Carbon balance in a salt marsh: Interactions of diffusive export, tidal deposition and rainfall-caused erosion

Studies of the concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic carbon in the Duplin River, of the tidal exchange of POC and DOC in the marsh, of the standing stock and movement of Spartina alterniflora wrack in the Duplin, and of the removal of carbon from the surface of the marsh by rain were conducted at Sapelo Island, Georgia in order to test three hypotheses about export of carbon from the Duplin River watershed. We found that the gradients in POC and DOC concentrations are such that carbon is being transported down the Duplin River throughout the year, although in smaller quantities than previously believed. In contrast, almost all tidal exchanges within the marsh result in deposition of carbon. Most of this deposited carbon is subsequently eroded as a result of rain falling on the exposed marsh surface, and is washed back into the tidal creeks. This cycle of deposition and erosion is a possible mechanism keeping POC in the thin aerobic surface layer of the marsh, thus increasing its availability to detritivores and aerobic microbes. The standing stock of wrack is only a fraction of the S. alterniflora produced each year, and its export is a negligible term in the carbon balance equation.     

Microbial Biomass Dynamics Along a Trophic Gradient at the Atlantic Barrier Reef off Belize (Central America)

Abstract. Recent findings indicate that heterotrophic bacteria and not phytoplankton are the most numerous biomass components even in the euphotic zone of oligotrophic, open oceans. In this study it was hypothesized that the microbial biomass components change within a few hundred meters as oligotrophic water flows across the reef and becomes enriched with nutrients. Along a trophic gradient, four stations at the Atlantic Barrier Reef off Belize (Central America) were sampled for microbial biomass components. Phytoplankton biomass (measured as chlorophyll a) ranged from the most oligotrophic station (St. 1) to the most eutrophic station (St. 4) from 6.9–415.5 μg CI"' (assuming a C:chl a ratio of 30): heterotrophic bacterial biomass increased 4-fold (from 10.1–46.4μg C 1^-1), heterotrophic nanoflagellate (HNAN) biomass increased from 4.6-19ug C 1^-1, and cyanobacteria from 0.9-4.5 μg C-1^-1. Production estimates derived from seawater cultures revealed a 5-fold increase in bacterial production from the oligotrophic station (3.7 ug C 1^-1 d^-1) to the eutrophic St. 4 (17.8ug C-1-d1^-1)- Cyanobacterial production rose from 1.1–3.5ug C-1–d^-1 and HNAN production from 0.65-1.13 μg C-1^-1 -d^-1. While cyanobacteria contributed between 13 and 20% to the autotrophic plankton component in the oligotrophic waters, their contribution dropped to about 1 % at the eutrophic stations.     

中国海洋交通运输业碳排放效率测度及影响因素分析

海洋交通运输业碳排放研究对制定行之有效的低碳海洋交通政策具有重要意义。本文首先对2006—2015年中国沿海11个省(区、市)的海洋交通运输业碳排放量进行估算,然后运用超效率SBM模型对碳排放效率进行测度,最后运用Tobit模型探究碳排放效率的影响因素。结果表明:①中国海洋交通运输业碳排放效率整体上处于低效率状态,且各省(区、市)间差异明显,但差异正在逐渐缩小。②2006—2015年沿海各省(区、市)市海洋交通运输业碳排放效率变动呈现出“M”形波动上升趋势。③将各省(区、市)海洋交通运输业碳排放效率水平划分为不同类型,其中上海和天津属于高效率型,河北属于中效率型,其余省(区、市)市属于低效率型。④货运距离和能源结构对海洋交通运输业碳排放效率具有显著的正向作用,而能源强度对其具有显著的负向作用。     

Evidence for the grazing hypothesis: Grazing reduces phytoplankton responses of the HNLC ecosystem to iron enrichment in the western subarctic pacific (SEEDS II)

A mesoscale iron-enrichment study (SEEDS II) was carried out in the western subarctic Pacific in the summer of 2004. The iron patch was traced for 26 days, which included observations of the development and the decline of the bloom by mapping with sulfur hexafluoride. The experiment was conducted at almost the same location and the same season as SEEDS (previous iron-enrichment experiment). However, the results were very different between SEEDS and SEEDS II. A high accumulation of phytoplankton biomass (∼18 mg chl m⁻³) was characteristic of SEEDS. In contrast, in SEEDS II, the surface chlorophyll-a accumulation was lower, 0.8 to 2.48 mg m⁻³, with no prominent diatom bloom. Photosynthetic competence in terms of F _v/F _m for the total phytoplankton community in the surface waters increased after the iron enrichments and returned to the ambient level by day 20. These results suggest that the photosynthetic physiology of the phytoplankton assemblage was improved by the iron enrichments and returned to an iron-stressed condition during the declining phase of the bloom. Pico-phytoplankton (<2 μm) became dominant in the chlorophyll-a size distribution after the bloom. We observed a nitrate drawdown of 3.8 μM in the patch (day 21), but there was no difference in silicic acid concentration between inside and outside the patch. Mesozooplankton (copepod) biomass was three to five times higher during the bloom-development phase in SEEDS II than in SEEDS. The copepod biomass increased exponentially. The grazing rate estimation indicates that the copepod grazing prevented the formation of an extensive diatom bloom, which was observed in SEEDS, and led to the change to a pico-phytoplankton dominated community towards the end of the experiment.     

Responses of carbon dioxide in western tropical Pacific to 1991~1993 ENSO event

On the basis of the data of the partial pressure of CO₂ (P_CO2)and the concentration of the total dissolved CO₂(T_CO2) in surface water during the expeditions in Nov.-Dec. 1991, the world ocean circulation experiment (WOCE) and Oct. 1992-Mar. 1993, the tropical ocean-global atmosphere coupled ocean-atmosphere response experiment (TOGA COARE) in the western tropical Pacific and of the comparison with data from 1986 to 1990 TOGA expeditions and that from Japan Meteorological Agency, the response of CO₂ in surface water to ENSO event is proved. The CO₂ signals indicated that the air-sea system in the western and central tropical Pacific from 1991 to 1993, except for a short period in autumn of 1992, was in a strong state of ENSO.
The change of CO₂ in the floating stations near 2°S, 155°E from Nov. 1992 to Mar. 1993 reflected the change of currents, water mass and its thermal and salt content during the forming and developing of ENSO.     

Microphytobenthos vertical migratory photoresponse as characterised by light-response curves of surface biomass

The migratory response of intertidal microphytobenthos to changes in irradiance was studied on undisturbed estuarine sediments. Two non-destructive optical techniques were used to trace variations in vivo of surface biomass: PAM fluorometry, for measuring the minimum fluorescence level (F_o); and spectral reflectance analysis, for quantifying the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Following the formation of a dense biofilm at the surface, replicated sediment samples were simultaneously exposed to six different irradiance levels, ranging from 50 to 1500 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹, during a period of 120 min. The migratory photoresponse of the biofilms was characterised by constructing biomass vs. light curves (BLC), relating the accumulation of microalgal biomass after that period (estimated by F_o or NDVI) to the irradiance level incident on the surface. BLCs allow characterising the main features of the migratory photoresponse of intact biofilms. Typical BLC showed a clear biphasic pattern, with an increase in microalgal accumulation under irradiances below 100 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹, maximum values under 100–250 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹, and a gradual decrease of surface biomass under higher irradiances, indicating a strong photophobic downward migratory response. Similar BLC patterns were obtained when measuring F_o or NDVI. The construction of BLCs for biofilms from intertidal sites with distinctive sediment characteristics and diatom taxonomic composition allowed to detected significant differences in the migratory photoresponse. Biofilms from a muddy sediment exhibited considerably larger amplitude in the migratory photoresponse than the biofilms from a sandy mud site, especially under high irradiances. The photophobic migratory response to high light was found to vary among diatom species, particularly in the case of the biofilms from the muddy sediments.     

High-resolution measurements of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya River plume regions

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) was measured in the spring and summer in the northern Gulf of Mexico with the ECOShuttle, a towed, instrumented, undulating vehicle. A submersible pump mounted on the vehicle supplied continuously flowing, uncontaminated seawater to online instruments in the shipboard laboratory and allowed discrete samples to be taken for further analysis. CDOM in the northern Gulf of Mexico was dominated by freshwater inputs from the Mississippi River through the Birdfoot region and to the west by discharge from the Atchafalaya River. CDOM was more extensively dispersed in the high-flow period in the spring but in both time periods was limited by stratification to the upper 12 m or so. Thin, subsurface CDOM maxima were observed below the plume during the highly stratified summer period but were absent in the spring. However, there was evidence of significant in situ biological production of CDOM in both seasons.The Mississippi River freshwater end member was similar in spring and summer, while the Atchafalaya end member was significantly higher in the spring. In both time periods, the Atchafalaya was significantly higher in CDOM and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) than the Mississippi presumably due to local production and exchange within the coastal wetlands along the lower Atchafalaya which are absent along the lower Mississippi. Nearshore waters may also have higher CDOM due to outwelling from coastal wetlands. High-resolution measurements allow the differentiation of various water masses and are indicative of rapidly varying (days to weeks) source waters. Highly dynamic but conservative mixing between various freshwater and marine end members apparently dominates CDOM distributions in the area with significant in situ biological inputs (bacterial degradation of phytoplankton detritus), evidence of flocculation, and minor photobleaching effects also observed. It is clear that high-resolution measurements and adaptive sampling strategies allow a more detailed examination of the processes that control CDOM distributions in river-dominated systems.     

A Stable Carbon Isotope Study of the Food-web in a Freshwater-deprived South African Estuary, with Particular Emphasis on the Ichthyofauna

The importance of macrophytes as food sources for estuarine nekton is unclear. Previous carbon isotope investigations in the macrophyte-dominated, freshwater-deprived Kariega Estuary showed that the bivalveSolen cylindraceusdid not utilize the dominant estuarine macrophytes found within the estuary as a primary food source. This finding prompted questions as to what the nekton of this estuary utilize as primary energy sources. δ¹³C analyses of the principal autochthonous and allochthonous primary carbon sources, as well as the dominant invertebrate and fish species, indicate that there are two main carbon pathways within the Kariega Estuary. The littoral community, which incorporates the majority of crustaceans, gobies, mullet and a sparid, utilizes δ¹³C enriched primary food sources namelySpartina maritima,Zosteracapensis and epiphytes. The channel fauna, which includes the zooplankton, zooplanktivorous and piscivorous fish, utilizes a primary food source depleted in δ¹³C, which is most likely a mixture of phytoplankton, terrestrial plant debris and C₄macrophyte detritus. The C₃saltmarsh macrophytesSarcocornia perennisandChenolea diffusa, as well as benthic microalgae, appear to be less important as primary food sources to the nekton of the Kariega Estuary.     

Annual Cycle of Zooplankton Biomass, Abundance and Species Composition in the Neritic Area of the Balearic Sea, Western Mediterranean

Abstract. Seasonal changes in zooplankton biomass, abundance and species composition were studied at a neritic station in the Balearic Sea between April 1993 and May 1994. Sampling was carried out every 10 days in a zone influenced by the main current circulating through the Mallorca channel. Three main peaks of zooplankton biomass and abundance were observed: (1) at the beginning of summer when the thermocline developed, (2) in autumn when the thermocline broke down, and (3) in early spring. The smaller zooplankton fraction (100–250 μm) comprised on average 32 % of the total biomass and 73 % of total abundance. Copepods were the predominant group (64 % of the total abundance) with Clausocalanus, Oithona and Paracalanus being the most abundant genera. Paracalanus parvus, Clausocalanus furcatus, Acartia clausi, Oithona plumifera, Temora stylifera, Centropages typicus and Oncaea mediterranea were found to be the most important species in the area. Other abundant groups were cladocerans (15 %) and meroplankton larvae (12 %), both of which were particularly numerous during the stratified period. The copepod community was characterized by the above‐cited perennial species, which were abundant during the cycle studied. However, the influence of the hydrological conditions of the Balearic Sea, such as the Atlantic water influx and the physical structure of the water column (stratification and mixing), promoted the observed variability in zooplankton as well as the appearance of characteristic species during the annual cycle.