Diagenetic Alteration of Magnetic Signals by Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane Related to a Change in Sedimentation Rate

Geochemical and rock magnetic investigations of sediments from three sites on the continental margin off Argentina and Uruguay were carried out to study diagenetic alteration of iron minerals driven by anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). The western Argentine Basin represents a suitable sedimentary environment to study nonsteady-state processes because it is characterized by highly dynamic depositional conditions. Mineralogic and bulk solid phase data document that the sediment mainly consists of terrigenous material with high contents of iron minerals. As a typical feature of these deposits, distinct minima in magnetic susceptibility (κ) are observed. Pore water data reveal that these minima in susceptibility coincide with the current depth of the sulfate/methane transition (SMT) where HS⁻ is generated by the process of AOM. The released HS⁻ reacts with the abundant iron (oxyhydr)oxides resulting in the precipitation of iron sulfides accompanied by a nearly complete loss of magnetic susceptibility. Modeling of geochemical data suggest that the magnetic record in this area is highly influenced by a drastic change in mean sedimentation rate (SR) which occurred during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. We assume that the strong decrease in mean SR encountered during this glacial/interglacial transition induced a fixation of the SMT at a specific depth. The stagnation has obviously enhanced diagenetic dissolution of iron (oxyhydr)oxides within a distinct sediment interval. This assumption was further substantiated by numerical modeling in which the mean SR was decreased from 100 cm kyr⁻¹ during glacial times to 5 cm kyr⁻¹ in the Holocene and the methane flux from below was fixed to a constant value. To obtain the observed geochemical and magnetic patterns, the SMT must remain at a fixed position for ∼9000 yrs. This calculated value closely correlates to the timing of the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. The results of the model show additionally that a constant high mean SR would cause a concave-up profile of pore water sulfate under steady state conditions.     

Vertical migration as a response to UVR stress in Calanus finmarchicus females and nauplii

We conducted laboratory experiments to study the behavioural responses of Calanus finmarchicus females and nauplii exposed to artificial ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Both nauplii and females migrated downwards when exposed to UVR. Nauplii reacted mainly to UV-B radiation, while females responded also to UV-A. Nauplii were also collected in the field to check if vertical distributions supported the experimental findings. Light measurements in Vestfjorden showed that plankton were exposed to quite low doses of UVR most of the time. However, on days with a thin ozone layer, clear sky and low turbidity UV-B doses in the surface waters might be harmful. Strong turbulence in the surface layer prevents nauplii from adjusting their position, exposing them to fluctuating levels of UVR due to vertical mixing. Under calm conditions, however, copepods could migrate sufficiently to avoid harmful UVR doses.     

Vertical distribution of primary producers and zooplankton grazers during different phases of the Arctic spring bloom

During a circumnavigation of the Svalbard archipelago in May 2006, simultaneous marine environmental (meteorology, heat flux, ocean turbulence, irradiance) and biological (phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass/species) data were sampled at selected stations. The zooplankton data were supplemented by high-resolution, high-speed VPR sampling down to 100 m depth at most stations. We were able to sample different phases of the phytoplankton spring bloom in Arctic as well as in Atlantic waters, and the stations represented different situations with respect to irradiance, turbulence and water-column stability. Phytoplankton growth and depth distribution were physically controlled, while zooplankton distributions were affected by biological parameters and turbulence. Development of the zooplankton followed the phytoplankton bloom phase, which was progressing in a direction from west to east in the waters north of Svalbard, and southwards in the Barents Sea. Our results also showed that the zooplankton did not avoid Phaeocystis pouchetii colonies, which have earlier been described as toxic. Despite an early retreat of the ice this year there was no apparent mismatch between the phytoplankton bloom and the dominant mesozooplankton, Calanus spp.     

Differences in fine-scale structure and composition of zooplankton between mixed and stratified regions of Georges Bank

Transects were made with the Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) in different water masses on the southern flank of Georges Bank in May 1992. CTD-data, chlorophyll fluorescence, and attenuation were measured simultaneously. Images were recorded at a rate of 60 fields per second, as the instrument was towed at 2 m s⁻¹ (4 knots). Tapes from high and low magnification cameras (imaging volumes of 0.62 ml and 33 ml, respectively) were analyzed with respect to the distribution of copepods and other grazers, as well as invertebrate predators. This paper describes the differences in patterns of occurrence of important zooplankters in well-mixed and stratified waters on the Bank and in Slope Water south of these stations. Planktonic taxa were sampled over the same range of scales as the fluorescence and hydrography, allowing direct visual comparisons of the spatial distributions of these variables. Late copepodites of Calanus finmarchicus were strongly concentrated near the surface in the stratified area, while a dense belt of Limacina sp. and Oikopleura sp. occurred below the pycnocline. Other fragile forms were also found to be dominant. Colonies of hydroid polyps were very abundant at the mixed station, especially deeper in the water column, indicating that they may have been transported up from the bottom. Colonies of the diatom Chaetoceros socialis were abundant in the cold bottom water in the stratified region and also in the mixed area. These colonies may have been in the process of sedimenting out of the water column, as similarly sized and shaped marine snow was abundant in the same area. In the Slope Water, acantharia and Trichodesmium were found in the chlorophyll maximum above the pycnocline. Other important genera encountered were: Pseudocalanus, Oithona, Centropages, Obelia, Pleurobrachia and Sagitta. Taxa that occurred in all three areas were often differently distributed with respect to depth and physical parameters, indicating that vernal stratification is an important structuring factor of plankton populations.