News
Do phytoplankton require oxygen to survive? A hypothesis and model synthesis from oxygen minimum zones
Abstract.
"It is commonly known that phytoplankton have a pivotal role in marine biogeochemistry and ecosystems as carbon fixers and oxygen producers, but their response to deoxygenation has scarcely been studied. Nonetheless, in the major oceanic oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), all surface phytoplankton groups, regardless of size, disappear and are replaced by unique cyanobacteria lineages below the oxycline. To develop reasonable hypotheses to explain this pattern, we conduct a review of available information on OMZ phytoplankton, and we re-analyze previously published data (flow cytometric and hydrographic) on vertical structure of phytoplankton communities in relation to light and O2 levels. [...]".
Source: Wiley Online Library
Authors: Jane C. Y. Wong et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12367
Nitrite Oxidation Across the Full Oxygen Spectrum in the Ocean
Abstract.
"Fixed nitrogen limits primary productivity in most areas of the surface ocean. Nitrite oxidation is the main source of nitrate, the most abundant form of inorganic fixed nitrogen. Even though known as an aerobic process, nitrite oxidation is not always stimulated by increased oxygen concentration, and nitrite oxidation occurs in layers of oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) where oxygen is not detectable. Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, known since their original isolation as aerobes, were also detected in these layers. Whether and how nitrite oxidation is occurring in the anoxic seawater is debated. [...]".
Source: Wiley Online Library
Authors: Xin Sun et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GB007548
Prokaryotic community dynamics and nitrogen-cycling genes in an oxygen-deficient upwelling system during La Niña and El Niño conditions
Abstract.
"Dissolved oxygen regulates microbial distribution and nitrogen cycling and, therefore, ocean productivity and Earth's climate. To date, the assembly of microbial communities in relation to oceanographic changes due to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) remains poorly understood in oxygen minimum zones (OMZ). The Mexican Pacific upwelling system supports high productivity and a permanent OMZ. Here, the spatiotemporal distribution of the prokaryotic community and nitrogen-cycling genes was investigated along a repeated transect subjected to varying oceanographic conditions associated with La Niña in 2018 and El Niño in 2019. [...]".
Source: Wiley Online Library
Authors: Silvia Pajares et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16362
The effects of seawater thermodynamic parameters on the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in the tropical western Pacific Ocean
Abstract.
"The continuous expansion of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) is a microcosm of marine hypoxia problem. Based on a survey in M4 seamount area of Tropical Western Pacific Ocean, the effects of thermodynamic parameters on OMZ were discussed. The study showed thermodynamic parameters mainly affect the upper oxycline of OMZ. The increase in temperature aggravates seawater stratification, which not only shallows oxycline but also increases the strength of DO stratification, promoting the expansion of OMZ. [...]".
Source: Science Direct
Authors: Jun Ma et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114579
Otoliths of marine fishes record evidence of low oxygen, temperature and pH conditions of deep Oxygen Minimum Zones
Abstract.
"The deep-sea is rapidly losing oxygen, with profound implications for marine organisms. Within Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems, such as the California and the Benguela Current Ecosystems, an important question is how the ongoing expansion, intensification and shoaling of Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs) will affect deep-sea fishes throughout their lifetimes. One of the first steps to filling this knowledge gap is through the development of tools and techniques to track fishes’ exposure to hypoxic (<45 μmol kg-1), low-temperature (∼4–10°C) and low-pH (∼7.5) waters when inhabiting OMZs. [...]".
Source: Science Direct
Authors: Leticia Maria Cavole et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2022.103941
Intermediate water circulation drives distribution of Pliocene Oxygen Minimum Zones
Abstract.
"Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) play a critical role in global biogeochemical cycling and act as barriers to dispersal for marine organisms. OMZs are currently expanding and intensifying with climate change, however past distributions of OMZs are relatively unknown. Here we present evidence for widespread pelagic OMZs during the Pliocene (5.3-2.6 Ma), the most recent epoch with atmospheric CO2 analogous to modern (~400-450 ppm). The global distribution of OMZ-affiliated planktic foraminifer, Globorotaloides hexagonus, and Earth System and Species Distribution Models show [...]".
Source: Nature
Authors: Catherine V. Davis et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35083-x
The Peruvian oxygen minimum zone was similar in extent but weaker during the Last Glacial Maximum than Late Holocene
Abstract.
"Quantifying past oxygen concentrations in oceans is crucial to improving understanding of current global ocean deoxygenation. Here, we use a record of pore density of the epibenthic foraminifer Planulina limbata from the Peruvian Oxygen Minimum Zone to reconstruct oxygen concentrations in bottom waters from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Late Holocene at 17.5°S about 500 meters below the sea surface. We found that oxygen levels were 40% lower during the Last Glacial Maximum than during the Late Holocene (about 6.7 versus 11.1 µmol/kg, respectively). [...]".
Source: Nature
Authors: Nicolaas Glock et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00635-y
Diverging Fates of the Pacific Ocean Oxygen Minimum Zone and Its Core in a Warming World
Abstract.
"Global ocean oxygen loss is projected to persist in the future, but Earth system models (ESMs) have not yet provided a consistent picture of how it will influence the largest oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in the tropical Pacific. We examine the change in the Pacific OMZ volume in an ensemble of ESMs from the CMIP6 archive, considering a broad range of oxygen (O2) thresholds relevant to biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems (5–160 µmol/kg). Despite OMZ biases in the historical period of the simulations, the ESM ensemble projections consistently fall into three regimes across ESMs […]".
Source: Wiley Online Library
Authors: Julius J.M. Busecke et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021AV000470
Investigating ocean deoxygenation and the oxygen minimum zone in the Central Indo Pacific region based on the hindcast datasets
Abstract.
"Deoxygenation is increasingly recognized as a significant environmental threat to the ocean following sea temperature rises due to global warming and climate change. Considering the cruciality of the deoxygenation impacts, it is important to assess the current status and predict the future possibility of ocean deoxygenation, for instance, within the Central Indo Pacific (CIP) regions represent climate-regulated marine areas. This study divided CIP into five regions then investigated the deoxygenation parameters (dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, and pH) collected from 1993 to 2021 sourced from in situ measurement and long-term hindcast data. [...]".
Source: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Authors: Karlina Triana et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10615-6
Physical-chemical factors influencing the vertical distribution of phototrophic pico-nanoplankton in the Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) off Northern Chile
Abstract.
"The vertical distribution of phytoplankton is of fundamental importance in the structure, dynamic, and biogeochemical pathways in marine ecosystems. Nevertheless, what are the main factors determining this distribution remains as an open question. Here, we evaluated the relative influence of environmental factors that might control the coexistence and vertical distribution of pico-nanoplankton associated with the OMZ off northern Chile. Our results showed that in the upper layer Synechococcus-like cells were numerically important at all sampling stations. [...]".
Source: Science Direct
Authors: Edson Piscoya et al.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105710
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