News

Climate, Oxygen, and the Future of Marine Biodiversity

Abstract.

"The ocean enabled the diversification of life on Earth by adding O2 to the atmosphere, yet marine species remain most subject to O2 limitation. Human industrialization is intensifying the aerobic challenges to marine ecosystems by depleting the ocean's O2 inventory through the global addition of heat and local addition of nutrients. Historical observations reveal an ∼2% decline in upper-ocean O2 and accelerating reports of coastal mass mortality events. The dynamic balance of O2 supply and demand provides a unifying framework for understanding these phenomena across scales from the global ocean to individual organisms. [...]".

 

Source: Annual Review of Marine Science
Authors: Curtis Deutsch et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-040323-095231

Read the full article here.


Butterfly effect of shallow-ocean deoxygenation on past marine biodiversity

Abstract.

"A geochemical study of an ancient mass-extinction event shows that only moderate expansion of oxygen-deficient waters along continental margins is needed to decimate marine biodiversity. This finding provides a stark warning of the possible consequences of human-driven ocean deoxygenation on life in Earth’s shallow oceans. [...]".

 

Source: Nature
Authors: Brian Kendall
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01310-3

Read the full article here.


Editorial: Oxygen decline in coastal waters: its cause, present situation and future projection

Abstract.

"The decline of oxygen levels in coastal waters has emerged as a significant and pressing concern, carrying extensive ecological and environmental ramifications. Coastal areas, the interface between land and sea, represent intricate and dynamic ecosystems that hold paramount importance for global biodiversity and sustain a multitude of human activities. Nevertheless, these coastal regions are confronted with mounting stressors originating from both human-induced factors such as nutrient pollution [...]".

 

Source: Frontiers in Marine Science
Authors: Weiwei Fu & Tsuneo Ono
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1316092

Read the full article here.


Microbial diversity of the Arabian Sea in the Oxygen minimum zones by metagenomics approach

Abstract.

"Large oxygen depleted areas known as oxygen minimum zones (OMZ) have been observed in the Arabian Sea and recent reports indicate that these areas are expanding at an alarming rate. In marine waters, oxygen depletion may also be related to global warming and the temperature rise, acidification and deoxygenation can lead to major consequences wherein the plants, fish and other biota will struggle to survive in the ecosystem. [...]"

Source: bioRxiv
Authors: Mandar S Paingankar et al.
DOI: 10.1101/731828

Read the full article here.


Ocean acidification drives community shifts towards simplified non-calcified habitats in a subtropical−temperate transition zone

Abstract.

"Rising atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are causing surface seawater pH and carbonate ion concentrations to fall in a process known as ocean acidification. To assess the likely ecological effects of ocean acidification we compared intertidal and subtidal marine communities at increasing levels of pCO2 at recently discovered volcanic seeps off the Pacific coast of Japan (34° N). This study region is of particular interest for ocean acidification research as it has naturally low levels of surface seawater pCO2 (280–320 µatm) and is located at a transition zone between temperate and sub-tropical communities. [...]"

Source: Scientific Reports
Authors: Sylvain Agostini et al.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29251-7

Read the full article here.


Stratifying ocean sampling globally and with depth to account for environmental variability

Abstract.

"With increasing depth, the ocean is less sampled for physical, chemical and biological variables. Using the Global Marine Environmental Datasets (GMED) and Ecological Marine Units (EMUs), we show that spatial variation in environmental variables decreases with depth. This is also the case over temporal scales because seasonal change, surface weather conditions, and biological activity are highest in shallow depths. [...]"

Source: Scientific Reports
Authors: Mark John Costello et al.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29419-1

Read the full article here.


The effect of bio-irrigation by the polychaete Lanice conchilega on active denitrifiers: Distribution, diversity and composition of nosZ gene

Abstract.

"The presence of large densities of the piston-pumping polychaete Lanice conchilega can have important consequences for the functioning of marine sediments. It is considered both an allogenic and an autogenic ecosystem engineer, affecting spatial and temporal biogeochemical gradients (oxygen concentrations, oxygen penetration depth and nutrient concentrations) and physical properties (grain size) of marine sediments, which could affect functional properties of sediment-inhabiting microbial communities. [...]"

Source: PLOS
Authors: Maryam Yazdani Foshtomi et al.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192391

Read the full article here.


Biodiversity surprises at bubbly deep-sea cold seeps along Cascadia fault

"A new study led by Oregon State University (OSU) graduate student Sarah Seabrook that uses scientific data and samples from Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) focuses on the extent, variability, and complexity of species—from microbes to tubeworms—found at deep-sea cold seep habitats along the Cascadia fault off the west coast of North America.

The study reports for the first time on the surprisingly rich and diverse microbial and animal communities at eight recently discovered cold seeps, comparing these new sites off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and northern California with two known seeps off the coast of British Columbia at Barkley Canyon and Clayoquot Slope—both monitored by ONC's cabled offshore observatory. [...]"

Source: Phys.org

Read the full article here.


U.N. Moved to Protect 60% of the Ocean and the World Hardly Noticed

"After years of talks, the U.N. has taken a major step toward an international treaty to preserve the biodiversity of the high seas to combat climate change, overfishing and plastic pollution.

[...] The move, which ended two weeks of sometimes contentious talks to hash out the major elements of the treaty, could result in far-reaching protections for marine life through the creation of reserves and other actions designed to blunt threats to ocean health from climate change, over-fishing and pollution. The high seas constitute the nearly 60 percent of the ocean beyond any nation’s jurisdiction. They play a crucial role in the global climate, food supply and economy, yet are largely beyond the reach of the law. [...]"

Source: Newsdeeply

Full article 


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