Modelling carbon cycling through phytoplankton and microbes in the Scotia—Weddell Sea area during sea ice retreat

An ecological model to calculate phytoplankton development and microbial loop dynamics in the marginal ice zone of the antarctic ecosystem has been established on the basis of physical and biological (phyto- and bacterioplankton biomass and activity and counting of two classes of heterotrophic nanoplankton) measurements carried out in the marginal ice zone of the Scotia-Weddell Sea sector of the Southern Ocean during sea ice retreat 1988 (EPOS 1 and 2 expeditions). Application of this model at latitudes where sea ice retreat occurs and in adjacent open sea and permanently ice-covered areas demonstrated that the marginal ice zone is a region of enhanced primary and bacterioplankton production. Combining the results of the phyto- and bacterioplankton models allowed the quantitative estimate of the carbon fluxes through the lower level of the planktonic food web of the Weddell Sea marginal ice zone during the sea ice retreat period. The resulting carbon budget revealed the quantitative importance of microbial and micrograzing processes in the pathways of net primary production, 71% of this latter being assimilated in the microbial food web. However, total net microbial food web secondary production contributed 28% of‘marginal ice zone produced’ food resources available to krill and other Zooplankton.     

ROBUST: The ROle of BUffering capacities in STabilising coastal lagoon ecosystems

“Buffer capacities” has been defined in ecology as a holistic concept (e.g., Integration of Ecosystem Theories: A Pattern, second ed. Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1997, 388pp), but we show that it can also be worked out in mechanistic studies. Our mechanistic approach highlights that “buffering capacities” can be depleted progressively, and, therefore, we make a distinction between current and potential “buffering capacities”. We have applied this concept to understand the limited “local stability” in seagrass ecosystems and their vulnerability towards structural changes into macro-algal dominated communities. We explored the following processes and studied how they confer buffering capacities to the seagrass ecosystem: (i) net autotrophy is persistent in Zostera noltii meadows where plant assimilation acts as a sink for nutrients, this contrasted with the Ulva system that shifted back and forth between net autotrophy and net heterotrophy; (ii) the Z. noltii ecosystem possesses a certain albeit rather limited capacity to modify the balance between nitrogen fixation and denitrification, i.e., it was found that in situ nitrogen fixation always exceeded denitrification; (iii) the nitrogen demand of organoheterotrophic bacteria in the sediment results in nitrogen retention of N in the sediment and hence a buffer against release of nitrogen compounds from sediments, (iv) habitat diversification in seagrass meadows provides shelter for meiofauna and hence buffering against adverse conditions, (v) sedimentary iron provides a buffer against noxious sulfide (note: bacterial sulfide production is enhanced in anoxic sediment niches by increased organic matter loading). On the other hand, in the coastal system we studied, sedimentary iron appears less important as a redox-coupled buffer system against phosphate loading. This is because most inorganic phosphate is bound to calcium rather than to iron. In addition, our studies have highlighted the importance of plant–microbe interactions in the seagrass meadows.     

Population change and environmental problems in the Mid-Boteti region of Botswana

The paper examines the significance of population change in environmental degradation with respect to specific resources use changes in the semi-arid Mid-Boteti region in Botswana.In Mid-Boteti, the combination of population change and new land-use practices which exclude traditional multiple communal resource use from large tracts of land, have led to the degradation of the remaining communal lands and a growing number of poor people who have lost access to cattle and to subsistence hunting and gathering.The loss of these resource use options has reduced the ability of the poor to cope with the environmental conditions, in particular with drought, making them not only dependent upon government drought relief programmes but also forcing them to over exploit free resources or to change to environmentally damaging practices such as goat husbandry and dry-land cultivation on marginal soils.When considering population-environment relationships it is crucial to take into account the socio-economic divisions in the society. For the rich there is often not clear link between population growth and environmental problems, because they have the possibility to reserve resources for their exclusive use. For the poor, however, there exists often a clear relation between population growth, reduced access to environmental resources due to exclusion and increased competition and resulting environmental problems which negatively affect their quality of life.Changes in population distribution as well as population growth were found to play a major role in increasing environmental problems related to expanding resource use in the Mid-Boteti region. But there are also other crucial role players such as increased use of technology under conditions of inappropriate management, commercialisation and growing poverty. It is the combination of population change and these factors which causes serious environmental problems.     

Integrating climatic change and forests: Economic and ecologic assessments

Effective policies for dealing with anticipated climatic changes must reflect the two-way interactions between climate, forests and society. Considerable analysis has focused on one aspect of forests - timber production - at a local and regional scale, but no fully integrated global studies have been conducted. The appropriate ecological and economic models appear to be available to do so. Nontimber aspects of forests dominate the social values provided by many forests, especially remote or unmanaged lands where the impacts of climatic change are apt to be most significant. Policy questions related to these issues and lands are much less well understood. Policy options related to afforestation are well studied, but other ways the forest sector can help ameliorate climatic change merit more extensive analysis. Promising possibilities include carbon taxes to influence the management of extant forests, and materials policies to lengthen the life of wood products or to encourage the substitution of CO₂-fixing wood products for ones manufactured from less benign materials.     

Phase equilibria in the system K2O-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O-CO2 and the stability limit of stilpnomelane in metamorphosed Precambrian iron-formations

The phase relations of Al- and Fe-bearing silicates in the system K₂O-FeO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O-CO₂, in the presence of quartz and magnetite, are discussed on the basis of mineralogic and petrologic data from Precambrian iron-formations and blueschist facies meta-ironstone from the Franciscan Formation, California. These relations allow an estimation of the physiochemical conditions during low-grade metamorphism of iron-formations. Petrologic data together with available experimental and predicted thermodynamic data on the associated minerals place the upper stability limit of stilpnomelane in iron-formations at about 430–470° C and 5–6 kilobars. Fe-end member stilpnomelane can persist to a maximum temperature of 500° C and pressures up to 6–7 kilobars, although it is unlikely to occur in metamorphosed iron-formations. In iron-formation occurrences the stilpnomelane stability field is bordered by four equilibrium reactions with the assemblages stilpnomelane-zussmanite-chlorite-minnesotaite, stilpnomelane-zussmanite-chlorite-grunerite, stilpnomelane-biotite-chlorite-grunerite, and stilpnomelane-biotite-almandine-grunerite. The stability field is reduced by increasing X(CO₂) and X _Mg ^Stil , and is also a function of a(K ⁺)/ a(H ⁺) in the metamorphic fluid. If the value of a(K ⁺)/ a(H ⁺) is smaller than that defined by the above assemblages, stilpnomelane decomposes to chlorite, but if larger, it is replaced by biotite. At pressures less than 4 kilobars, the zussmanite field is restricted to a very high value of a(K ⁺)/a(H ⁺) (> 5.0 in log units at 1.0 kilobar) where iron-formation assemblages are not stable.     

The Queens' flare: Its structure and development; precursors,pre-flare brightenings,and aftermaths

We continue previous research on the limb flare of 30 April, 1980, 20:20 UT, observed in X-rays by several instruments aboard the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM). It is shown quantitatively that the flare originated in an emerging magnetically confined kernel (diameter ～ 20″) which existed for about ten to fifteen minutes, and from which energetic electrons streamed, in at least two injections, into a previously existing complicated magnetic loop system thus forming a less bright but extended and long-lived tongue. The tongue had a length of ～ 35 000 km and lasted ～ 90 min in X-rays (～ 10 keV); at lower energies (～ 0.7 keV) it was larger (～ 80 000 km) and lasted longer. The total number of energetic electrons (≈ 10³⁷) initially present in the kernel is of the same order as the number present in the tongue after the kernel's decline. This gives evidence that the energetic electrons in the tongue originated mainly in the kernel. The electron number densities in the kernel and tongue at maximum brightness were ～ 4.5 × 10¹¹ and ～ 1 × 10¹¹ cm^#X2212;3, respectively. During the first eight minutes of its existence the tongue was hotter than the kernel, but it cooled off gradually. Its decline in intensity and temperature was exponential; energy was lost by radiation and by conduction through the footpoints of the loop system. These footpoints have a cross-section of only ～ 3 × 10⁶ km². This small value, as well as photographs in a Civ UV emission line, suggests a highly filamentary structure of the system; this is further supported by the finding that the tongue had a ‘filling factor’ of ～ 10^#X2212;2. Several faint X-ray brightenings (? 0.005 of the flare's maximum intensity) were observed at various locations along the solar limb for several hours before and after the flare. At ～ 30 min before the flare's onset a faint (? 0.02) flare precursor occurred, coinciding in place and shape with the flare. First the kernel precursor was brightest but the tongue precursor increased continuously in brightness and was the brightest part of the precursor some 10–15 min after the first visibility of the kernel precursor, until the start of the main flare. This suggests (weak) continuous electron acceleration in the tongue during a period of at least 30 min. The main flare was caused by strong emergence of magnetic field followed by two consecutive field line reconnections and accelerations in a small loop system, causing footpoint heating. Subsequently plasma streamed (convectively) into a pre-existing system of larger loops, forming the tongue.     

Large turbulent elements in supergiant photospheres

During the cool phase of the super-supergiant HR 8752, which happened around 1973, when the star's spectral type was K2...K5 Ia⁺, the most probable vertical extent of the main turbulent elements in the star's photosphere was about 6 times the density scale height, which is about half the stellar radius. In early-type photospheres (class Ia) it is about 10 times the atmospheric density scale height (about 0.25 of the stellar radius), while in less extreme (luminosity class Ib) medium-type supergiants the most probable vertical extent of the elements is approx. 8 times the density scale height (0.05R). Large turbulent elements are apparently a common feature in supergiant photospheres; the more extreme the supergiant the larger the relative size of the eddies.     

BASIC: Baltic Sea cyanobacteria. An investigation of the structure and dynamics of water blooms of cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea—responses to a changing environment

The blooms of cyanobacteria that develop each summer in the Baltic Sea are composed of two functional groups, namely the small-sized picocyanobacteria (Synechococcus sp.) and the larger, colony-forming, filamentous N₂-fixing cyanobacteria. The former encompassed both red (phycoerythrin-rich) and blue-green (phycocyanin-rich) species. The majority of the picocyanobacteria measured less than 1 μm and this size fraction comprised as much as 80% of the total cyanobacterial biomass and contributed as much as 50% of the total primary production of a cyanobacterial bloom. The picocyanobacteria are incapable of fixing N₂, do not possess gas vesicles and are not toxic. However, a small filamentous Pseudanabaena sp. that could potentially fix N₂ was isolated from the picocyanobacteria fraction. The larger cyanobacteria may form surface scums because they possess gas vesicles that make them buoyant. Although their biomass was less than the picocyanobacteria, they therefore form the more conspicuous and nuisance-forming part of the bloom. The larger cyanobacteria were composed mainly of three different species: Nodularia spumigena, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Anabaena sp. These all belong to the heterocystous, N₂-fixing cyanobacteria. N. spumigena and A. flos-aquae were the dominant species; only N. spumigena was toxic. Although individual Nodularia filaments showed a range of different phenotypes, they all belong to one species as judged from 16S rDNA sequencing. Through determination of the genotypes of many individual Nodularia filaments, it was shown that this population was not clonal and that horizontal exchange of genetic information occurs. N. spumigena and A. flos-aquae were different with respect to their photosynthetic and N₂-fixing potentials. Depending on prevailing environmental conditions, these differences would promote the proliferation of one species over the other and hence would determine overall the toxicity of a bloom. Daily integrals of photon irradiance rather than temperature determined the onset of bloom formation. During a bloom, the diazotrophic cyanobacteria fixed N₂ at a rate that was 10–20% in excess of their own demand for N. Picocyanobacteria assimilated most of this excess N as shown by ¹⁵N incorporation. During bloom conditions, the diazotrophic cyanobacteria met about 50% of the N demand of the total cyanobacterial community. The picocyanobacteria were predominantly N-limited while the diazotrophic cyanobacteria were probably iron limited. These findings allow us to understand the formation of toxic cyanobacterial blooms and also to develop tools to predict bloom formation.     

Ancient geochemical cycling in the Earth as inferred from Fe isotope studies of banded iron formations from the Transvaal Craton

Variations in the isotopic composition of Fe in Late Archean to Early Proterozoic Banded Iron Formations (BIFs) from the Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa, span nearly the entire range yet measured on Earth, from –2.5 to +1.0‰ in ⁵⁶Fe/⁵⁴Fe ratios relative to the bulk Earth. With a current state-of-the-art precision of ±0.05‰ for the ⁵⁶Fe/⁵⁴Fe ratio, this range is 70 times analytical error, demonstrating that significant Fe isotope variations can be preserved in ancient rocks. Significant variation in Fe isotope compositions of rocks and minerals appears to be restricted to chemically precipitated sediments, and the range measured for BIFs stands in marked contrast to the isotopic homogeneity of igneous rocks, which have δ⁵⁶Fe=0.00±0.05‰, as well as the majority of modern loess, aerosols, riverine loads, marine sediments, and Proterozoic shales. The Fe isotope compositions of hematite, magnetite, Fe carbonate, and pyrite measured in BIFs appears to reflect a combination of (1) mineral-specific equilibrium isotope fractionation, (2) variations in the isotope compositions of the fluids from which they were precipitated, and (3) the effects of metabolic processing of Fe by bacteria. For minerals that may have been in isotopic equilibrium during initial precipitation or early diagenesis, the relative order of δ⁵⁶Fe values appears to decrease in the order magnetite > siderite > ankerite, similar to that estimated from spectroscopic data, although the measured isotopic differences are much smaller than those predicted at low temperature. In combination with on-going experimental determinations of equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation factors, the data for BIF minerals place additional constraints on the equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation factors for the system Fe(III)–Fe(II)–hematite–magnetite–Fe carbonate. δ⁵⁶Fe values for pyrite are the lowest yet measured for natural minerals, and stand in marked contrast to the high δ⁵⁶Fe values that are predicted from spectroscopic data. Some samples contain hematite and magnetite and have positive δ⁵⁶Fe values; these seem best explained through production of high ⁵⁶Fe/⁵⁴Fe reservoirs by photosynthetic Fe oxidation. It is not yet clear if the low δ⁵⁶Fe values measured for some oxides, as well as Fe carbonates, reflect biologic processes, or inorganic precipitation from low-δ⁵⁶Fe ferrous-Fe-rich fluids. However, the present results demonstrate the great potential for Fe isotopes in tracing the geochemical cycling of Fe, and highlight the need for an extensive experimental program for determining equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation factors for minerals and fluids that are pertinent to sedimentary environments.     

Assessment of groundwater recharge influenced by floodwater spreading: an integrated approach with limited accessible data

To assess the response of groundwater to artificial recharge through floodwater spreading (FWS) a combination approach of water table fluctuations and water budget was used. In this process, water level data in six observation wells installed inside and around the site of the FWS systems together with the amount of rainfall and volume of floodwater diverted to the system were examined during the period 1993–2012. Specific yield was also determined based on measured soil hydraulic properties for three experimental wells hand drilled within the FWS systems. The observation wells located inside the FWS systems were less susceptible to drought and abstractions than the other wells in the area. The hydrograph of the wells inside the FWS showed a large disparity in rises (0.5–2.05 m) after the two major floods in 2004 and 2005 due to systems closure in 2004. The water budget calculated based on water table fluctuations for 2010/11 showed that the contribution of FWS systems to total recharge in the study area was about 57–61%.

EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis

ASSOCIATE EDITOR S. Kanae