Do Oceanic Hypoxic Regions Act as Barriers for Sinking Particles? A Case Study in the Eastern Tropical North Atlantic

In oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), the attenuation rates of particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes of large particles are known to be reduced, thus increasing the efficiency with which the biological carbonpump(BCP)transferscarbontotheabyss.TheBCPefficiencyisexpectedtofurtherincreaseifOMZs expand. However, little is known about how the POC fluxes of small particles—a significant component of the BCP—are attenuated inside OMZs. In this study, data collected by two BGC‐Argo floats deployed in the hypoxic OMZ of the eastern tropical North Atlantic were used to estimate net instantaneous fluxes of POCviasmallparticleduring3years.Thisinformationwasanalyzedtogetherwithmeteorologicaldataand published POC fluxes of large particles and allowed us to conclude that (1) major pulses of surface‐derived small particles toward the OMZ interior coincided with seasonal changes in wind stress and precipitation; (2) a permanent layer of small particles, presumably linked to microbial communities, was found in the upper section of the OMZ which might play a key role attenuating POC fluxes; and (3) fluxes of large particles were attenuated less efficiently inside this poorly oxygenated region than above it, while attenuation of small‐particle fluxes were equivalent or significantly higher inside the OMZ. These results highlight that more information about the processes controlling the fluxes of small and large particles in hypoxic OMZs is needed to better understand the impact of hypoxic OMZs on the BCP efficiency

Measuring and modeling the (limited) consistency of free choice attitude questions

On average, respondents who give a positive answer to a binary free choice attitude question are NOT more likely, if surveyed again, to respond positively than to response negatively. However, stronger brands obtain more repeated positive answers. Our model shows why these two effects have to happen, even though all brands in a category benefit from the same reliability.survey reliability; attitude measurement; stochastic models; beta-binomial model; brand image; market research

Substantial energy input to the mesopelagic ecosystem from the seasonal mixed-layer pump

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Research via the DOI in this record.The ocean region known as the mesopelagic zone, which is at depths of about 100-1,000 m, harbours one of the largest ecosystems and fish stocks on the planet. Life in this region is believed to rely on particulate organic carbon supplied by the biological carbon pump. Yet this supply appears insufficient to meet mesopelagic metabolic demands. An additional organic carbon source to the mesopelagic zone could be provided by the seasonal entrainment of surface waters in deeper layers, a process known as the mixed-layer pump. Little is known about the magnitude and spatial distribution of this process globally or its potential to transport carbon to the mesopelagic zone. Here we combine mixed-layer depth data from Argo floats with satellite estimates of particulate organic carbon concentrations to show that the mixed-layer pump supplies an important seasonal flux of organic carbon to the mesopelagic zone. We estimate that this process is responsible for a global flux of 0.1-0.5 Pg C yr-1. In high-latitude regions where the mixed layer is usually deep, this flux amounts on average to 23% of the carbon supplied by fast sinking particles, but it can be greater than 100%. We conclude that the seasonal mixed-layer pump is an important source of organic carbon for the mesopelagic zone.UK National Centre for Earth Observation, UK NERCMarie Curie(UK) NERC National Capability in Sustained Observations and Marine ModellingEuropean Research CouncilH2020 ATLANTOS EU projec

Underway spectrophotometry along the Atlantic Meridional Transect reveals high performance in satellite chlorophyll retrievals

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordTo evaluate the performance of ocean-colour retrievals of total chlorophyll-a concentration requires direct comparison with concomitant and co-located in situ data. For global comparisons, these in situ match-ups should be ideally representative of the distribution of total chlorophyll-a concentration in the global ocean. The oligotrophic gyres constitute the majority of oceanic water, yet are under-sampled due to their inaccessibility and under-represented in global in situ databases. The Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) is one of only a few programmes that consistently sample oligotrophic waters. In this paper, we used a spectrophotometer on two AMT cruises (AMT19 and AMT22) to continuously measure absorption by particles in the water of the ship's flow-through system. From these optical data continuous total chlorophyll-a concentrations were estimated with high precision and accuracy along each cruise and used to evaluate the performance of ocean-colour algorithms. We conducted the evaluation using level 3 binned ocean-colour products, and used the high spatial and temporal resolution of the underway system to maximise the number of match-ups on each cruise. Statistical comparisons show a significant improvement in the performance of satellite chlorophyll algorithms over previous studies, with root mean square errors on average less than half (~0.16 in log10 space) that reported previously using global datasets (~0.34 in log10 space). This improved performance is likely due to the use of continuous absorption-based chlorophyll estimates, that are highly accurate, sample spatial scales more comparable with satellite pixels, and minimise human errors. Previous comparisons might have reported higher errors due to regional biases in datasets and methodological inconsistencies between investigators. Furthermore, our comparison showed an underestimate in satellite chlorophyll at low concentrations in 2012 (AMT22), likely due to a small bias in satellite remote-sensing reflectance data. Our results highlight the benefits of using underway spectrophotometric systems for evaluating satellite ocean-colour data and underline the importance of maintaining in situ observatories that sample the oligotrophic gyres.NEODAASCMEMSNatural Environment Research Council (NERC

Two databases derived from BGC-Argo float measurements for marine biogeochemical and bio-optical applications

Since 2012, an array of 105 Biogeochemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) floats has been deployed across the world’s oceans to assist in filling observational gaps that are required for characterizing open-ocean environments. Profiles of biogeochemical (chlorophyll and dissolved organic matter) and optical (single-wavelength particulate optical backscattering, downward irradiance at three wavelengths, and photosynthetically available radiation) variables are collected in the upper 1000m every 1 to 10 days. The database of 9837 vertical profiles collected up to January 2016 is presented and its spatial and temporal coverage is discussed. Each variable is quality controlled with specifically developed procedures and its time series is quality-assessed to identify issues related to biofouling and/or instrument drift. A second database of 5748 profile-derived products within the first optical depth (i.e., the layer of interest for satellite remote sensing) is also presented and its spatiotemporal distribution discussed. This database, devoted to field and remote ocean color applications, includes diffuse attenuation coefficients for downward irradiance at three narrow wavebands and one broad waveband (photosynthetically available radiation), calibrated chlorophyll and fluorescent dissolved organic matter concentrations, and single wavelength particulate optical backscattering. To demonstrate the applicability of these databases, data within the first optical depth are compared with previously established bio-optical models and used to validate remotely derived bio-optical products. The quality-controlled databases are publicly available from the SEANOE (SEA scieNtific Open data Edition) publisher at https://doi.org/10.17882/49388 and https://doi.org/10.17882/47142 for vertical profiles and products within the first optical depth, respectively

Organic carbon export and loss rates in the Red Sea

The export and fate of organic carbon in the mesopelagic zone are still poorly understood and quantified due to lack of observations. We exploited data from a BGC‐Argo float that was deployed in the Red Sea to study how a warm and hypoxic environment can affect the fate of the organic carbon in the ocean’s interior. We observed that only 10% of the particulate organic carbon (POC) exported survived at depth due to remineralization processes in the upper mesopelagic zone. We also found that POC exported was rapidly degraded in a first stage and slowly in a second one, which may be dependent on the palatability of the organic matter. We observed that AOU‐based loss rates (a proxy of the remineralization of total organic matter) were significantly higher than the POC‐based loss rates, likely because changes in AOU are mainly attributed to changes in dissolved organic carbon. Finally, we showed that POC‐ and AOU‐based loss rates could be expressed as a function of temperature and oxygen concentration. These findings advance our understanding of the biological carbon pump and mesopelagic ecosystem

Transcribed ultraconserved noncoding RNAs (T-UCR) are involved in Barrett's esophagus carcinogenesis.

Barretts esophagus (BE) involves a metaplastic replacement of native esophageal squamous epithelium (Sq) by columnar-intestinalized mucosa, and it is the main risk factor for Barrett-related adenocarcinoma (BAc). Ultra-conserved regions (UCRs) are a class non-coding sequences that are conserved in humans, mice and rats. More than 90% of UCRs are transcribed (T-UCRs) in normal tissues, and are altered at transcriptional level in tumorigenesis. To identify the T-UCR profiles that are dysregulated in Barretts mucosa transformation, microarray analysis was performed on a discovery set of 51 macro-dissected samples obtained from 14 long-segment BE patients. Results were validated in an independent series of esophageal biopsy/surgery specimens and in two murine models of Barretts esophagus (i.e. esophagogastric-duodenal anastomosis). Progression from normal to BE to adenocarcinoma was each associated with specific and mutually exclusive T-UCR signatures that included up-regulation of uc.58-, uc.202-, uc.207-, and uc.223- and down-regulation of uc.214+. A 9 T-UCR signature characterized BE versus Sq (with the down-regulation of uc.161-, uc.165-, and uc.327-, and the up-regulation of uc.153-, uc.158-, uc.206-, uc.274-, uc.472-, and uc.473-). Analogous BE-specific T-UCR profiles were shared by human and murine lesions. This study is the first demonstration of a role for T-UCRs in the transformation of Barretts mucosa

Uncertainty in ocean-color estimates of chlorophyll for phytoplankton groups

This is the final version. Available from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this record.Over the past decade, techniques have been presented to derive the community structure of phytoplankton at synoptic scales using satellite ocean-color data. There is a growing demand from the ecosystem modeling community to use these products for model evaluation and data assimilation. Yet, from the perspective of an ecosystem modeler these products are of limited use unless: (i) the phytoplankton products provided by the remote-sensing community match those required by the ecosystem modelers; and (ii) information on per-pixel uncertainty is provided to evaluate data quality. Using a large dataset collected in the North Atlantic, we re-tune a method to estimate the chlorophyll concentration of three phytoplankton groups, partitioned according to size [pico- (20 μm)]. The method is modified to account for the influence of sea surface temperature, also available from satellite data, on model parameters and on the partitioning of microphytoplankton into diatoms and dinoflagellates, such that the phytoplankton groups provided match those simulated in a state of the art marine ecosystem model (the European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model, ERSEM). The method is validated using another dataset, independent of the data used to parameterize the method, of more than 800 satellite and in situ match-ups. Using fuzzy-logic techniques for deriving per-pixel uncertainty, developed within the ESA Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI), the match-up dataset is used to derive the root mean square error and the bias between in situ and satellite estimates of the chlorophyll for each phytoplankton group, for 14 different optical water types (OWT). These values are then used with satellite estimates of OWTs to map uncertainty in chlorophyll on a per pixel basis for each phytoplankton group. It is envisaged these satellite products will be useful for those working on the validation of, and assimilation of data into, marine ecosystem models that simulate different phytoplankton groups.National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO)European Space Agency (ESA)NERC-UK ECOMA

Inferring phytoplankton carbon and eco-physiological rates from diel cycles of spectral particulate beam-attenuation coefficient

The diurnal fluctuations in solar irradiance impose a fundamental frequency on ocean biogeochemistry. Observations of the ocean carbon cycle at these frequencies are rare, but could be considerably expanded by measuring and interpreting the inherent optical properties. A method is presented to analyze diel cycles in particulate beam-attenuation coefficient (<i>c</i><sub>p</sub>) measured at multiple wavelengths. The method is based on fitting observations with a size-structured population model coupled to an optical model to infer the particle size distribution and physiologically relevant parameters of the cells responsible for the measured diel cycle in <i>c</i><sub>p</sub>. Results show that the information related to size and contained in the spectral data can be exploited to independently estimate growth and loss rates during the day and night. In addition, the model can characterize the population of particles affecting the diel variability in <i>c</i><sub>p</sub>. Application of this method to spectral <i>c</i><sub>p</sub> measured at a station in the oligotrophic Mediterranean Sea suggests that most of the observed variations in <i>c</i><sub>p</sub> can be ascribed to a synchronized population of cells with an equivalent spherical diameter around 4.6±1.5 μm. The inferred carbon biomass of these cells was about 5.2–6.0 mg m<sup>−3</sup> and accounted for approximately 10% of the total particulate organic carbon. If successfully validated, this method may improve our in situ estimates of primary productivity