Abstract.

"The capacity of marine organisms to adapt and/or acclimate to climate change might differ among distinct populations, depending on their local environmental history and phenotypic plasticity. Kelp forests create some of the most productive habitats in the world, but globally, many populations have been negatively impacted by multiple anthropogenic stressors. Here, we compare the physiological and molecular responses to ocean acidification (OA) and warming (OW) of two populations of the giant kelp[...]"

Source: Nature Scientific Reports
Authors: Pamela A. Fernández et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82094-7

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"Aerobic metabolism of aquatic ectotherms is highly sensitive to fluctuating climates. Many mitochondrial traits exhibit phenotypic plasticity in response to acute variations in temperature and oxygen availability. These responses are critical for understanding the effects of environmental variations on aquatic ectotherms' performance. Using the European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax, we determined the effects of acute warming and deoxygenation in vitro on mitochondrial respiratory capacities and mitochondrial[...]"

Source: The Royal Society Publishing 
Authors: Elisa Thoral et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0759

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"Poleward range extensions by warm-adapted sea urchins are switching temperate marine ecosystems from kelp-dominated to barren-dominated systems that favour the establishment of range-extending tropical fishes. Yet, such tropicalization may be buffered by ocean acidification, which reduces urchin grazing performance and the urchin barrens that tropical range-extending fishes prefer. Using ecosystems experiencing natural warming and acidification, we show that ocean acidification could buffer warming-facilitated[...]"

Source: Nature Climate Change
Authors: Ericka O. C. Coni et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-00980-w

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"Fishes are the dominant vertebrates in the ocean, yet we know little of their contribution to carbon export flux at regional to global scales. We synthesize the existing information on fish-based carbon flux in coastal and pelagic waters, identify gaps and challenges in measuring this flux and approaches to address them, and recommend research priorities. Based on our synthesis of passive (fecal pellet sinking) and active.[...]".

Source: ASLO- Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography
Authors: Grace K. Saba et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11709

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"This article describes oxygen distributions and recent deoxygenation trends in three marginal seas – Persian Gulf and Red Sea in the Northwestern Indian Ocean (NWIO) and Andaman Sea in the Northeastern Indian Ocean (NEIO). Vertically mixed water column in the shallow Persian Gulf is generally well-oxygenated, especially in winter. Biogeochemistry and ecosystems of Persian Gulf are being subjected to enormous anthropogenic stresses including large loading of nutrients and organic matter, enhancing oxygen demand and causing hypoxia (oxygen < 1.4 ml l–1) in central and southern Gulf in summer. The larger and deeper Red Sea is relatively less affected by human[...]"

Source: Frontiers
Authors: S. Wajih A. Naqvi
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.624322

Abstract.

"Seasonal oxygen structure and utilization in the Sargasso Sea are characterized using nine profiling floats with oxygen 2021 sensors (years 2005–2008), deployed in an Eighteen Degree Water (EDW) experiment (CLIMODE). During autumn-winter when the mixed layer is deepening, oxygen increases from the surface to the base of the EDW at 400 m. During spring-summer, oxygen decreases except between the seasonal pycnocline and compensation depth, creating the seasonal shallow oxygen maximum layer (SOMax) with oxygen production[...]"

Source: Advancing Earth and Space Science
Authors: Samuel J. Billheimer et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GB006824

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"A marked 120 My gap in the fossil record of vampire squids separates the only extant species (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) from its Early Cretaceous, morphologically-similar ancestors. While the extant species possesses unique physiological adaptations to bathyal environments with low oxygen concentrations, Mesozoic vampyromorphs inhabited epicontinental shelves. However, the timing of their retreat towards bathyal and oxygen-depleted habitats is poorly documented. Here, we document a first record of a post-Mesozoic vampire squid from the Oligocene of the Central Paratethys represented[...]"

Source: Communications Biology
Authors: Martin Košťák et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-01714-0

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"Windrow is a long-established term for the aggregations of seafoam, seaweeds, plankton and natural debris that appear on the ocean surface. Here, we define a “litter windrow” as any aggregation of floating litter at the submesoscale domain (<10 km horizontally), regardless of the force inducing the surface convergence, be it wind or other forces such as tides or density-driven currents. The marine litter windrows observed to date usually form stripes[...]"

Source: Frontiers
Authors: Andrés Cózar et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.571796

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"Poleward range extensions by warm-adapted sea urchins are switching temperate marine ecosystems from kelp-dominated to barren-dominated systems that favour the establishment of range-extending tropical fishes. Yet, such tropicalization may be buffered by ocean acidification, which reduces urchin grazing performance and the urchin barrens that tropical range-extending fishes prefer.[...]"

Source: Nature Climate Change
Authors: Ericka O. C. Coni et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-00980-w

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"Marine electromagnetic (EM) signals largely depend on three factors: flow velocity, Earth's main magnetic field, and seawater's electrical conductivity (which depends on the local temperature and salinity). Because of this, there has been recent interest in using marine EM signals to monitor and study ocean circulation. Our study utilizes voltage data from retired seafloor telecommunication cables in the Pacific Ocean to examine whether such cables could be used to monitor circulation velocity or transport on large oceanic scales. We process the cable data to isolate the seasonal and monthly variations and then evaluate the correlation between the processed data and numerical predictions of the electric field[...]"

Source: EGU-European Geosciences Union
Authors: Jakub Velímský et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-383-2021

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)—one of Earth’s major ocean circulation systems—redistributes heat on our planet and has a major impact on climate. Here, we compare a variety of published proxy records to reconstruct the evolution of the AMOC since about AD 400. A fairly consistent picture of the AMOC emerges: after a long and relatively stable period, there was an initial weakening starting in the nineteenth century, followed by a second, more rapid, decline in the mid-twentieth[...]"

Source: Nature Geosciences
Authors: L. Caesar et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00699-z

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"Exploration of oxygen-depleted marine environments has consistently revealed novel microbial taxa and metabolic capabilities that expand our understanding of microbial evolution and ecology. Marine blue holes are shallow karst formations characterized by low oxygen and high organic matter content. They are logistically challenging to sample, and thus our understanding of their biogeochemistry and microbial ecology is limited. We present a metagenomic and geochemical characterization of Amberjack Hole on the Florida continental shelf (Gulf of Mexico). Dissolved oxygen became depleted at the hole’s rim[...]"

Source: The ISME Journal 
Authors: N. V. Patin et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-00917-x

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"Surface temperature is a vital metric of Earth’s climate state, but is incompletely observed in both space and time: over half of monthly values are missing from the widely used HadCRUT4.6 global surface temperature dataset. Here we apply GraphEM, a recently developed imputation method, to construct a spatially complete estimate of HadCRUT4.6 temperatures. GraphEM leverages Gaussian Markov random fields (aka Gaussian graphical models) to better estimate covariance relationships within a climate field, detecting anisotropic features such as land/ocean contrasts, orography, ocean currents and wave-propagation pathways.[...]"

Source: AMS- American Meteorological Society
Authors: Adam Vaccaro et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0814.1

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"The ocean provides important ecosystem services to society, but its health is in crisis due to the impacts of human activities. Ocean sustainability requires ambitious levels of scientific evidence to support governance and management of human activities that impact the ocean. However, due to the size, complexity and connectivity of the ocean, monitoring and data collection presupposes high investments, and nations need to cooperate to deliver the ambitious, costly science that is required to inform decisions[...]"

Source: Nature - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
Authors: Andrei Polejack et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00729-6

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"A marked 120 My gap in the fossil record of vampire squids separates the only extant species (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) from its Early Cretaceous, morphologically-similar ancestors. While the extant species possesses unique physiological adaptations to bathyal environments with low oxygen concentrations, Mesozoic vampyromorphs inhabited epicontinental shelves. However, the timing of their retreat towards bathyal and oxygen-depleted habitats is poorly documented. Here, we document a first record of a post-Mesozoic vampire squid from the Oligocene of the Central Paratethys[...]"

Source: Nature - Communications Biology
Authors: Martin Košťák et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-01714-0

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"Poleward range extensions by warm-adapted sea urchins are switching temperate marine ecosystems from kelp-dominated to barren-dominated systems that favour the establishment of range-extending tropical fishes. Yet, such tropicalization may be buffered by ocean acidification, which reduces urchin grazing performance and the urchin barrens that tropical range-extending fishes prefer. Using ecosystems experiencing natural warming and acidification, we show that ocean acidification could buffer warming-facilitated tropicalization by reducing urchin populations (by 87%) and inhibiting the formation of barrens. This buffering effect of CO2[...]"

Source: Nature Climate Change
Authors: Ericka O. C. Coni et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-00980-w

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"Oxygen-depleted regions of the global ocean are rapidly expanding, with important implications for global biogeochemical cycles. However, our ability to make projections about the future of oxygen in the ocean is limited by a lack of empirical data with which to test and constrain the behavior of global climatic and oceanographic models. We use depth-stratified plankton tows to demonstrate that some species of planktic foraminifera are adapted to life in the heart of the pelagic oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). In particular, we identify two species, Globorotaloides hexagonus and Hastigerina parapelagica, living within the eastern tropical North Pacific OMZ. The tests of the former are preserved in marine sediments and could be used to trace the extent and intensity of low-oxygen pelagic habitats in the fossil record. Additional morphometric analyses of G. hexagonus show that tests found in the lowest oxygen[...]"

Source: Biogeosciences
Authors: Catherine V. Davis et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-977-2021

Read the full article here.

Abstract.

"Improved public understanding of the ocean and the importance of sustainable ocean use, or ocean literacy, is essential for achieving global commitments to sustainable development by 2030 and beyond. However, growing human populations (particularly in mega-cities), urbanisation and socio-economic disparity threaten opportunities for people to engage and connect directly with ocean environments. Thus, a major challenge in engaging the whole of society in achieving ocean sustainability by 2030 is to develop strategies to improve societal connections to the ocean[...]"

Source: Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries
Authors: Rachel Kelly et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-020-09625-9

Read the full article here.
 

Abstract.

"While the ocean has suffered many losses, there is increasing evidence that important progress is being made in marine conservation. Examples include striking recoveries of once-threatened species, increasing rates of protection of marine habitats, more sustainably managed fisheries and aquaculture, reductions in some forms of pollution, accelerating restoration of degraded habitats, and use of the ocean and its habitats to sequester carbon and provide clean energy. Many of these achievements have multiple benefits[...]"

Source: Annual Reviews
Authors: Nancy Knowlton
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-040220-101608

Read the full article here.