News

Coupled changes in pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen impact the physiology and ecology of herbivorous kelp forest grazers

Abstract. 

"Understanding species’ responses to upwelling may be especially important in light of ongoing environmental change. Upwelling frequency and intensity are expected to increase in the future, while ocean acidification and deoxygenation are expected to decrease the pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) of upwelled waters. However, the acute effects of a single upwelling event and the integrated effects of multiple upwelling events on marine organisms are poorly understood. Here, we use in situ measurements of pH, temperature, and DO to characterize the covariance of environmental conditions within upwelling-dominated kelp forest ecosystems. We then test the effects of acute (0–3 days) and chronic (1–3 months) upwelling on the performance of two species of kelp forest grazers, the echinoderm, Mesocentrotus franciscanus, and the gastropod, Promartynia pulligo. We exposed organisms to static conditions in a regression design to determine the shape of the relationship between upwelling and performance and provide insights into the potential effects in a variable environment. We found that respiration, grazing, growth, and net calcification decline linearly with increasing upwelling intensity for Mfrancicanus over both acute and chronic timescales. [...]".

 

Source: Wiley Online Library

Authors: Emily M. Donham et al. 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16125

Read the full article here.


Covariation of Deep Antarctic Pacific Oxygenation and Atmospheric CO2 during the Last 770 kyr

Abstract. 

"We present new geochemical evidence of changes in oxygenation of the deep Antarctic Pacific over the last 770 kyr. Our data are derived from redox-sensitive metals and export production proxies extracted from gravity core ANT34/A2-10 at 4217 m water depth. Our results show that oxygen levels in the deep Antarctic Zone (AZ) varied in line with the release of deeply sequestered remineralized carbon to the atmosphere during glacial–interglacial (G–IG) cycles, with lower oxygen concentrations and more carbon storage during glacial periods. Subsequent reductions in the amount of carbon stored at depth were closely associated with improved ventilation during glacial terminations. [...]".

 

Source: Lithosphere

Authors: Zheng Tang et al. 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2113/2022/1835176

Read the full article here.


Sensitivity of asymmetric oxygen minimum zones to mixing intensity and stoichiometry in the tropical Pacific using a basin-scale model

Abstract.

"The tropical Pacific Ocean holds the two largest oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) in the world's oceans, showing a prominent hemispheric asymmetry, with a much stronger and broader OMZ north of the Equator. However, many models have difficulties in reproducing the observed asymmetric OMZs in the tropical Pacific. Here, we apply a fully coupled basin-scale model to evaluate the impacts of stoichiometry and the intensity of vertical mixing on the dynamics of OMZs in the tropical Pacific. We first utilize observational data of dissolved oxygen (DO) to calibrate and validate the basin-scale model. Our model experiments demonstrate that enhanced vertical mixing combined with a reduced O:C utilization ratio can significantly improve our model capability of reproducing the asymmetric OMZs. Our study shows that DO concentration is more sensitive to biological processes over 200–400 m but to physical processes below 400 m. [...]".

 

Source: Geoscientific Model Development 

Authors: Kai Wang et al. 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-1017-2022 

Read the full article here.


A transient oxygen increase in the Mesoproterozoic ocean at ∼1.44 Ga: Geochemical evidence from the Tieling Formation, North China Platform

Abstract.

"Oxygen availability is crucial for the evolution of eukaryotes in geological history, yet detailed Mesoproterozoic oceanic-atmospheric redox conditions remain enigmatic. In contrast to the generally accepted hypothesis of an anoxic mid-Proterozoic ocean and atmosphere, several transient oxygenation events may occur at the Earth’s surface during the Mesoproterozoic, especially for the period around 1.4 Ga. The North China Platform develops one of the most complete and continuous Mesoproterozoic stratigraphic successions globally, preserving key information on the redox state of the surface ocean–atmosphere system during the mid-Proterozoic. [...]".

 

Source: Science Direct

Authors: Yang Yu et al.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2021.106527

Read the full article here.


Oxygen minimum zone along the eastern Arabian Sea: Intra-annual variation and dynamics based on ship-borne studies

Abstract.

"The oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in the eastern Arabian Sea (EAS, ∼6° to 21°N), within Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), is mapped, for the first time, for one year through ten repeated ship-based observations between December 2017 and January 2019 at seven to ten stations along the 2000 m depth contour. On an annual basis, the OMZ (<20 µM oxygen) in the EAS varied between 60 and 1350 m; its thickness decreased from north to south. During the winter monsoon, the upper boundary of the OMZ in the north and south was deeper (150–160 m) than the central EAS (∼110 m). [...]".

 

Source: Science Direct

Authors: Sudheesh Valliyodan et al.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2022.102742

Read the full article here.


Newsletter

It is possible to subscribe to our email newsletter list.

Depending on the amount of publications, we will summarize the activities on this blog in a newsletter for everyone not following the blog regularly.

If you want to subscribe to the email list to receive the newsletter, please send an email to sfb754@geomar.de with the header "subscribe".

If you want to unsubscribe from the newsletter, please send an email to sfb754@geomar.de with the header "unsubscribe".

You cannot forward any messages as a regular member to the list. If you want to suggest new articles or would like to contact us because of any other issue, please send an email to sfb754@geomar.de.

GOOD Social Media

To follow GOOD on LinkedIn, please visit here.
 

To follow GOOD on Twitter, please visit here.


To follow GOOD on Blue Sky, please visit here