64 research outputs found

    Physical and biogeochemical controls on the variability in surface pH and calcium carbonate saturation states in the Atlantic sectors of the Arctic and Southern Oceans

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    Polar oceans are particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification due to their low temperatures and reduced buffering capacity, and are expected to experience extensive low pH conditions and reduced carbonate mineral saturations states (Ω) in the near future. However, the impact of anthropogenic CO2 on pH and Ω will vary regionally between and across the Arctic and Southern Oceans. Here we investigate the carbonate chemistry in the Atlantic sector of two polar oceans, the Nordic Seas and Barents Sea in the Arctic Ocean, and the Scotia and Weddell Seas in the Southern Ocean, to determine the physical and biogeochemical processes that control surface pH and Ω. High-resolution observations showed large gradients in surface pH (0.10–0.30) and aragonite saturation state (Ωar) (0.2–1.0) over small spatial scales, and these were particularly strong in sea-ice covered areas (up to 0.45 in pH and 2.0 in Ωar). In the Arctic, sea-ice melt facilitated bloom initiation in light-limited and iron replete (dFe>0.2 nM) regions, such as the Fram Strait, resulting in high pH (8.45) and Ωar (3.0) along the sea-ice edge. In contrast, accumulation of dissolved inorganic carbon derived from organic carbon mineralisation under the ice resulted in low pH (8.05) and Ωar (1.1) in areas where thick ice persisted. In the Southern Ocean, sea-ice retreat resulted in bloom formation only where terrestrial inputs supplied sufficient iron (dFe>0.2 nM), such as in the vicinity of the South Sandwich Islands where enhanced pH (8.3) and Ωar (2.3) were primarily due to biological production. In contrast, in the adjacent Weddell Sea, weak biological uptake of CO2 due to low iron concentrations (dFe<0.2 nM) resulted in low pH (8.1) and Ωar (1.6). The large spatial variability in both polar oceans highlights the need for spatially resolved surface data of carbonate chemistry variables but also nutrients (including iron) in order to accurately elucidate the large gradients experienced by marine organisms and to understand their response to increased CO2 in the future

    An update to the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT version 2)

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    The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT), an activity of the international marine carbon research community, provides access to synthesis and gridded fCO(2) (fugacity of carbon dioxide) products for the surface oceans. Version 2 of SOCAT is an update of the previous release (version 1) with more data (increased from 6.3 million to 10.1 million surface water fCO(2) values) and extended data coverage (from 1968-2007 to 1968-2011). The quality control criteria, while identical in both versions, have been applied more strictly in version 2 than in version 1. The SOCAT website (http://www.socat.info/) has links to quality control comments, metadata, individual data set files, and synthesis and gridded data products. Interactive online tools allow visitors to explore the richness of the data. Applications of SOCAT include process studies, quantification of the ocean carbon sink and its spatial, seasonal, year-to-year and longer-term variation, as well as initialisation or validation of ocean carbon models and coupled climate-carbon models.</p

    Fluorescently-labelled amyloid paired helical filaments (PHF) in monitoring its fibrillation kinetics

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    International audienceThe core of the tau fibrils in Alzheimer disease is a hexapeptide sequence organized in paired helical filaments (PHF). This sequence AcPHF6 can be used as tau fibrils model for the fast screening of potential therapeutic inhibitors of fibril formation or their disruption. The assay is usually performed by monitoring fluorescence increase of Thioflavin T (ThT), well-known reporter dye of fibrillation. However, the ThT assay is not faultless, and here we present novel fluorescent dye, cyanine attached to amino acid side-chain (Cy-aa). The fibrillation kinetics of AcPHF6 was monitored via Cy-aa at twenty times lower concentration compared to ThT. Moreover, in the mixture with the pre-formed fibrils, Cy-aa shows strong fluorescence light-up proportional to fibrils concentration. Additionally, spectral properties of Cy-aa are red-shifted in comparison to ThT allowing screening of a wider range of potential fibrillation inhibitors. We also successfully coupled this fluorescent amino acid to PHF in order to completely avoid the possibility of dye displacement with screening compound, and this newly designed conjugate showed to be a reliable intrinsic fluorescent probe for monitoring fibrillation kinetics of amyloid peptides
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