C. finmarchicus occurred most of the year. Abundance curves for the various areas converged in March–April, when C. finmarchicus was ubiquitously very abundant (> 10⁴/10 m²), and diverged from September to December.C. finmarchicus stage distribution in the GB-GOM area was highly negatively correlated with mean water column temperature during the stratified season. This seemed more related to the hydrography of the region, which isolates warmer well mixed Georges Bank from the Gulf of Maine and the stratified areas on the Bank, than to temperature, because Calanus abundances decline on the Bank before water temperatures exceed their preferences.A large part of the spatial and seasonal variation in C. finmarchicus abundance and age structure appears to be tightly coupled to major hydrographic regimes and to major circulation patterns in the region. There was a sharp ecotone between well-mixed Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine as defined by C. finmarchicus abundance patterns and life history distributions. The ecotone is present year-round but is most apparent during the stratified season (May–October), when thermohaline density gradients and the near-surface current jet along the northern flank are generally strongest. The Gulf of Maine had the highest abundances of C. finmarchicus, and lowest spatial and seasonal variation in the region, while tidally mixed Georges Banks displayed the opposite pattern. This indication of stable population centers in the Gulf of Maine would make it a major source of Calanus in the region, particularly during March–April. Distributional patterns also suggest a strong Calanus influence from Scotian Shelf water in northern Gulf of Maine and on the southern flank of Georges Bank.     

Macroecological study of Centropages typicus in the North Atlantic Ocean

Centropages typicus is a temperate neritic-coastal species of the North Atlantic Oceans, generally found between the latitudes of the Mediterranean and the Norwegian Sea. Therefore, the species experiences a large number of environments and adjusts its life cycle in response to changes in key abiotic parameters such as temperature. Using data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey, we review the macroecology of C. typicus and factors that influence its spatial distribution, phenology and year-to-year to decadal variability. The ecological preferences are identified and quantified. Mechanisms that allow the species to occur in such different environments are discussed and hypotheses are proposed as to how the species adapts to its environment. We show that temperature and both quantity and quality of phytoplankton are important factors explaining the space and time variability of C. typicus. These results show that C. typicus will not respond only to temperature increase in the region but also to changes in phytoplankton abundance, structure and composition and timing of occurrence. Methods such as a decision tree can help to forecast expected changes in the distribution of this species with hydro-climatic forcing.     

Seasonal deformation of the North Equatorial Countercurrent in the Atlantic Ocean

The geostrophic circulation of active and intermediate layers in the north Tropical Atlantic is analysed on the basis of data collected in the transatlantic study area in 1986–1987. Its seasonal features are also found. Quasi-steady eddy formations and their relation to the bottom topography are considered for the intermediate region. The influence of these formations on the kinematics of large-scale currents in this layer is substantiated. Structures of large-scale tropical cyclonic and anticyclonic eddy formations are specified. A strategy for further studies in the Tropical Atlantic is suggested.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Extremely deep-draft iceberg scouring in the glacial North Atlantic Ocean

Side-scan sonar and sub-bottom profiling investigations of the Iceland-Faeroe Ridge have revealed the widespread presence of iceberg plowmarks at water depths between 750 and 860 m. This is well beyond the maximum water depth reported for ice scouring in the adjacent areas of the North Atlantic. An exceptionally deep iceberg plowmark was found at the southern flank of the ridge, which could be traced down to 940 m water depth. Supported by published nearby sediment core data, a Saalian (MIS 6) age of that iceberg plowmark is suggested. Considering a glacial sea level of 120 m below present, the paleo-draft of this iceberg is estimated to have been at least 820 m. The keel depth of such giant icebergs drifting in the glacial northern North Atlantic significantly exceeds the draft dimensions of large icebergs seen today in the Antarctic. The most likely source area for this extreme deep-draft type of iceberg is inferred to be southern Greenland. Plowmark direction, which in our case indicates iceberg entrainment by the North Atlantic Current, is suggested to be a useful indicator of (sub)surface paleo-circulation during late Pleistocene iceberg surging and deglaciation episodes.     

Mode-1 internal tides in the western North Atlantic Ocean

Mode-1 internal tides were observed the western North Atlantic using an ocean acoustic tomography array deployed in 1991–1992 centered on 25°N, 66°W. The pentagonal array, 700-km across, acted as an antenna for mode-1 internal-tides. Coherent internal-tide waves with O(1 m) displacements were observed traveling in several directions. Although the internal tides of the region were relatively quiescent, they were essentially phase locked over the 200–300 day data record lengths. Both semidiurnal and diurnal internal waves were detected, with wavenumbers consistent with those calculated from hydrographic data. The M₂ internal-tide energy flux was estimated to be about 70 W m⁻¹, suggesting that mode-1 waves radiate 0.2 GW of energy, with large uncertainty, from the Caribbean island chain at this frequency. A global tidal model (TPXO 5) suggested that 1–2 GW is lost from the M₂ barotropic tide over this region, but the precise value was uncertain because the complicated topography makes the calculation problematic. In any case, significant conversion of barotropic to baroclinic tidal energy does not occur in the western North Atlantic basin. It is apparent, however, that mode-1 internal tides have very weak decay and retain their coherence over great distances, so that ocean basins may be filled up with such waves. Observed diurnal amplitudes were an order of magnitude larger than expected. The amplitude and phase variations of the K₁ and O₁ constituents observed over the tomography array were consistent with the theoretical solutions for standing internal waves near their turning latitude. The energy densities of the resonant diurnal internal waves were roughly twice those of the barotropic tide at those frequencies.     

Lead in the North Sea and the north east Atlantic Ocean

Lead has been determined in 105 water samples from the north east Atlantic and from the North Sea. Rigorous precautions were applied to avoid contamination during sampling and analysis.Two different analytical methods were used: ASV and AAS. Determinations with ASV were carried out on board, directly after sampling. After two months storage, acidified samples were analysed by AAS after freon dithiocarbamate extraction and nitric acid back extraction. Particulate lead was determined by AAS after an acid digestion.The profiles of lead concentration versus depth show around 160 pM at the surface and around 20 pM at the bottom, both in the Atlantic and in the Norwegian Sea. The shapes of the profiles are different, however, depending on the hydrography of the area sampled. The profiles from the north east Atlantic coincide with a recently published profile from the north west Atlantic. Moreover, these profiles have lead concentrations about a factor of three higher than those in the Pacific.Considering the high lead input to the North Sea, the lead concentrations found there are remarkably low, probably because of scavenging effects in estuaries leading to a short residence time in the water column. The dominant lead input in offshore regions is from the atmosphere. The highest lead levels are found in the northern North Sea, around 300 pM in surface water.In the Atlantic, particulate lead is a minor part of the total lead whereas in the North Sea the particulate fraction is larger, up to 40%.     

The geochemistry of basal sediments from the North Atlantic Ocean

Chemical analyses of North Atlantic D.S.D.P. (Deep Sea Drilling Project) sediments indicate that basal sediments generally contain higher concentrations of Fe, Mn, Mg, Pb, and Ni, and similar or lower concentrations of Ti, Al, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Li than the material overlying them. Partition studies on selected samples indicate that the enriched metals in the basal sediments are usually held in a fashion similar to that in basal sediments from the Pacific, other D.S.D.P. sediments, and modern North Atlantic ridge and non-ridge material.Although, on average, chemical differences between basal sediments of varying ages are apparent, normalization of the data indicates that the processes leading to metal enrichment on the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge appear to have been approximately constant in intensity since Cretaceous times. In addition, the bulk composition of detrital sediments also appears to have been relatively constant over the same time period. Paleocene sediments from site 118 are, however, an exception to this rule, there apparently having been an increased detrital influx during this period.The bulk geochemistry, partitioning patterns, and mineralogy of sediments from D.S.D.P. 9A indicates that post-depositional migration of such elements as Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb may have occurred. The basement encountered at the base of site 138 is thought to be a basaltic sill, but the overlying basal sediments are geochemically similar to other metalliferous basal sediments from the North Atlantic. These results, as well as those from site 114 where true oceanic basement was encountered, but where there was an estimated 7 m.y. hiatus between basaltic extrusion and basal sediment deposition, indicate that ridge-crest sediments are not necessarily deposited during active volcanism but can be formed after the volcanism has ceased. The predominant processes for metal enrichment in these deposits and those formed in association with other submarine volcanic features is a combination of shallow hydrothermal activity, submarine weathering of basalt, and the formation of ferromanganese oxides which can scavenge metals from seawater. In addition, it seems as though the formation of submarine metalliferous sediments is not restricted to active-ridge areas.