The study of the mercury cycle in polar regions: An international study in Ny-Alesund, Svalbard

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic pollutant and it can be strongly accumulated in the food chain, especially in Polar Regions. This paper presents a part of the work that has been on-going for 3-4 years in Ny-Alesund, Svalbard within the frame of an international collaboration. In Ny-Alesund in spring 2003, the atmospheric chemistry of mercury has been studied so as to better understand the formation of oxidized mercury species in the atmosphere that could be deposited onto snow surfaces. The role of snow as a potential source of mercury to the atmosphere or as a sink has also been approached to better understand the behavior of this metal. Chemical and biological processes seem to play a major role in Hg storage in snow. When melting, snow could be a major source of Hg into the various ecosystems and this toxin could therefore be accumulated into the food chain

SODA-IIoT4Factory: Blockchain to keep the A.I. of your Intrusion Detection System up-to-date

International audienceCo-designed with FPC Ingénierie, SODA-IIoT4Factory offers a secure way to update CyPRES rule engines & cyber security/attack models.CyPRES is an intelligent IDS that strengthens industrial information systems. It learns then verifies the operation and behaviour of the system to the lowest level of detail. It detects the first signs of attacks before damage is incurred

SODA-IIoT4Factory: Blockchain to keep the A.I. of your Intrusion Detection System up-to-date

International audienceCo-designed with FPC Ingénierie, SODA-IIoT4Factory offers a secure way to update CyPRES rule engines & cyber security/attack models.CyPRES is an intelligent IDS that strengthens industrial information systems. It learns then verifies the operation and behaviour of the system to the lowest level of detail. It detects the first signs of attacks before damage is incurred

Ironing out Fe residence time in the dynamic upper ocean

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Black, E. E., Kienast, S. S., Lemaitre, N., Lam, P. J., Anderson, R. F., Planquette, H., Planchon, F., & Buesseler, K. O. Ironing out Fe residence time in the dynamic upper ocean. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 34(9), (2020): e2020GB006592, doi:10.1029/2020GB006592.Although iron availability has been shown to limit ocean productivity and influence marine carbon cycling, the rates of processes driving iron's removal and retention in the upper ocean are poorly constrained. Using 234Th‐ and sediment‐trap data, most of which were collected through international GEOTRACES efforts, we perform an unprecedented observation‐based assessment of iron export from and residence time in the upper ocean. The majority of these new residence time estimates for total iron in the surface ocean (0–250 m) fall between 10 and 100 days. The upper ocean residence time of dissolved iron, on the other hand, varies and cycles on sub‐annual to annual timescales. Collectively, these residence times are shorter than previously thought, and the rates and timescales presented here will contribute to ongoing efforts to integrate iron into global biogeochemical models predicting climate and carbon dioxide sequestration in the ocean in the 21st century and beyond.We would like to thank S. Albani for providing the dust model results (Community Atmosphere Model, C4fn) and the three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. The U.S. GEOTRACES work was supported by the National Science Foundation (OCE‐1232669 and OCE‐1518110) and E. Black was also funded by a NASA Earth and Space Science Graduate Fellowship (NNX13AP31H) and the Ocean Frontier Institute. The GEOVIDE work was funded by the Flanders Research Foundation (G071512N), the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (SRP‐2), the French ANR Blanc GEOVIDE (ANR‐13‐BS06‐0014), ANR RPDOC BITMAP (ANR‐12‐PDOC‐0025‐01), IFREMER, CNRS‐INSU (programme LEFE), INSU OPTIMISP, and Labex‐Mer (ANR‐10‐LABX‐19)

Contamination pathways of spore-forming bacteria in a vegetable cannery

International audienceSpoilage of low-acid canned food during prolonged storage at high temperatures is caused by heat resistant thermophilic spores of strict or facultative bacteria. Here, we performed a bacterial survey over two consecutive years on the processing line of a French company manufacturing canned mixed green peas and carrots. In total, 341 samples were collected, including raw vegetables, green peas and carrots at different steps of processing, cover brine, and process environment samples. Thermophilic and highly-heat-resistant thermophilic spores growing anaerobically were counted. During vegetable preparation, anaerobic spore counts were significantly decreased, and tended to remain unchanged further downstream in the process. Large variation of spore levels in products immediately before the sterilization process could be explained by occasionally high spore levels on surfaces and in debris of vegetable combined with long residence times in conditions suitable for growth and sporulation. Vegetable processing was also associated with an increase in the prevalence of highly-heat-resistant species, probably due to cross-contamination of peas via blanching water. Geobacillus stearothermophilus M13-PCR genotypic profiling on 112 isolates determined 23 profile-types and confirmed process-driven cross-contamination. Taken together, these findings clarify the scheme of contamination pathway by thermophilic spore-forming bacteria in a vegetable cannery

The biogeochemical cycle of dissolved cobalt in the Atlantic and the Southern Ocean south off the coast of South Africa

The spatial distribution, biogeochemical cycle and external sources of dissolved cobalt (DCo) were investigated in the southeastern Atlantic and the Southern Ocean between 33°58′S and 57°33′S along the Greenwich Meridian during the austral summer 2008 in the framework of the International Polar Year. DCo concentrations were measured by flow-injection analysis and chemiluminescence detection in filtered (0.2 μm), acidified and UV-digested samples at 12 deep stations in order to resolve the several biogeochemical provinces of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and to assess the vertical and frontal structures in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. We measured DCo ranging from 5.73 ± 1.15 pM to 72.9 ± 4.51 pM. The distribution of DCo was nutrient-like in surface waters of the subtropical domain with low concentrations in the euphotic layer due to biological uptake. The biological utilization of dissolved cobalt was proportional to that of phosphate in the subtropical domain with a DCo:HPO42− depletion ratio of ~ 44 μM M−1. In deeper waters the distribution indicated remineralization of DCo and inputs from the margins of South Africa with lateral advection of enriched intermediate and deep waters to the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. In contrast the vertical distribution of DCo changed southward, from a nutrient-like distribution in the subtropical domain to scavenged-type behavior in the domain of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and conservative distribution in the Weddell Gyre. There the cycle of DCo featured low biological removal by Antarctic diatoms with input to surface waters by snow, removal in oxygenated surface waters, and dissolution and stabilization in the low-oxygenated Upper Circumpolar Deep Waters. DCo distributions and physical hydro-dynamics features also suggest inputs from the Drake Passage and the southwestern Atlantic to the 0° meridian along the eastward flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Bottom enrichment of DCo in the Antarctic Bottom Waters was also evident, together with increasing water-mass pathway and aging, possibly due to sediment resuspension and/or mixing with North Atlantic Deep waters in the Cape Basin. Overall atmospheric input of soluble Co by dry aerosols to the surface waters was low but higher in the ACC domain than in the northern part of the section. At the highest latitudes, it is possible that snowfall could be a source of DCo to surface waters. Tentative budgets for DCo in the mixed layer of the subtropical and the ACC domains have been constructed for each biogeochemical region encountered during the cruise. The estimated DCo uptake flux was found to be the dominant cobalt flux along the section. This flux decreases southward, which is consistent with the observations that DCo shows a southward transition from nutrient-like towards conservative distribution in the mixed layer

Particulate Trace Element Export in the North Atlantic (GEOTRACES GA01 Transect, GEOVIDE Cruise)

Vertical export of particulate trace elements (pTEs) is a critically underconstrained aspect of their biogeochemistry. Here, we combine elemental analyses on large (>53 μm) particles and 234Th measurements to determine downward export fluxes from the upper layers (40–110 m) of pTEs (Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, P, Ti, V, Zn) and mineral phases (lithogenic, Fe- and Mn-oxides, calcium carbonate, and opal) in the North Atlantic along the GEOVIDE transect (Portugal–Greenland–Canada; GEOTRACES GA01 cruise). The role of lithogenic particles in controlling TE fluxes is obvious at proximity of the Iberian margin where the highest pTE export fluxes were estimated (up to 3912 μg/m2/d for pFe). However, high lithogenic and pTE fluxes are also observed up to 1700 km off this margin in the west European and Icelandic basins (up to 931 μg/m2/d for pFe). The lowest pTE export fluxes are determined in the Labrador Sea (as low as 501 μg/m2/d for pFe). High Mn- and Fe-oxide fluxes are estimated at the open ocean stations, suggesting that authigenic particles are an important vector of pTEs. All along the transect, biogenic particles also drive the pTE export fluxes, as shown by the similar pTE/POC ratios between exports and phytoplankton quotas. The shortest residence times (dissolved + particulate) are generally observed where lithogenic particles control the pTE fluxes (as low as 2 days for Fe) whereas pTEs seem to be longer retained when the contribution of biogenic particles become greater (residence times up to 147 days for Fe)

High variability of particulate organic carbon export along the North Atlantic GEOTRACES section GA01 as deduced from 234Th fluxes

In this study we report particulate organic carbon (POC) export fluxes for different biogeochemical basins in the North Atlantic as part of the GEOTRACES GA01 expedition (GEOVIDE, May–June 2014). Surface POC export fluxes were deduced by combining export fluxes of total Thorium-234 (234Th) with the ratio of POC to 234Th of sinking particles at the depth of export. Particles were collected in two size classes ( > 53 and 1–53µm) using in situ pumps and the large size fraction was considered representative of sinking material. Surface POC export fluxes revealed latitudinal variations between provinces, ranging from 1.4mmolm−2d−1 in the Irminger basin, where the bloom was close to its maximum, to 12mmolm−2d−1 near the Iberian Margin, where the bloom had already declined. In addition to the state of progress of the bloom, variations of the POC export fluxes were also related to the phytoplankton size and community structure. In line with previous studies, the presence of coccolithophorids and diatoms appeared to enhance the POC export flux, while the dominance of picophytoplankton cells, such as cyanobacteria, resulted in lower fluxes. The ratio of POC export to primary production (PP) strongly varied regionally and was generally low ( ≤ 14%), except at two stations located near the Iberian Margin (35%) and within the Labrador basin (38%), which were characterized by unusual low in situ PP. We thus conclude that during the GEOVIDE cruise, the North Atlantic was not as efficient in exporting carbon from the surface, as reported earlier by others. Finally, we also estimated the POC export at 100m below the surface export depth to investigate the POC transfer efficiencies. This parameter was also highly variable amongst regions, with the highest transfer efficiency at sites where coccolithophorids dominated

Fatty acid isotopic fractionation in the diatom Chaetoceros muelleri

Carbon isotopic fractionation was studied during the development of the diatom Chaetoceros muelleri grown in batch culture with 13C-depleted CO2 addition. Cellular and growth parameters and isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon and particulate organic carbon were monitored every two days, while the content and isotopic composition of individual fatty acid in polar lipid and neutral lipid were measured on the 5th day (end of exponential phase), 10th and 14th days (stationary phase). Continuous addition of petrochemical CO2 to the algae led to a rapid and strong modification of dissolved inorganic carbon isotopic composition with cascading effects on particulate organic carbon and fatty acid isotopic compositions. Carbon isotope fractionation in Chaetoceros muelleri ranged from 17‰ to 25‰ and changed according to culture ages. Isotopic fractionation into fatty acids, overall, was similar between polar and neutral lipids, and was systematically higher than in particulate organic carbon. At the end of the exponential growth phase, the isotopic composition of individual fatty acids varied from −51.3‰ to −58.4‰. At this culture age, large differences in the isotopic compositions between fatty acids were observed. Polyunsaturated fatty acids such as 16:3n-4, 18:4n-3, and 20:5n-3 were more strongly 13C-depleted than other fatty acids such as 14:0, 16:0, 16:1n-7 or 18:1n-9. These results showed how isotopic effects occur during the desaturation and elongation phases. Such isotopic effects were also supported by the lower δ13C of averaged δ13C of saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids as compared to those of polyunsaturated fatty acids. However, during the stationary phase, fatty acid isotopic compositions were less variable and closer to particulate organic carbon, while saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were more depleted than polyunsaturated fatty acids. Our study underlined the importance of consideration of phytoplankton physiological status when conducting ecological and biogeochemical studies as they appeared to strongly control phytoplankton carbon isotopic composition