Showing papers on "Water column published in 1998"

Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Bacterial and Archaeal Assemblages in the Coastal Waters near Anvers Island, Antarctica

Abstract: A previous report of high levels of members of the domain Archaeal in Antarctic coastal waters prompted us to investigate the ecology of Antarctic planktonic prokaryotes. rRNA hybridization techniques and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of the bacterial V3 region were used to study variation in Antarctic picoplankton assemblages. In Anvers Island nearshore waters during late winter to early spring, the amounts of archaeal rRNA ranged from 17.1 to 3.6% of the total picoplankton rRNA in 1996 and from 16.0 to 1.0% of the total rRNA in 1995. Offshore in the Palmer Basin, the levels of archaeal rRNA throughout the water column were higher (average, 24% of the total rRNA) during the same period in 1996. The archaeal rRNA levels in nearshore waters followed a highly seasonal pattern and markedly decreased during the austral summer at two stations. There was a significant negative correlation between archaeal rRNA levels and phytoplankton levels (as inferred from chlorophyll a concentrations) in nearshore surface waters during the early spring of 1995 and during an 8-month period in 1996 and 1997. In situ hybridization experiments revealed that 5 to 14% of DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole)-stained cells were archaeal, corresponding to 0.9 x 10(4) to 2.7 x 10(4) archaeal cells per ml, in late winter 1996 samples. Analysis of bacterial ribosomal DNA fragments by DGGE revealed that the assemblage composition may reflect changes in water column stability, depth, or season. The data indicate that changes in Antarctic seasons are accompanied by significant shifts in the species composition of bacterioplankton assemblages and by large decrease in the relative proportion of archaeal rRNA in the nearshore water column.

Effects on aquatic ecosystems

Abstract: Regarding the effects of UV-B radiation on aquatic ecosystems, recent scientific and public interest has focused on marine primary producers and on the aquatic web, which has resulted in a multitude of studies indicating mostly detrimental effects of UV-B radiation on aquatic organisms. The interest has expanded to include ecologically significant groups and major biomass producers using mesocosm studies, emphasizing species interactions. This paper assesses the effects of UV-B radiation on dissolved organic matter, decomposers, primary and secondary producers, and briefly summarizes recent studies in freshwater and marine systems. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and paniculate organic carbon (POC) are degradation products of living organisms. These substances are of importance in the cycling of carbon in aquatic ecosystems. UV-B radiation has been found to break down high-molecular-weight substances and make them available to bacterial degradation. In addition, DOC is responsible for short-wavelength absorption in the water column. Especially in coastal areas and freshwater ecosystems, penetration of solar radiation is limited by high concentrations of dissolved and particulate matter. On the other hand, climate warming and acidification result in faster degradation of these substances and thus enhance the penetration of UV radiation into the water column. Several research groups have investigated light penetration into the water column. Past studies on UV penetration into the water column were based on temporally and spatially scattered measurements. The process of spectral attenuation of radiant energy in natural waters is well understood and straightforward to model. Less known is the spatial and temporal variability of in-water optical properties influencing UV attenuation and there are few long-term observations. In Europe, this deficiency of measurements is being corrected by a project involving the development of a monitoring system (ELDONET) for solar radiation using three-channel dosimeters (UV-A, UV-B, PAR) that are being installed from Abisko (North Sweden, 68 °N, 19 °E) to Tenerife (Canary Islands, 27 °N, 17 °W). Some of the instruments have been installed in the water column (North Sea, Baltic Sea, Kattegat, East and Western Mediterranean, North Atlantic), establishing the first network of underwater dosimeters for continuous monitoring. Bacteria play a vital role in mineralization of organic matter and provide a trophic link to higher organisms. New techniques have substantially changed our perception of the role of bacteria in aquatic ecosystems over the recent past and bacterioplankton productivity is far greater than previously thought, having high division and turnover rates. It has been shown that bacterioplankton play a central role in the carbon flux in aquatic ecosystems by taking up DOC and remineralizing the carbon. Bacterioplankton are more prone to UV-B stress than larger eukaryotic organisms and, based on one study, produce about double the amount of cyclobutane dimers. Recently, the mechanism of nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria has been shown to be affected by UV-B stress. Wetlands constitute important ecosystems both in the tropics and at temperate latitudes. In these areas, cyanobacteria form major constituents in microbial mats. The organisms optimize their position in the community by vertical migration in the mat, which is controlled by both visible and UV-B radiation. Cyanobacteria are also important in tropical and sub-tropical rice paddy fields, where they contribute significantly to the availability of nitrogen. Solar UV radiation affects growth, development and several physiological responses of these organisms. On a global basis, phytoplankton are the most important biomass producers in aquatic ecosystems. The organisms populate the top layers of the oceans and freshwater habitats where they receive sufficient solar radiation for photosynthetic processes. New research strengthens previous evidence that solar UV affects growth and reproduction, photosynthetic energy-harvesting enzymes and other cellular proteins, as well as photosynthetic pigment contents. The uptake of ammonium and nitrate is affected by solar radiation in phytoplankton, as well as in macroalgae. Damage to phytoplankton at the molecular, cellular, population and community levels has been demonstrated. In contrast, at the ecosystem level there are few convincing data with respect to the effects of ozone-related UV-B increases and considerable uncertainty remains. Following UV-B irradiation, shifts in phytoplankton community structure have been demonstrated, which may have consequences for the food web. Macroalgae and seagrasses are important biomass producers in aquatic ecosystems (but considerably smaller than phytoplankton). In contrast to phytoplankton, most of these organisms are sessile and can thus not avoid exposure to solar radiation at their growth site. Recent investigations showed a pronounced sensitivity to solar UV-B radiation, and effects have been found throughout the top 10–15 m of the water column. Photoinhibition can be quantified by oxygen exchange or by PAM (pulse amplitude modulated) fluorescence. Surface-adapted macroalgae, such as several brown and green algae, show a maximum of oxygen production at or close to the surface; whereas algae adapted to lower irradiances usually thrive best when exposed deeper in the water column. Mechanisms of protection and repair are being investigated. UV effects on aquatic animals are of increased interest. Evidence for UV effects has been demonstrated in Zooplankton activity. Other UV-B-sensitive aquatic organisms include sea urchins, corals and amphibians. Solar UV radiation has been known to affect corals directly. In addition, photosynthesis in their symbiotic algae is impaired, resulting in reduced organic carbon supply. Amphibian populations are in serious decline in many areas of the world, and scientists are seeking explanations for this phenomenon. Most amphibian population declines are probably due to habitat destruction or habitat alteration. Some declines are probably the result of natural population fluctuations. Other explanations for the population declines and reductions in range include disease, pollution, atmospheric changes and introduced competitors and predators. UV-B radiation is one agent that may act in conjunction with other stresses to affect amphibian populations adversely. The succession of algal communities is controlled by a complex array of external conditions, stress factors and interspecies influences. Freshwater ecosystems have a high turnover and the success of an individual species is difficult to predict, but the development of general patterns of community structure follows defined routes. There is a strong predictive relationship between DOC concentration and the depth to which UV radiation penetrates in lakes. Since DOC varies widely, freshwater systems display a wide range of sensitivity to UV penetration. In these systems, increased solar UV-B radiation is an additional stress factor that may change species composition and biomass productivity. The Arctic aquatic ecosystem is one of the most productive ecosystems on earth and is a source of fish and crustaceans for human consumption. Both endemic and migratory species breed and reproduce in this ocean in spring and early summer, at a time when recorded increases in UV-B radiation are maximal. Productivity in the Arctic ocean has been reported to be higher and more heterogeneous than in the Antarctic ocean. In the Bering Sea, the sea-edge communities contribute about 40–50% of the total productivity. Because of the shallow water and the prominent stratification of the water layer, the phytoplankton are more exposed and affected by solar UV-B radiation. In addition, many economically important fish (e.g., herring, pollock, cod and salmon) spawn in shallow waters where they are exposed to increased solar UV-B radiation. Many of the eggs and early larval stages are found at or near the surface. Consequently, reduced productivity of fish and other marine crops is possible but has not been demonstrated. There is increased consensus, covering a wide range of aquatic ecosystems, that environmental UV-B, independent of ozone-related increases, is an important ecological stress that influences the growth, survival and distribution of phytoplankton. Polar ecosystems, where ozone-related UV-B increases are the greatest and which are globally significant ecosystems, are of particular concern. However, these ecosystems are characterized by large spatial and temporal variability, which makes it difficult to separate out UV-B-specific effects on single species or whole phytoplankton communities. There is clear evidence for short-term effects. In one study a 4–23% photoinhibition of photosystem II activity was measured under the ozone hole. However, extrapolation of short-term effects to long-term ecological consequences requires various complex effects to be accounted for and quantitative evaluation remains uncertain.

Production, sedimentation, and isotopic composition of organic matter in Lake Ontario

Abstract: Organic matter and its carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition were measured in sequential sediment trap and core samples from the Rochester Basin of Lake Ontario to evaluate their usefulness in reconstructing historic changes in lake productivity. The greatest flux of organic matter from the epilimnion occurred during late summer and coincided with whiting events, indicating that calcite precipitation is an effective mechanism for sedimenting organic matter. Carbon isotopes of organic matter were low prior to the onset of stratification, increased to maximum values in late summer, and then decreased following fall overturn. This pattern is controlled mainly by the timing of stratification and primary productivity, which preferentially removes 12CO2 from the epilimnion. The physiological effect of decreased carbon isotopic fractionation with decreasing supplies of [CO2]aq may have also contributed to increased δ13CorgC. Nitrogen isotopes showed a seasonal pattern opposite to that of carbon, whereby δ15N values were low during the summer stratified period and high for the remainder of the year. Seasonal variability in δ15NorgN probably reflects changes in the source of sedimented organic particles, which is dominated by isotopically depleted phytodetritus during the stratified period and isotopically enriched organic matter from heterotrophic or detrital sources during the mixed period. A comparison of organic carbon accumulation rates and δ13CorgC between sediment cores collected in 1987 and 1993–1994 confirms earlier predictions that diagenetic processes reduce the mass accumulation of organic carbon in the zone of oxic pore waters, but will not change the δ13CorgC values. All cores analyzed for δ13CorgC display the reproducible pattern of a progressive increase in the 19OOs, peaking in the early to mid-1970s, and then decreasing to the present. This pattern matches the historical trends of phosphorus loading to the basin, suggesting that δ13C of organic carbon is a reliable proxy for paleoproductivity and responds to spring phosphorus supplies in the water column. The δ15N of sedimentary organic matter increased linearly from 1840 to 1960 at a rate of 0.3ppt per decade, and remained relatively constant thereafter except for an increase in the upper few centimeters of sediment. The increase in δ15NorgN reflects a combination of factors, including early forest clearance by Europeans, increased sewering by municipalities after 1940, and increased nitrate utilization as productivity increased in the lower Great Lakes. Increased rates of denitrification in the central basin of upstream Lake Erie from the 1930s to the early 1970s may have also contributed to the rise in δ15NorgN values.

The relationship between air and water temperatures in lakes of the Swiss Plateau: a case study with palæolimnological implications

Abstract: In palaeolimnological studies, inference models based on aquatic organisms are frequently used to estimate summer lake surface water temperatures. However, the calibration of such models is often unsatisfactory because of the sparseness of measured water temperature data. This study investigates the feasibility of using air temperature data, usually available at much higher resolution, to calibrate such models by comparing regional air temperatures with surface water temperatures in 17 lakes on the Swiss Plateau. Results show that altitude-corrected air temperatures are sufficiently uniform over the entire Swiss Plateau to allow local air temperatures at any particular lake site to be adequately estimated from standard composite air temperature series. In early summer, day-to-day variability in air temperature is reflected extremely well in the temperature of the uppermost metre of the water column, while monthly mean air temperatures correspond well, with respect to both absolute value and interannual variations, with water temperatures in most of the epilimnion. Standardised altitude-corrected air temperature series may therefore be a useful alternative to surface water temperatures for the purposes of calibrating lake temperature inference models. In Northern Hemisphere temperate regions, mean air and water temperatures are likely to correspond most closely in July, suggesting that calibration and reconstruction efforts be concentrated on this month.

Temporal variability in the northern Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) during the last 225,000 years

Abstract: The northern Arabian Sea is one of the few regions in the open ocean where thermocline water is severely depleted in oxygen. The intensity of this oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) has been reconstructed over the past 225,000 years using proxies for surface water productivity, water column denitrification, winter mixing, and the aragonite compensation depth (ACD). Changes in OMZ intensity occurred on orbital and suborbital timescales. Lowest O2 levels correlate with productivity maxima and shallow winter mixing. Precession-related productivity maxima lag early summer insolation maxima by ∼6 kyr, which we attribute to a prolonged summer monsoon season related to higher insolation at the end of the summer. Periods with a weakened or even non-existent OMZ are characterized by low productivity conditions and deep winter mixing attributed to strong and cold winter monsoonal winds. The timing of deep winter mixing events corresponds with that of periods of climatic cooling in the North Atlantic region.

An extensive bloom of the N2-fixing cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum in the central Arabian Sea

Abstract: LVe encountered an extensive surface bloom of the N, fixing cyanobactenum Trichodesrniurn erythraeum in the central basin of the Arabian Sea during the spring ~nter-n~onsoon of 1995. The bloom, which occurred dunng a penod of calm winds and relatively high atmospher~c iron content, was metabollcally active. Carbon fixation by the bloom represented about one-quarter of water column primary productivity while input by h:: flxation could account for a major fraction of the estimated 'new' N demand of pnmary production. Isotopic measurements of the N in surface suspended material confirmed a direct contribution of N, fixation to the organic nltrogen pools of the upper water column. Retrospective analysis of NOAA-12 AVHRR imagery indicated that blooms covered up to 2 X 106 km2, or 20% of the Arabian Sea surface, during the period from 22 to 27 May 1995. In addition to their biogeochemical impact, surface blooms of this extent may have secondary effects on sea surface albedo and light penetration as well as heat and gas exchange across the air-sea interface. A preliminary extrapolation based on our observed, non-bloom rates of N, fixation from our limited sampling in the spring intermonsoon, including a conservative estimate of the input by blooms, suggest N2 fixation may account for an input of about 1 Tg N yr-I This is substantial, but relatively minor compared to current estimates of the removal of N through denitrification in the basin. However, N2 fixation may also occur in the central basin through the mild winter monsoon, be considerably greater during the fall intermonsoon than we observed during the spring intermonsoon, and may also occur at higher levels in the chronically oligotrophic southern basin. Ongoing satellite observations will help to determine more accurately the distribution and density of Trichodesmium in this and other tropical oceanic basins, as well as resolving the actual frequency and duration of bloom occurrence.

Denitrification in estuarine sediments determined by membrane inlet mass spectrometry

Abstract: Steady-state and transient-state denitritication rates were measured in sediment cores from a brackish river of the Chesapeake Bay using high-precision, membrane-inlet mass spectrometry. Denitrification was independent of salinity over the range of 1–13 ppt and was directly dependent on nitrate concentration over the range of 0–200 µM in the over-lying water. Denitrification was observed when the water-column nitrate concentration was

Nitrogen- versus phosphorus-limited growth and sources of nutrients for coral reef macroalgae

Abstract: Recent investigations of nutrient-limited productivity in coral reef macroalgae have led to the conclusion that phosphorus, rather than nitrogen, is the primary limiting nutrient. In this study, comparison of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen:phosphorus ratio in the water column of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, with tissue nitrogen:phosphorus ratios in macroalgae from Kaneohe Bay suggested that nitrogen, rather than phosphorus, generally limits productivity in this system. Results of nutrient-enrichment experiments in a flow-through culture system indicated that inorganic nitrogen limited the growth rates of 8 out of 9 macroalgae species tested. In 6 of the species tested, specific growth rates of thalli cultured in unenriched seawater from the Kaneohe Bay water column were zero or negative after 12 d. These results suggest that, in order to persist in low-nutrient coral reef systems, some macroalgae require high rates of nutrient advection or access to benthic nutrient sources in addition to nutrients in the overlying water column. Nutrient concentrations in water samples collected from the microenvironments inhabited or created by macroalgae were compared to nutrient concentrations in the overlying water column. On protected reef flats, inorganic nitrogen concentrations within dense mats of Gracilaria salicornia and Kappaphycus alvarezii, and inorganic nitrogen and phosphate concentrations in sediment porewater near the rhizophytic algae Caulerpa racemosa and C. sertularioides were significantly higher than in the water column. The sediments associated with these mat-forming and rhizophytic species appear to function as localized nutrient sources, making sustained growth possible despite the oligotrophic water column. In wave-exposed habitats such as the Kaneohe Bay Barrier Reef flat, water motion is higher than at protected sites, sediment nutrient concentrations are low, and zones of high nutrient concentrations do not develop near or beneath macroalgae, including dense Sargassum echinocarpum canopies. Under these conditions, macroalgae evidently depend on rapid advection of low-nutrient water from the water column, rather than benthic nutrient sources, to sustain growth.

Experimental study of microbial P limitation in the eastern Mediterranean

Abstract: In this study we experimentally tested the hypothesis that phosphorus was the primary nutrient limiting phytoplankton and bacterial growth in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and examined the spatial variability in P limitation during winter. Complementary measurements were employed using water sampled during January 1995 from nine pelagic stations east of the Straits of Sicily. Ambient concentrations of inorganic P (P,) in the upper 50 m of the water column in seven of the stations were 20-40 nM. The upper limit of bioavailable P ranged from 6 to 18 nM, suggesting severe P shortage. Orthophosphate turnover time ranged from 2 to 7 h in those P,-depleted waters. In nutrient-enrichment bioassays using subsurface water from the Ionian and Levantine basins, P addition caused significant increases in bacterial activity, bacterial numbers, and chlorophyll a relative to unenriched controls. The addition of NH 4 + + Fe + EDTA did not have these effects. In a similar bioassay using Cretan water, microbial growth was obtained even in the unernriched controls, suggesting that other factors (e.g. grazing, light) were influential. Higher ambient P i concentrations were encountered in the Cretan Sea (90 nM) and in the core of the Rhodes gyre (210 nM), where our sampling coincided with a convective mixing event. In those stations, P sufficiency was indicated. We concluded that in the pelagic waters of the eastern Mediterranean in winter, P was the primary limiting nutrient when other factors (such as light or grazing) did not control microbial biomass or activity. In ultra-oligotrophic waters, a delicate and dynamic balance differentiates between times when the microbial populations are nutrient limited and times when growth becomes limited by other factors. We caution that the interpretation of data obtained using conventional methods that were developed and tested in more enriched systems may not be valid in ultra-oligotrophic systems.

Resuspension of Sediment by Bottom Trawling in the Gulf of Maine and Potential Geochemical Consequences

Abstract: The benthic environment of the Gulf of Maine is characterized by a thick and basin-wide nepheloid layer, classically defined as a near-bottom region of permanent sediment resuspension. The high frequency of commercial bottom trawling in particular regions of the Gulf of Maine, documented by records compiled by the National Marine Fisheries Service, may strongly affect measured resuspension fluxes and contribute to the maintenance of the nepheloid layer. Indirect evidence of the effects of bottom trawling on sediment resuspen- sion is observed in the seasonal collection of large, benthic infaunal worms, along with substantial amounts of resuspended bottom sediment, in a sediment trap deployed 25 m off the bottom in the western gulf region of Wilkinson Basin. These collections appear to be coincident with seasonal periods of intensive bottom trawl- ing in this area. By comparison, the western gulf region of Jordan Basin is typified by significantly reduced annual bottom-trawling activity, and very few infaunal worms are found in the seasonal collections of a sed- iment trap located 25-30 m off the bottom. The extent to which trawling-induced bottom sediment excava- tion and resuspension occurs has important implications for regional nutrient budgets in terms of the input of sedimentary nitrogen and silica into the water column via this anthropogenic activity. Sediment mixing and frequent bottom disturbance from trawling activity may also produce changes in the successional orga- nization of soft-sediment infaunal communities. The potential effects of trawling require serious examination and quantification to accurately determine the impact of such anthropogenic activity on the benthic ecosys- tems of continental margin environments.

Seasonal carbon and nutrient mineralization in a high-Arctic coastal marine sediment, Young Sound, Northeast Greenland

Abstract: A comprehensive investigation of carbon and nutrient cycling in Arctic marine sediments is presented. The high-Arctic fjord Young Sound In Northeast Greenland was chosen as study site. The fjord was covered by sea ice for approximately 10 mo during 1996. Despite hlghly fluctuating seasonal air temperatures, the bottom water temperature remained almost constant at -1.2 to -1.8"C throughout the year. When sea ice broke in mid-July, benthic mineralization was immediately stimulated by a significant peak in sedimentation of organic material. Due to rapid mineralization of the easily degradable fraction of the settling organic material, respirat~on rates returned to their basic lower level within 1 mo and remained low for the rest of the season. Benthic mineral~zation rates in the Young Sound sediment are comparable with rates from much warmer locations, suggesting that benthic minerahzation in this high-Arctic coastal sediment was regulated by the availability of organic matter and not by temperature. Rate measurements covered oxygen respiration, denitrification, manganese, iron, and sulfate reduction as well as DIC and nutrient flux from the sediment. In response to enhanced mineralization following sea ice break-up, sediment water fluxes of 02, DIC, NO3+ NO,-, NH,+, urea, and Si increased and rapidly recycled nutrients to the water column, indicating an efficient benthic-pelagic coupling in Young Sound. Sediment porewater concentrations of O2 were affected by the input of organ~c matter, leading to higher O2 consumption rates near the sediment surface during summer. In contrast, no seasonal alterations In concentration profiles of DIC, NH,', NO; + NO2-, Mn2+, Fe" and SO4'were observed Furthermore, depth distributions of e--acceptors (02, NO3-, Fe(II1) and SO4'-) and reduction rate measurements supported the classical orderly progression from 0, respiration to NO,reduction followed by bacterial iron reduction and finally sulfate reduction. On an annual scale, O2 respiration accounted for 38% of total oxidation of organic carbon, denitrification, 4%; iron reduction, 25 "/I,; and sulfate reduction, 33 %. Rates of carbon oxidation by manganese reduction were insignificant ( < l 96) and the fraction of refractory carbon buried was approximately equal to the amount of carbon being mineralized in Young Sound.

Organic matter mineralization rates in sediments: A within- and among-lake study

Abstract: Organic matter mineralization rates were measured by the accumulation of DIC + CH, in the water overlying intact cores taken from littoral and protimdal sediments of nine Quebec lakes. The variability in areal carbon mineralization is much greater within lakes than among lakes varying in trophic richness. Organic matter mineralization in littoral sediments is more variable and, on average, threefold higher than in the profundal sediments. Sixty percent of the variation in mean summer mineralization rates is explained by site depth, a surrogate variable that incorporates the effect of temperature and may also be reflecting substrate quality and(or) supply. The lakespecific characteristics most strongly correlated to the residuals of the regression with depth are catchment area-tolake area ratio (CA : LA) and water residence time. In lakes with a larger CA : LA and a shorter residence time, the amount and(or) the quality of organic matter settling to the sediments at a given depth may be reduced, resulting in the lower observed mineralization rates. Total mineralization in the sediments is, not surprisingly, greater in larger lakes but the rate per unit area is smaller, reflecting the decreased importance of the littoral zone. More than half (54-100%) of the DIC + CH, produced in the sediments is from the littoral zone. Yet, because of the large biomass in epilinmetic waters, the littoral sediments account for <20% of the sum of metabolism in the epilimnetic water column and underlying sediments. The relative importance of the sediments in metabolism in lakes is a function of both the trophy and lake morphometry. In deep lakes a smaller proportion of total respiration occurs in the sediments than in shallow lakes, and in eutrophic lakes the sediments account for a smaller proportion of total respiration than in oligotrophic lakes.

Breaking internal waves on a Florida (USA) coral reef: a plankton pump at work?

Abstract: Temperature, salinity, flow speeds, and pldnklvn concentrations can be highly variable on the slope of Conch Reef, Florida Keys (USA), as warm surface water is mixed with cool, subsurface water forced onshore by broken internal waves. In August 1995 the water column seaward of the reef exhibited strong temperature and density stratification with a sharp pycnocline and associated subsurface chlorophyll a maximum layer at 45 to 60 m depth. On the reef slope, near-bottom zooplankton sampling at 22 to 28 m showed high concentrations of calanoid copepods, crab zoea, and fish larvae associated with upslope flow of cool, chlorophyll-rich water. In contrast to these periods of high concentrations, zooplankton concentrations were low during periods of long-shore and offshore flow of warm surface waters. Both the frequency of internal bore arrival and the mean durat~on of cool water events increase with increasing depth on the reef slope. Delivery of zooplankton to the reef is, thereforit, d s o erpec:ed :G incic;sc '.:i?h dcpth. 2 sh?r!-term se!!!emen! experiment showed increased settlement of serpulid worms at 20 and 30 m depth compared with 15 m, and a 15.5 mo transplant experiment showed significantly enhanced growth rates of the suspens~on-feeding coral Madracis mirabilis (Scleractinia: Pocilloporidae) at 30 m depth relative to growth at 15 or 20 m. Internal tidal bores appear to be a predictable, periodic source of cross-shelf transport to Florida coral reefs and an important influence on the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of suspended food particles and larval delivery to the benthos.

Denitrification in river sediments: relationship between process rate and properties of water and sediment

Abstract: 1. A survey was made of denitrification and nitrous oxide (N2O) production in river sediments at fifty sites in north-east England during one season in order to investigate the relationship between rates and environmental factors likely to influence these processes. The sites were chosen to represent a wide range of physical and chemical conditions. Denitrification rate and N2O production were measured within 5 h of sampling using the slurry acetylene blockage technique. 2. Denitrification rate ranged from less than 0.005–260 nmol N g–1 DW h–1, tending to increase in a downstream direction. N2O production ranged from negative values (net consumption) to 13 nmol N2O-N g–1 DW h–1 and accounted for 0–115% of the N gases produced. 3. Denitrification rate and N2O concentration in the sediment were correlated positively with nitrate concentration in the water column, water content of the sediment and percentage of fine (< 100 μm) particles in the sediment. 4. The variation in denitrification rate was satisfactorily explained (64% total variance) by a model employing measurements of water nitrate and water content of sediments. No simple or multiple relationship was found for N2O production.

A Pacific hydrographic section at 88°W: Water-property distribution

Abstract: Full-depth conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD)/hydrographic measurements with high horizontal and vertical resolution were made in February-April 1993 along a line lying at a nominal longitude of 88°W and extending from southern Chile (54°S) to Guatemala (14°N). It crossed five major deep basins (Southeast Pacific, Chile, Peru, Panama, and Guatemala basins) east of the East Pacific Rise. Vertical sections of potential temperature, salinity, potential density, oxygen, silica, phosphate, nitrate, and nitrite are presented to illustrate the structure of the entire water column. Some features of interest found in the sections are described, and an attempt is made to interpret them in terms of the isopycnal property distributions associated with the large-scale ocean circulation. These features include: various near-surface waters observed in the tropical and subtropical regions and the fronts that mark the boundaries of these waters; the possible importance of salt fingering to the downward salt transfer from the high-salinity subtropical water; a shallow thermostad (pycnostad) developed at 16°–18.5°C in the subtropical water; low-salinity surface water in the subantarctic zone west of southern Chile; large domains of extremely low oxygen in the subpycnocline layer on both sides of the equator and a secondary nitrite maximum associated with a nitrate minimum in these low-oxygen domains; high-salinity, low-oxygen, high-nutrient subpycnocline water that is carried poleward along the eastern boundary by the Peru-Chile Undercurrent; the Subantarctic Mode and Antarctic Intermediate waters; middepth isopycnal property extrema observed at the crest of the Sala y Gomez Ridge; influences of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic upon deep waters along the section; and the characteristics and sources of the bottom waters in the five deep basins along the section.

Transitions between Auhcoseira and Anabaena dominance in a turbid river weir pool

Abstract: The transitions between the diatoms Aulacoseira spp. (Melosira) and the cyanobacteria Anabaena spp. as dominant phytoplankton species in a turbid-river weir pool are shown to depend directly on the establishment or destruction of persistent thermal stratification. A transition from high to low flow through the pool resulted in the establishment of persistent thermal stratification, causing Aulacoseira to sink out of the euphotic zone at a speed of 0.95 m d-l. Concurrently, the slightly buoyant Anabaena grew within the euphotic zone with a specific growth rate of 0.37 d-l, climaxing after approximately 14 d at a population of 20,000-30,000 cells ml I, at which point its biomass may have been limited by the availability of phosphorus. The stratification thus caused the phytoplankton population to separate into two distinct layers, with Anabaena occupying the illuminated surface layer and Aulacoseiru found only in the lower layer below the euphotic depth. Under stratified conditions, the ratio of the surface layer depth to euphotic depth, z,, : z,,, was approximately 1, whereas for a mixed water column that ratio was >3. Access to light appeared to be the main factor determining the dominant phytoplankton species.

A comparison of phytoplankton populations of the Arabian Sea during the Spring Intermonsoon and Southwest Monsoon of 1995 as described by HPLC-analyzed pigments

Abstract: We used diagnostic pigments to estimate the relative abundances of different algal groups in the Arabian Sea during the Spring Intermonsoon (cruise TN045) and late Southwest Monsoon (cruise TN050) of 1995. Northern and southern transect lines were occupied during each cruise. These transects started near the coast of the Arabian Peninsula at 22.38°N and 18.50°N, respectively, and extended >1200 km offshore. The pigment concentrations at the offshore stations (>1000 km from the coast) were low during both cruises, and the composition of the phytoplankton resembled that found in oligotrophic, open-ocean waters. The pigment compositions at the inshore stations (<1000 km from the coast) were markedly different during both cruises. During TN045, the inshore waters of the northern transect were dominated by a mixture of diatoms and haptophytes. Large particles (>18 μm) accounted for up to 23% of the total chlorophyll a-related pigments (TCHLA, chlorophyllide a+monovinyl chlorophyll a+divinyl chlorophyll a). Pigment biomass (=500 ng TCHLA L-1) was homogeneously distributed in the upper water column at these stations. By contrast, pigment biomass at the inshore stations of the southern transect was concentrated in a pronounced deep chlorophyll maximum. The phytoplankton were clearly partitioned in the water column, with photosynthetic prokaryotes and eukaryotes dominating in the upper mixed layer and below, respectively. The high levels of divinyl chlorophyll a observed (up to 300 ng l-1) represent the highest concentrations ever recorded for this prochlorophyte marker. The size-fractionated pigment analyses revealed that 85% of the TCHLA passed through 2 μm filters, indicating dominance by the picophytoplankton. During TN050, the inshore portion of the northern transect displayed a clear example of a diatom-to-Phaeocystis successional event. Diatoms dominated at coastal upwelling stations and were progressively replaced by Phaeocystis at offshore stations. At the inshore stations of the southern transect, diatoms dominated the phytoplankton community, and a large fraction of the TCHLA (21–48%) was retained by 18 μm filters. A filament with high diatom biomass was observed 700 km offshore, documenting that horizontal advection is an important mechanism for removing phytoplankton from coastal waters in this region. However, lower than expected TCHLA concentrations were measured during this period relative to those observed in earlier years in the CZCS imagery. Several hypotheses are discussed to explain this enigma, including sampling biases, losses by grazing and sinking, phytoplankton dilution via upwelling, and Si limitation of diatom growth.

Particulate organic carbon fluxes: compilation of results from the 1995 US JGOFS Arabian Sea Process Study: By the Arabian Sea Carbon Flux Group

Abstract: Organic carbon fluxes in the Arabian Sea were measured as a function of depth, season and distance from the coast of Oman. We present here a compilation of measurements of primary production, water-column export flux and sediment accumulation of organic carbon over a full annual monsoon cycle on a 1500-km transect from the coast of Oman toward the central Arabian Sea. This represents an integration of measurements spanning one day (primary production) to 1000 yr (sediments) and gives a broad overview of organic carbon removal and remineralization in the highly productive, seasonally varying region of the northern Indian Ocean. Organic carbon fluxes decreased from the surface to the sediments by a factor of 500–10,000, with the largest rates of change in the upper ocean and at the sediment–seawater interface. Organic carbon fluxes generally decreased with distance offshore, with the largest gradient between surface and seafloor being at the offshore station. Sediment accumulation rates of organic carbon differed by a factor of 40 between nearshore and offshore, while primary productivity varied only by a factor of 2. The decrease in carbon flux with depth that occurs between the deepest traps and the sediment becomes a greater proportion of the total loss with increasing distance from shore. Thus, the influence of processes at the sediment–water interface on the proportion of primary productivity preserved in the sediment increases offshore relative to upper water column processes. Carbon fluxes changed greatly with season, with highest fluxes during the Southwest Monsoon. Export fluxes varied more with season than primary productivity or mid-water fluxes.

Mechanisms for internal loading of phosphorus in lakes

Abstract: Lake sediments play an important role in the phosphorus metabolism in lakes. The impact depends on the tendencies to retain and to release phosphorus.The internal loading will often determine the eutrophication status of the lake and the time lag for recovery after reduction of the external loading. Internal loading is most important during the summer. The potential source of phosphorus in the surficial sediments is very large in comparison to the pools in the water column. This means that even if only a very small amount is released, it will have significant impact on the phosphorus concentration in the lake water. The distribution of phosphorus forms in sediments have been investigated since the 1950s. Generally, vertical profiles of sediment phosphorus content, expressed on dry weight basis, show an increasing total content towards the sediment surface. The vertical profile continues up into the water when looking at the particulate matter. A number of environmental factors are important in the mobilisation processes. Most studies indicate that sediment bacteria have a significant role in uptake, storage and release of phosphorus including anaerobic release of iron-bound phosphorus. Several phytoplankton species have resting stages overwintering on the sediment. When growth is induced, they leave their habitat in order to shift their life-form to a pelagic one. In Lake Erken the cyanobacteria Gloeotrichia echinulata has been shown to contribute significantly to the internal loading of phosphorus during the summer.

Reconstructing Past Ocean pH-Depth Profiles

Abstract: Measurement of boron isotope compositions in species of planktonic foraminifera that calcified their tests at different depths in the water column are used to reconstruct the pH profile of the upper water column of the tropical ocean Results for five time windows from the middle Miocene to the late Pleistocene indicate pH-depth profiles similar to that of the modern ocean in this area, which suggests that this method may greatly aid in our understanding of the global carbon cycle

Fluid venting in the eastern Aleutian Subduction Zone

Abstract: Fluid venting has been observed along 800 km of the Alaska convergent margin. The fluid venting sites are located near the deformation front, are controlled by subsurface structures, and exhibit the characteristics of cold seeps seen in other convergent margins. The more important characteristics include (1) methane plumes in the lower water column with maxima above the seafloor which are traceable to the initial deformation ridges; (2) prolific colonies of vent biota aligned and distributed in patches controlled by fault scarps, over- steepened folds or outcrops of bedding planes; (3) calcium carbonate and barite precipitates at the surface and subsurface of vents; and (4) carbon isotope evidence from tissue and skeletal hard parts of biota, as well as from carbonate precipitates, that vents expel either methane- or sulfide-dominated fluids. A biogeochemical approach toward estimating fluid flow rates from individual vents based on oxygen flux measurements and vent fluid analysis indicates a mean value of 5.5 + 0.7 L m -2 d -1 for tectonics-induced water flow ( Wallmann et al., 1997b). A geophysical estimate of dewatering from the same area (von Huene et al., 1997) based on sediment porosity reduction shows a fluid loss of 0.02 L m -2 d-1 for a 5.5 km wide converged segment near the deformation front. Our video-guided surveys have documented vent biota across a minimum of 0.1% of the area of the convergent segment off Kodiak Island; hence an average rate of 0.006 L m -2 d -1 is estimated from the biogeochemical approach. The two estimates for tectonics-induced water flow from the accretionary prism are in surprisingly good agreement.

Benthic Nutrient Recycling in Port Phillip Bay, Australia

Abstract: Benthic chamber measurements of the reactants and products involved with biogenic matter remineralization (oxygen, ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate, TCO2and alkalinity) were used to define solute exchange rates between the sediment and overlying water column of Port Phillip Bay, Australia. Measurements at various sites throughout the bay, conducted during the summers of 1994 and 1995, indicate that the variability in flux values within a site is comparable to year-to-year variability (±50%). Four regions of the bay were distinguished by sediment properties and the northern region was identified as having 3–30 times greater nutrient regeneration rates than the other regions. Benthic recycling accounted for 63 and 72% of the annualized N and P input, respectively, to the entire bay as determined by summing benthic, dissolved riverine, atmospheric and dissolved effluent sources. However, bay-wide sedimentary denitrification accounted for a loss of 63% of the potentially recyclable N. This fraction is higher than many other coastal regions with comparable carbon loading. Denitrification efficiency is apparently not enhanced by benthic productivity nor by bio-irrigation. The rate of bio-irrigation is negatively correlated with denitrification efficiency. Bio-irrigation was studied using radon-222 and CsCl spike injection chamber measurements. Radon fluxes from sediments in Port Phillip Bay were enhanced over the diffusive flux by 3–16 times. The modelled rate of loss of Cs from chamber water was positively correlated with radon flux enhancement results. Both methods identify regions within Port Phillip Bay that have particularly high rates of non-diffusive pore-water overlying water solute exchange.

Distribution of CO2 species, estimates of net community production, and air-sea CO2 exchange in the Ross Sea polynya

Abstract: Measurements of surface total carbon dioxide (TCO2), alkalinity, and calculated pCO2, along with water column nutrients and hydrography, were made on two cruises to the Ross Sea polynya (NBP 94-6, November-December 1994 and NBP 95-8, December 1995 to January 1996). The polynya experiences an intense phytoplankton bloom during a short period of open water conditions from mid-December to mid-February each year. Our biogeochemical observations were used to determine the temporal variability of CO2, fluxes of carbon within the ocean, and rates of air-sea exchange of CO2. Depletions of TCO2, pCO2, and nitrate+nitrite were considerable (∼70–150 μmol kg−1, 80–150 μatm, and 10–20 μmol kg−1, respectively) and associated primarily with biological uptake during Phaeocystis and diatom blooms. Alkalinity was a conservative tracer of salinity and nitrate+nitrite. Surface ρCO2 was undersaturated by ∼50–150 μatm, and air-sea gas exchange of CO2 during open water conditions was directed from atmosphere to ocean. Observed surface stoichiometric C:N ratios were 6.66: 1 and 6.77:1 for the 2 years, consistent with global “Redfield” ratios, while C:P and N:P ratios were variable (75–141:1, 12–18:1). Estimates of net community production (NCP) rates were made using in situ changes in TCO2 and nitrate+nitrite across repeated transects along 76°30′S. Mean NCP rates across the polynya ranged from 0.86 to 0.98 g C m−2 d−1. These values may be underestimated by 5–25% because of the contribution of atmospheric CO2 to the surface layer through gas exchange. Export of carbon from the surface to depth was at least 55–60% of NCP rates.

Effects of light intensity, water velocity, and species composition on carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in periphyton

Abstract: Periphyton was allowed to grow on glass plates suspended in the water column of a small stream under two conditions of light and water velocity, over two seasons, to assess the influence of the thickness of benthic boundary layers on stable isotope fractionation. Isotopic signatures for both carbon and nitrogen in samples of periphyton varied with light intensity and season, but not with current velocity. In summer, periphyton grown under low-light conditions had depleted 13C and 15N values relative to periphyton grown under high light. In autumn, isotopic signatures were generally more depleted than in summer, but did not vary systematically with light intensity or water velocity. These results suggest that isotopic fractionation in periphyton was more strongly influenced by the intensity of metabolic activity than by variations in the thickness of the benthic boundary layer.

Constancy of bacterial abundance in surficial marine sediments

Abstract: Controls on bacterial abundance in marine sediments remain poorly understood despite the importance to biogeochemical processes, benthic ecology, and in situ bioremediation. We report an analysis of direct microscopic counts of widely distributed surficial marine sediments, using a new approach of scaling abundance to the fluid volume of pore water within the sediments (bacteria FV -1 ). The analysis identified a greater constancy in benthic bacterial abundance than has been appreciated previously. Whether tested as a combined dataset or separately according to geographic region, less variance was observed when abundance was scaled to fluid volume rather than the traditional dimension of dry sediment mass. The decrease in variance suggests that the primary controls on abundance, such as nutrient acquisition or predator encounter rate, may also scale with porewater fluid volume. With values centered around 10 9 bacteria ml -1 FV, regulation must differ fundamentally from the water column, where values average 10 5 -10 6 bacteria ml -1 FV.

Water column sediment fluxes in the Ross Sea, Antarctica: Atmospheric and sea ice forcing

Abstract: We measured time series of the vertical particle flux at three locations in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, between January 1990 and February 1992 as part of an interdisciplinary project focusing on the accumulation and recycling of organic C and biogenic Si on a polar shelf. We estimate area-wide annual average fluxes through the deep water column of 5 g organic C m−2 yr−l and 30 g biogenic Si m−2 yr−1, values similar to the highest annual average fluxes to the subsurface reported for other areas of the Antarctic continental shelf. Total particle and biogenic Si fluxes are highest during January and February in the southwestern Ross Sea, beneath a seasonally recurrent bloom of the diatom Fragilariopsis curta. Organic C fluxes are highest in the central Ross Sea, consistent with a surface water algal assemblage dominated by the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis. While organic C flux decreases with depth at all three sites, the result of remineralization within the water column, biogenic opal fluxes are higher in near-bottom traps than at 230 m at the two western Ross Sea sites. Some biogenic opal must be supplied to these deep traps via horizontal advection and possibly resuspension. Fecal pellets and large aggregates contributed between 4 and 70% of the vertical flux and settled at rates of 60 to >400 m d−1. Maximum particle fluxes occur 2 to 10 weeks after surface waters become ice free. We discuss three hypotheses to explain lags between production and settling: (1) advection from surface waters with different ice cover characteristics, (2) lags in the development of a grazing Zooplankton community, and (3) early season windinduced inhibition of primary production. Interannual variability in surface wind stress is empirically linked to variability in biogenic fluxes. Windiness and relative phasing of the annual cycles of ice cover and air temperature may be responsible for the development of different algal communities in the central versus western Ross Sea.

Modelling cadmium accumulation by benthic invertebrates in situ: The relative contributions of sediment and overlying water reservoirs to organism cadmium concentrations

Abstract: An in situ experiment was designed (1) to determine the relative importance of Cd in the sediment versus Cd in the overlying water for its accumulation in benthic animals and (2) to test in situ the acid volatile sulfide (AVS) model. Sediments of a low-Cd shield lake were artificially contaminated with various amounts of Cd and placed at a littoral site in open plastic containers in the lake bottom for 11 months to allow colonization by indigenous lake bcnthos. Gradients in sedimentary and interstitial water Cd concentrations were, thus, created in situ, although Cd concentrations in the overlying water remained low. Accumulation of Cd by benthic invertebrates was significantly and linearly correlated with sediment Cd concentrations across treatment levels for most taxa. The magnitude of the response to the sediment Cd gradient was taxon specific and consistent with differences in animal ecology. Despite the high Cd contamination levels attained in the experiment, the population densities of most taxa appear to have been unaffected by the presence of Cd. We used the results from the experimental containers to predict the sources of Cd for benthic animals in the environs. For almost all of the taxa studied, individuals living in the lowCd sediments outside the experimental containers accumulated their Cd almost exclusively from the overlying water; only the burrowing, sediment-feeding taxa Chironomus stuegeri and members of the Tubificidae obtained substantial Cd from the sediment. Cadmium activities in the pore waters of the containers were in agreement with the AVS model, but the Cd concentrations found in the benlhic organisms did not. Our results from this shield lake suggest that predictions of Cd concentrations in most benthic animals would be more accurate if they were based on water column rather than on sedimentary Cd concentrations. Metals associated with sediments pose a potential threat to benthic organisms and from there to upper trophic levels. Before expensive remedial actions are undertaken, the extent to which benthic animals accumulate sedimentary metals, the biological effects of these contaminants, and the effects of various remedial actions on both water quality and organisms need to be determined. To accomplish these tasks, environmental agencies need reliable predictive tools; however, the majority of the tools currently available are unsatisfactory (Luoma 1995). Our ability to predict the biological consequences of metal-contaminated sediments would be improved by the development of reliable models relating metal bioaccumulation or toxicity to metal concentrations in the environment of benthic organisms. For general application, such models should be based on solid scientific grounds, i.e., they should have a theoretical rather than a

Organism incorporation into newly forming Arctic sea ice in the Greenland Sea

Abstract: New ice formation, protist incorporation and enrichment in different stages of young Arctic sea ice (grease, nilas and pancake ice) were studied in the Greenland Sea in autumn 1995. Nutrients (nitrite, nitrate, phosphate and silicate), salinity and abundance estimates of organisms were analysed from surface water and new ice samples. The abundances of bacteria, diatoms, and photo- and hetero- trophic flagellates in the ice and water column were determined using epifluorescence microscopy. An enrichment index was calculated to compare the abundance of organisms in the water column with different stages of young sea ice. The results clearly show that (i) protist incorporation already begins during the first stages of new sea ice formation, (ii) incorporation of protists is selective, showing preference for diatoms with a relatively large cell size and (iii) enrichment of organisms, in particular diatoms, takes place in young sea ice in the Greenland Sea. The selectivity of the incorpor- ation process and the evident preference for diatoms are presumably a result of the larger cell size and/or certain properties of the cell surface (e.g. stickiness) that enhance their incorporation. The calculated enrichment indices were relatively low for bacteria and flagellates.