High Net Primary Production of Mediterranean seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) Meadows Determined with Aquatic Eddy Covariance

We report primary production and respiration of Posidonia oceanica meadows determined with the non-invasive aquatic eddy covariance technique. Oxygen fluxes were measured in late spring at an open-water meadow (300 m from shore), at a nearshore meadow (60 m from shore), and at an adjacent sand bed. Despite the oligotrophic environment, the meadows were highly productive and highly autotrophic. Net ecosystem production (54 to 119 mmol m-2 d-1) was about one-half of gross primary production. In adjacent sands, net primary production was a tenth- to a twentieth smaller (4.6 mmol m-2 d-1). Thus, P. oceanica meadows are an oasis of productivity in unproductive surroundings. During the night, dissolved oxygen was depleted in the open-water meadow. This caused a hysteresis where oxygen production in the late afternoon was greater than in the morning at the same irradiance. Therefore, for accurate measurements of diel primary production and respiration in this system, oxygen must be measured within the canopy. Generally, these measurements demonstrate that P. oceanica meadows fix substantially more carbon than they respire. This supports the high rate of organic carbon accumulation and export for which the ecosystem is known

The response of seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) meadow metabolism to CO2-levels and hydrodynamic exchange determined with aquatic eddy covariance

We investigated light, water velocity, and CO2 as drivers of primary production in Mediterranean seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) meadows and neighboring bare sands using the aquatic eddy covariance technique. Study locations included an open-water meadow and a nearshore meadow, the nearshore meadow being exposed to greater hydrodynamic exchange. A third meadow was located at a CO2 vent. We found that, despite the oligotrophic environment, the meadows had a remarkably high metabolic activity, up to 20 times higher than the surrounding sands. They were strongly autotrophic, with net production half of gross primary production. Thus, P. oceanica meadows are oases of productivity in an unproductive environment. Secondly, we found that turbulent oxygen fluxes above the meadow can be significantly higher in the afternoon than in the morning at the same light levels. This hysteresis can be explained by the replenishment of nighttime-depleted oxygen within the meadow during the morning. Oxygen depletion and replenishment within the meadow do not contribute to turbulent O2 flux. The hysteresis disappeared when fluxes were corrected for the O2 storage within the meadow and, consequently, accurate metabolic rate measurements require measurements of meadow oxygen content. We further argue that oxygen-depleted waters in the meadow provide a source of CO2 and inorganic nutrients for fixation, especially in the morning. Contrary to expectation, meadow metabolic activity at the CO2 vent was lower than at the other sites, with negligible net primary production

Arctic coralline algae elevate surface pH and carbonate in the dark

Red coralline algae are projected to be sensitive to ocean acidification, particularly in polar oceans. As important ecosystem engineers, their potential sensitivity has broad implications, and understanding their carbon acquisition mechanisms is necessary for making reliable predictions. Therefore, we investigated the localized carbonate chemistry at the surface of Arctic coralline algae using microsensors. We report for the first time carbonate ion concentration and pH measurements ([CO ]) at and above the algal surface in the microenvironment. We show that surface pH and [CO ] are higher than the bulk seawater in the light, and even after hours of darkness. We further show that three species of Arctic coralline algae have efficient carbon concentrating mechanisms including direct bicarbonate uptake and indirect bicarbonate use via a carbonic anhydrase enzyme. Our results suggest that Arctic corallines have strong biological control over their surface chemistry, where active calcification occurs, and that net dissolution in the dark does not occur. We suggest that the elevated pH and [CO ] in the dark could be explained by a high rate of light independent carbon fixation that reduces respiratory CO release. This mechanism could provide a potential adaptation to ocean acidification in Arctic coralline algae, which has important implications for future Arctic marine ecosystems

New highly fluorescent pH indicator for ratiometric RGB imaging of pCO2

A new diketo-pyrrolo-pyrrole (DPP) indicator dye for optical sensing of carbon dioxide is prepared via a simple one step synthesis from commercially available low cost 'Pigment Orange 73'. The pigment is modified via alkylation of one of the lactam nitrogens with a tert-butylbenzyl group. The indicator dye is highly soluble in organic solvents and in polymers and shows pH-dependent absorption (λmax 501 and 572 nm for the protonated and deprotonated forms, respectively) and emission spectra (λmax 524 and 605 nm for the protonated and deprotonated forms, respectively). Both the protonated and the deprotonated forms show high fluorescence quantum yields (Φprot 0.86; Φdeprot 0.66). Hence, colorimetric read-out and ratiometric fluorescence intensity measurements are possible. The emission of the two forms of the indicator excellently matches the response of the green and the red channels of an RGB camera. This enables imaging of carbon dioxide distribution with a simple and low cost optical set-up. The sensor based on the new DPP dye shows very high sensitivity and is particularly promising for monitoring atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide

Новий словник епітетів української мови

У статті йдеться про засади створення «Нового словника епітетів української мови» (автори С. П. Бибик, С. Я. Єрмоленко, В. І. Єрмоленко). Словник значно доповнено за рахунок нових заголовкових слів та збільшення кількості узгоджених означень до всіх заголовкових слів. Розширено сполучуваність заголовкових іменників із прикметниковими словам. Нова структура словникової статті виокремлює епітети, що вживаються в структурі порівняння, а також епітети у структурі метафори

High spatial resolution measurement of oxygen consumption rates in permeable sediments

A method is presented for the measurement of depth profiles of volumetric oxygen consumption rates in permeable sediments with high spatial resolution. When combined with in situ oxygen microprofiles measured by microsensors, areal rates of aerobic respiration in sediments can be calculated. The method is useful for characterizing sediments exposed to highly dynamic advective water exchange, such as intertidal sandy sediments. The method is based on percolating the sediment in a sampling core with aerated water and monitoring oxygen in the sediment using either an oxygen microelectrode or a planar oxygen optode. The oxygen consumption rates are determined using three approaches: (1) as the initial rate of oxygen decrease measured at discrete points after the percolation is stopped, (2) from oxygen microprofiles measured sequentially after the percolation is stopped, and (3) as a derivative of steady-state oxygen microprofiles measured during a constant percolation of the sediment. The spatial resolution of a typical 3 to 4 cm profile within a measurement time of 1 to 2 h is better with planar optodes (˜0.3 mm) then with microelectrodes (2 to 5 mm), whereas the precision of oxygen consumption rate measurements at individual points is similar (0.1 to 0.5 µmol L–1 min–1) for both sensing methods. The method is consistent with the established methods (interfacial gradients combined with Fick’s law of diffusion, benthic-chambers), when tested on the same sediment sample under identical, diffusion-controlled conditions

Dissolution of Calcite in the Twilight Zone: Bacterial Control of Dissolution of Sinking Planktonic Carbonates Is Unlikely

We investigated the ability of bacterial communities to colonize and dissolve two biogenic carbonates (Foraminifera and oyster shells). Bacterial carbonate dissolution in the upper water column is postulated to be driven by metabolic activity of bacteria directly colonising carbonate surfaces and the subsequent development of acidic microenvironments. We employed a combination of microsensor measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and image analysis and molecular documentation of colonising bacteria to monitor microbial processes and document changes in shell surface topography. Bacterial communities rapidly colonised shell surfaces, forming dense biofilms with extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) deposits. Despite this, we found no evidence of bacterially mediated carbonate dissolution. Dissolution was not indicated by Ca2+ microprofiles, nor was changes in shell surface structure related to the presence of colonizing bacteria. Given the short time (days) settling carbonate material is actually in the twilight zone (500–1000 m), it is highly unlikely that microbial metabolic activity on directly colonised shells plays a significant role in dissolving settling carbonates in the shallow ocean

Ocean Acidification Changes Abiotic Processes but Not Biotic Processes in Coral Reef Sediments

In coral reefs, sediments play a crucial role in element cycling by contributing to primary production and the remineralization of organic matter. We studied how future ocean acidification (OA) will affect biotic and abiotic processes in sediments from two coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. This was investigated in the laboratory under conditions where water-sediment exchange was dominated by molecular diffusion (Magnetic Island) or by porewater advection (Davies Reef). OA conditions (+ΔpCO2: 170–900 μatm, −ΔpH: 0.1–0.4) did not affect photosynthesis, aerobic and anaerobic organic matter remineralization, and growth of microphytobenthos. However, microsensor measurements showed that OA conditions reduced the porewater pH. Under diffusive conditions these changes were limited to the upper sediment layers. In contrast, advective conditions caused a deeper penetration of low pH water into the sediment resulting in an earlier pH buffering by dissolution of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This increased the dissolution of Davis Reef sediments turning them from net precipitating (−0.8 g CaCO3 m−2 d−1) under ambient to net dissolving (1 g CaCO3 m−2 d−1) under OA conditions. Comparisons with in-situ studies on other reef sediments show that our dissolution rates are reasonable estimates for field settings. We estimate that enhanced dissolution due to OA will only have a minor effect on net ecosystem calcification of the Davies Reef flat (<4%). However, it could decrease recent sediment accumulation rates in the lagoon by up to 31% (by 0.2–0.4 mm year−1), reducing valuable reef space. Furthermore, our results indicate that high-magnesium calcite is predominantly dissolving in the studied sediments and a drastic reduction in this mineral can be expected on Davis Reef lagoon in the near future, leaving sediments of an altered mineral composition. This study demonstrates that biotic sediment processes will likely not directly be affected by OA. Ensuing indirect effects of OA-induced sediment dissolution on biotic processes are discussed

Validation of low-cost impedance analyzer via nitrate detection

Impedance spectroscopy is a widely used electrochemical technique with a wide variety of applications. Many of these applications benefit from the additional accessibility provided by low-cost impedance devices. With this in mind, a low-cost impedance device was designed for a high performance-to-cost ratio. The performance of this analyzer was validated against a high-performance DropSens µStat-i 400s potentiostat by performing an application-based experiment. Nitrate detection provides a relevant experiment because of the importance of maintaining precise nitrate concentrations to mitigate the impact of nitrate fluctuations on the environment. Dissolved nitrate samples of different concentrations, in the range 3–1000 mg/L, were confirmed colorimetrically and measured with both instruments. A calibration curve of the real impedance matched a sigmoidal transfer, with a linear region for concentrations below 10 mg/L. The device under investigation exhibited an average magnitude error of 1.28% and an average phase error of 0.96∘ relative to the high-performance standard, which validates the performance of the low-cost device. A cost analysis is presented that highlights some of the complexities of cost comparisons.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sensorsCarl and Emily Fuchs Institute for Micro-electronics (CEFIM

NIR optical carbon dioxide sensors based on highly photostable dihydroxy-aza-BODIPY dyes

A new class of pH-sensitive indicator dyes for optical carbon dioxide sensors based on di-OH-aza-BODIPYs is presented. These colorimetric indicators show absorption maxima in the near infrared range (λmax 670–700 nm for the neutral form, λmax 725–760 nm for the mono-anionic form, λmax 785–830 nm for the di-anionic form), high molar absorption coefficients of up to 77 000 M−1 cm−1 and unmatched photostability. Depending on the electron-withdrawing or electron-donating effect of the substituents the pKa values are tunable (8.7–10.7). Therefore, optical carbon dioxide sensors based on the presented dyes cover diverse dynamic ranges (0.007–2 kPa; 0.18–20 kPa and 0.2–100 kPa), which enables different applications varying from marine science and environmental monitoring to food packaging. The sensors are outstandingly photostable in the absence and presence of carbon dioxide and can be read out via absorption or via the luminescence-based ratiometric scheme using the absorption-modulated inner-filter effect. Monitoring of the carbon dioxide production/consumption of a Hebe plant is demonstrated