Nematode communities from a natural oil seep off Svalbard

Cold-seep sediments, where active fluid seepage rich is observed, have been associated with the presence of endemic nematode communities. Under the scope of the AKMA project, a seep site located offshore Svalbard was sampled for the first time to investigate the Nematoda assemblages associated with methane and crude oil seepage. Replicated samples were collected by means of the blade- and push-cores, on a bacterial mat where active gas and oil seepage was observed, as well as in sediments nearby without evident seepage activity, as reference. Sediments collected were used to characterize the community structure and diversity of the meiofauna taxa, particularly the nematode assemblages, as well as key environmental parameters (i.e, sediment and pore-water geochemistry, organic content, grain size). Preliminary observations showed no major differences in total meiofauna density between microhabitats, with a predominance of nematodes (>90%), followed by harpacticoid copepods and nauplii larvae, as typically seen in other deep-sea environments. However, an in-depth investigation into the nematode assemblages, revealed a low nematode diversity in the bacterial mats sediments, by comparison, to the reference. Bacterial mat-associated assemblages were predominantly composed of Halomonhystera sp.1 (39%), followed by a single Chromadoridae species (32%). Evidence of morphological and reproductive adaptations were observed in several of the species present and could be indicative of how these organisms are able to survive the toxic environmental conditions at this seep site, namely high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide and crude oil. These observations contribute to a large gap in the understanding of how infauna thrive in extreme environments in the Arctic

Nematode communities from a natural oil seep off Svalbard.

Cold seeps are considered hotspots of energy on the seafloor, establishing unique conditions for life to thrive. In chemosynthetic-based habitats such as these, sediments from active sites are typically inhabited by endemic nematode communities which tolerate the local reduced environmental conditions, but no studies have been carried out on seep sites so far north in the Arctic. Under the scope of the AKMA project, an oil seep site located offshore Svalbard was sampled for the first time to investigate the associated meiofauna assemblages with methane and crude oil seepage. Replicated samples were collected by means of the blade and push cores handled by the ROV Ægir6000, both on bacterial mats with evident gas and oil seepage, as well as in sediments nearby without evident seepage activity, as reference. Sediments collected were used to characterize the community structure and diversity of the meiofauna taxa, particularly the nematode assemblages, as well as key environmental parameters (i.e, sediment and porewater geochemistry, organic content, grain size). Preliminary observations showed no major differences in total meiofauna density between microhabitats, with a predominance of nematodes (>90%), followed by harpacticoid copepods and nauplii larvae, typically seen in other deep-sea environments. However, an in-depth investigation into the nematode assemblages revealed that bacterial mats hosted an extremely low diversity of nematode species, by comparison, to the reference locations. Bacterial mat-associated assemblages were predominantly composed of a single species, Dichromadora sp.1, followed by Halomonhystera cf. disjuncta and Linhomoidae sp. 1. Evidence of morphological and reproductive adaptations in the species present seems to allow them to survive in this toxic environment, namely due to high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and oil presence. The findings resulting from this study contribute to a large gap in the understanding of how infauna thrive in extreme environments with the presence of hydrocarbons in the Arcti

Complementary biomarker-based methods for characterising Arctic sea ice conditions: A case study comparison between multivariate analysis and the PIP<inf>25</inf>index

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd The discovery of IP 25 as a qualitative biomarker proxy for Arctic sea ice and subsequent introduction of the so-called PIP 25 index for semi-quantitative descriptions of sea ice conditions has significantly advanced our understanding of long-term paleo Arctic sea ice conditions over the past decade. We investigated the potential for classification tree (CT) models to provide a further approach to paleo Arctic sea ice reconstruction through analysis of a suite of highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) biomarkers in ca. 200 surface sediments from the Barents Sea. Four CT models constructed using different HBI assemblages revealed IP 25 and an HBI triene as the most appropriate classifiers of sea ice conditions, achieving a > 90% cross-validated classification rate. Additionally, lower model performance for locations in the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) highlighted difficulties in characterisation of this climatically-sensitive region. CT model classification and semi-quantitative PIP 25 -derived estimates of spring sea ice concentration (SpSIC) for four downcore records from the region were consistent, although agreement between proxy and satellite/observational records was weaker for a core from the west Svalbard margin, likely due to the highly variable sea ice conditions. The automatic selection of appropriate biomarkers for description of sea ice conditions, quantitative model assessment, and insensitivity to the c-factor used in the calculation of the PIP 25 index are key attributes of the CT approach, and we provide an initial comparative assessment between these potentially complementary methods. The CT model should be capable of generating longer-term temporal shifts in sea ice conditions for the climatically sensitive Barents Sea

Origin and transformation of light hydrocarbons ascending at an active pockmark on Vestnesa Ridge, Arctic Ocean

We report on the geochemistry of hydrocarbons and pore waters down to 62.5 mbsf, collected by drilling with the MARUM‐MeBo70 and by gravity coring at the Lunde pockmark in the Vestnesa Ridge. Our data document the origin and transformations of volatiles feeding gas emissions previously documented in this region. Gas hydrates are present where a fracture network beneath the pockmark focusses migration of thermogenic hydrocarbons characterized by their C1/C2+ and stable isotopic compositions (δ2H‐CH4, δ13C‐CH4). Measured geothermal gradients (~80°C km‐1) and known formation temperatures (>70°C) suggest that those hydrocarbons are formed at depths >800 mbsf. A combined analytical/modeling approach, including concentration and isotopic mass balances, reveals that pockmark sediments experience diffuse migration of thermogenic hydrocarbons. However, at sites without channeled flow this appears to be limited to depths > ~50 mbsf. At all sites we document a contribution of microbial methanogenesis to the overall carbon cycle that includes a component of secondary carbonate reduction (CR) – i.e. reduction of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) generated by anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in the uppermost methanogenic zone. AOM and CR rates are spatially variable within the pockmark and are highest at high‐flux sites. These reactions are revealed by δ13C‐DIC depletions at the sulfate‐methane interface at all sites. However, δ13C‐CH4 depletions are only observed at the low methane flux sites because changes in the isotopic composition of the overall methane pool are masked at high‐flux sites. 13C‐depletions of TOC suggest that at seeps sites, methane‐derived carbon is incorporated into de novo synthesized biomass

Fracture-controlled fluid transport supports microbial methane-oxidizing communities at Vestnesa Ridge

We report a rare observation of a mini-fracture in near-surface sediments (30&thinsp;cm below the seafloor) visualized using a rotational scanning X-ray of a core recovered from the Lomvi pockmark, Vestnesa Ridge, west of Svalbard (1200&thinsp;m water depth). Porewater geochemistry and lipid biomarker signatures revealed clear differences in the geochemical and biogeochemical regimes of this core compared with two additional unfractured cores recovered from pockmark sites at Vestnesa Ridge, which we attribute to differential methane transport mechanisms. In the sediment core featuring the shallow mini-fracture at pockmark Lomvi, we observed high concentrations of both methane and sulfate throughout the core in tandem with moderately elevated values for total alkalinity, 13C-depleted dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and 13C-depleted lipid biomarkers (diagnostic for the slow-growing microbial communities mediating the anaerobic oxidation of methane with sulfate – AOM). In a separate unfractured core, recovered from the same pockmark about 80&thinsp;m away from the fractured core, we observed complete sulfate depletion in the top centimeters of the sediment and much more pronounced signatures of AOM than in the fractured core. Our data indicate a gas advection-dominated transport mode in both cores, facilitating methane migration into sulfate-rich surface sediments. However, the moderate expression of AOM signals suggest a rather recent onset of gas migration at the site of the fractured core, while the geochemical evidence for a well-established AOM community at the second coring site suggest that gas migration has been going on for a longer period of time. A third core recovered from another pockmark along the Vestnesa Ridge Lunde pockmark was dominated by diffusive transport with only weak geochemical and biogeochemical evidence for AOM. Our study highlights that advective fluid and gas transport supported by mini-fractures can be important in modulating methane dynamics in surface sediments.</p

Extensive release of methane from Arctic seabed west of Svalbard during summer 2014 does not influence the atmosphere

© 2016. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. We find that summer methane (CH4) release from seabed sediments west of Svalbard substantially increases CH4 concentrations in the ocean but has limited influence on the atmospheric CH4 levels. Our conclusion stems from complementary measurements at the seafloor, in the ocean, and in the atmosphere from land-based, ship and aircraft platforms during a summer campaign in 2014. We detected high concentrations of dissolved CH4 in the ocean above the seafloor with a sharp decrease above the pycnocline. Model approaches taking potential CH4 emissions from both dissolved and bubble-released CH4 from a larger region into account reveal a maximum flux compatible with the observed atmospheric CH4 mixing ratios of 2.4-3.8 nmol m-2 s-1. This is too low to have an impact on the atmospheric summer CH4 budget in the year 2014. Long-term ocean observatories may shed light on the complex variations of Arctic CH4 cycles throughout the year.The project MOCA- Methane Emissions from the Arctic OCean to the Atmosphere: Present and Future Climate Effects is funded by the Research Council of Norway, grant no.225814 CAGE – Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate research work was supported by the Research Council of Norway through its Centres of Excellence funding scheme grant no. 223259. Nordic Center of Excellence eSTICC (eScience Tool for Investigating Climate Change in northern high latitudes) funded by Nordforsk, grant no. 57001

Phylogeography of the Microcoleus vaginatus (Cyanobacteria) from Three Continents – A Spatial and Temporal Characterization

It has long been assumed that cyanobacteria have, as with other free-living microorganisms, a ubiquitous occurrence. Neither the geographical dispersal barriers nor allopatric speciation has been taken into account. We endeavoured to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of global distribution within populations of the cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus, originated from three continents, and to evaluate the role of dispersal barriers in the evolution of free-living cyanobacteria. Complex phylogeographical approach was applied to assess the dispersal and evolutionary patterns in the cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus (Oscillatoriales). We compared the 16S rRNA and 16S-23S ITS sequences of strains which had originated from three continents (North America, Europe, and Asia). The spatial distribution was investigated using a phylogenetic tree, network, as well as principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). A temporal characterization was inferred using molecular clocks, calibrated from fossil DNA. Data analysis revealed broad genetic diversity within M. vaginatus. Based on the phylogenetic tree, network, and PCoA analysis, the strains isolated in Europe were spatially separated from those which originated from Asia and North America. A chronogram showed a temporal limitation of dispersal barriers on the continental scale. Dispersal barriers and allopatric speciation had an important role in the evolution of M. vaginatus. However, these dispersal barriers did not have a permanent character; therefore, the genetic flow among populations on a continental scale was only temporarily present. Furthermore, M. vaginatus is a recently evolved species, which has been going through substantial evolutionary changes