414 research outputs found

    Methane release from open leads and new ice following an Arctic winter storm event

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    We examine an Arctic winter storm event, which led to ice break–up, the formation of open leads, and the subsequent freezing of these leads. The methane (CH4) concentration in under–ice surface water before and during the storm event was 8–12 nmol L−1, which resulted in a potential sea–to–air CH4 flux ranging from +0.2 to +2.1 mg CH4 m−2 d−1 in open leads. CH4 ventilation between seawater and atmosphere occurred when both open water fraction and wind speed increased. Over the nine days after the storm, sea ice grew 27 cm thick. Initially, CH4 concentrations in the sea ice brine were above the equilibrium with the atmosphere. As the ice grew thicker, most of the CH4 was lost from upper layers of sea ice into the atmosphere, implying continued CH4 evasion after the leads were ice–covered. This suggests that wintertime CH4 emissions need to be better constrainedMethane release from open leads and new ice following an Arctic winter storm eventacceptedVersio

    Methane release from open leads and new ice following an Arctic winter storm event

    Get PDF
    We examine an Arctic winter storm event, which led to ice break–up, the formation of open leads, and the subsequent freezing of these leads. The methane (CH4) concentration in under–ice surface water before and during the storm event was 8–12 nmol L−1, which resulted in a potential sea–to–air CH4 flux ranging from +0.2 to +2.1 mg CH4 m−2 d−1 in open leads. CH4 ventilation between seawater and atmosphere occurred when both open water fraction and wind speed increased. Over the nine days after the storm, sea ice grew 27 cm thick. Initially, CH4 concentrations in the sea ice brine were above the equilibrium with the atmosphere. As the ice grew thicker, most of the CH4 was lost from upper layers of sea ice into the atmosphere, implying continued CH4 evasion after the leads were ice–covered. This suggests that wintertime CH4 emissions need to be better constrained

    Sea ice <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub> dynamics and air-ice CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes during the Sea Ice Mass Balance in the Antarctic (SIMBA) experiment - Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica

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    Temporal evolution of pCO2 profiles in sea ice in the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica, in October 2007 shows physical and thermodynamic processes controls the CO2 system in the ice. During the survey, cyclical warming and cooling strongly influenced the physical, chemical, and thermodynamic properties of the ice cover. Two sampling sites with contrasting characteristics of ice and snow thickness were sampled: one had little snow accumulation (from 8 to 25 cm) and larger temperature and salinity variations than the second site, where the snow cover was up to 38 cm thick and therefore better insulated the underlying sea ice. We show that each cooling/warming event was associated with an increase/decrease in the brine salinity, total alkalinity (TA), total dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO2), and in situ brine and bulk ice CO2 partial pressures (pCO2). Thicker snow covers reduced the amplitude of these changes: snow cover influences the sea ice carbonate system by modulating the temperature and therefore the salinity of the sea ice cover. Results indicate that pCO2 was undersaturated with respect to the atmosphere both in the in situ bulk ice (from 10 to 193 µatm) and brine (from 65 to 293 µatm), causing the sea ice to act as a sink for atmospheric CO2 (up to 2.9 mmol m-2 d-1), despite supersaturation of the underlying seawater (up to 462 µatm)

    The seasonal cycle of ocean-atmosphere CO2 Flux in Ryder Bay, West Antarctic Peninsula

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    Approximately 15 million km2 of the Southern Ocean is seasonally ice covered, yet the processes affecting carbon cycling and gas exchange in this climatically important region remain inadequately understood. Here, 3 years of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) measurements and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes from Ryder Bay on the west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) are presented. During spring and summer, primary production in the surface ocean promotes atmospheric CO2 uptake. In winter, higher DIC, caused by net heterotrophy and vertical mixing with Circumpolar Deep Water, results in outgassing of CO2 from the ocean. Ryder Bay is found to be a net sink of atmospheric CO2 of 0.59–0.94 mol C m−2 yr−1 (average of 3 years). Seasonal sea ice cover increases the net annual CO2 uptake, but its effect on gas exchange remains poorly constrained. A reduction in sea ice on the WAP shelf may reduce the strength of the oceanic CO2 sink in this region

    Sea ice CO2 flux in the Southern Ocean during mid-winter and early spring

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    第4回極域科学シンポジウム個別セッション:[OB] 生物圏11月12日(火)13:00-14:00 国立国語研究所 2階ラウン

    Whole-system metabolism and CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes in a Mediterranean Bay dominated by seagrass beds (Palma Bay, NW Mediterranean)

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    The relationship between whole-system metabolism estimates based on planktonic and benthic incubations (bare sediments and seagrass, Posidonia oceanica meadows), and CO2 fluxes across the air-sea interface were examined in the Bay of Palma (Mallorca, Spain) during two cruises in March and June 2002. Moreover, planktonic and benthic incubations were performed at monthly intervals from March 2001 to October 2002 in a seagrass vegetated area of the bay. From the annual study, results showed a contrast between the planktonic compartment, which was heterotrophic during most of the year, except for occasional bloom episodes, and the benthic compartment, which was slightly autotrophic. Whereas the seagrass community was autotrophic, the excess organic carbon production therein could only balance the excess respiration of the planktonic compartment in shallow waters (<10 m) relative to the maximum depth of the bay (55 m). This generated a horizontal gradient from autotrophic or balanced communities in the shallow, seagrass-covered areas of the bay, to strongly heterotrophic communities in deeper areas, consistent with the patterns of CO2 fields and fluxes across the bay observed during the two extensive cruises in 2002. Finally, dissolved inorganic carbon and oxygen budgets provided NEP estimates in fair agreement with those derived from direct metabolic estimates based on incubated samples over the Posidonia oceanica meadow

    Transparent exopolymer particles and dissolved organic carbon production by Emiliania huxleyi exposed to different CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations: a mesocosm experiment

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    The role of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) for organic carbon partitioning under different CO2 conditions was examined during a mesocosm experiment with the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi. We designed 9 outdoor enclosures (similar to11 m(3)) to simulate CO2 concentrations of estimated 'Year 2100' (similar to710 ppm CO2), 'present' (similar to410 ppm CO2) and 'glacial' (similar to190 ppm CO2) environments, and fertilized these with nitrate and phosphate to favor bloom development. Our results showed fundamentally different TEP and DOC dynamics during the bloom. In all mesocosms, TEP concentration increased after nutrient exhaustion and accumulated steadily until the end of the study. TEP concentration was closely related to the abundance of E. huxleyi and accounted for an increase in POC concentration of 35 +/- 2 % after the onset of nutrient limitation. The production of TEP normalized to the cell Abundance of E. huxleyi was highest in the Year 2100 treatment. In contrast, DOC concentration exhibited considerable short-term fluctuations throughout the study. In all mesocosms, DOC was neither related to the abundance of E. huxleyi nor to TEP concentration. A statistically significant effect of the CO2 treatment on DOC concentration was not determined. However, during the course of the bloom, DOC concentration increased in 2 of the 3 Year 2100 mesocosms and in 1 of the present mesocosms, but in none of the glacial mesocosms. It is suggested that the observed differences between TEP and DOC were determined by their different bioavailability and that a rapid response of the microbial food web may have obscured CO2 effects on DOC production by autotrophic cells

    Surface Texturization of Breast Implants Impacts Extracellular Matrix and Inflammatory Gene Expression in Asymptomatic Capsules:

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    Background: Texturing processes have been designed to improve biocompatibility and mechanical anchoring of breast implants. However, a high degree of texturing has been associated with severe abnormalities. In this study, the authors aimed to determine whether implant surface topography could also affect physiology of asymptomatic capsules. Methods: The authors collected topographic measurements from 17 different breast implant devices by interferometry and radiographic microtomography. Morphologic structures were analyzed statistically to obtain a robust breast implant surface classification. The authors obtained three topographic categories of textured implants (i.e., “peak and valleys,” “open cavities,” and “semiopened cavities”) based on the cross-sectional aspects. The authors simultaneously collected 31 Baker grade I capsules, sorted them according to the new classification, established their molecular profile, and examined the tissue organization. Results: Each of the categories showed distinct expression patterns of genes associated with the extracellular matrix (Timp and Mmp members) and inflammatory response (Saa1, Tnsf11, and Il8), despite originating from healthy capsules. In addition, slight variations were observed in the organization of capsular tissues at the histologic level. Conclusions: The authors combined a novel surface implant classification system and gene profiling analysis to show that implant surface topography is a bioactive cue that can trigger gene expression changes in surrounding tissue, even in Baker grade I capsules. The authors’ new classification system avoids confusion regarding the word “texture,” and could be transposed to implant ranges of every manufacturer. This new classification could prove useful in studies on potential links between specific texturizations and the incidence of certain breast-implant associated complications

    The chlorophyll seasonal dynamics in the Black Sea as inferred from Biogeochemical-Argo floats

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    Biogeochemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) floats offer the opportunity to investigate the spatial and temporal dynamics of chlorophyll a (Chla) profiles. In the Black Sea, the unusual abundance of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and the absence of oxygen below ∼80-100m require a revision of the classic formulation used to link the fluorescence signal and the algal chlorophyll concentration (e.g. Xing et al., 2017). Indeed, the very high content of CDOM in the basin is thought to be responsible for the apparent increase of Chla concentrations at depth, where it should be zero due to the absence of light. Here, the classic formulation to link fluorescence and Chla is revised based on a reference Chla dataset sampled during a scientific cruise onboard RV Akademik and analysed with High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Then, using the established equation to remove the contribution of CDOM to the fluorescence signal, we estimated the Chla profiles from 4 BGC-Argo floats during the period 2014-2017. All Chla profiles were thus highly quality controlled by using the Argo documentation (Schmechtig et al., 2015). Especially, we removed bad data (e.g. spikes, outliers) and we corrected the Non-Photochemical Quenching effect, a photoprotective mechanism resulting in a decrease in the fluorescence signal at the surface. The Chla profiles are categorized based on fitting algorithms (e.g. sigmoid, exponential, gaussian) and empirical criteria. They display a large variety of shapes across the seasons (e.g. homogeneity in the mixed layer, subsurface maximum, double peaks below the surface, etc.) with roughly homogeneous profiles dominating between November and February while subsurface maxima are present during the rest of the year, with in summer a clearly-marked deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM). We then investigate the formation mechanism of DCMs based on the hysteresis hypothesis for the temperate ocean proposed by Navarro et al., (2013). For this, we looked at the correlation between the position of DCMs and the potential density anomaly of the mixed layer when it is maximum in winter, usually between February and March. We show that DCMs are highly correlated with the potential density anomaly of the previous winter mixed layer where a winter bloom initiated while the correlation with the 10% and 1% light levels is poor. This is in agreement with the hysteresis hypothesis that assumes that in regions where a bloom forms in late winter/early spring, this bloom remains established at a fixed density (i.e. the density of the mixed layer when it is maximum) until the end of summer acting as a barrier for the diffusion of nutrients from below and preventing the occurrence of deeper blooms due to a shading effect. This bloom is finally progressively eroded in autumn, when the depth of the mixed layer increases again
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