Perspectives and Integration in SOLAS Science

Why a chapter on Perspectives and Integration in SOLAS Science in this book? SOLAS science by its nature deals with interactions that occur: across a wide spectrum of time and space scales, involve gases and particles, between the ocean and the atmosphere, across many disciplines including chemistry, biology, optics, physics, mathematics, computing, socio-economics and consequently interactions between many different scientists and across scientific generations. This chapter provides a guide through the remarkable diversity of cross-cutting approaches and tools in the gigantic puzzle of the SOLAS realm. Here we overview the existing prime components of atmospheric and oceanic observing systems, with the acquisition of ocean–atmosphere observables either from in situ or from satellites, the rich hierarchy of models to test our knowledge of Earth System functioning, and the tremendous efforts accomplished over the last decade within the COST Action 735 and SOLAS Integration project frameworks to understand, as best we can, the current physical and biogeochemical state of the atmosphere and ocean commons. A few SOLAS integrative studies illustrate the full meaning of interactions, paving the way for even tighter connections between thematic fields. Ultimately, SOLAS research will also develop with an enhanced consideration of societal demand while preserving fundamental research coherency. The exchange of energy, gases and particles across the air-sea interface is controlled by a variety of biological, chemical and physical processes that operate across broad spatial and temporal scales. These processes influence the composition, biogeochemical and chemical properties of both the oceanic and atmospheric boundary layers and ultimately shape the Earth system response to climate and environmental change, as detailed in the previous four chapters. In this cross-cutting chapter we present some of the SOLAS achievements over the last decade in terms of integration, upscaling observational information from process-oriented studies and expeditionary research with key tools such as remote sensing and modelling. Here we do not pretend to encompass the entire legacy of SOLAS efforts but rather offer a selective view of some of the major integrative SOLAS studies that combined available pieces of the immense jigsaw puzzle. These include, for instance, COST efforts to build up global climatologies of SOLAS relevant parameters such as dimethyl sulphide, interconnection between volcanic ash and ecosystem response in the eastern subarctic North Pacific, optimal strategy to derive basin-scale CO2 uptake with good precision, or significant reduction of the uncertainties in sea-salt aerosol source functions. Predicting the future trajectory of Earth’s climate and habitability is the main task ahead. Some possible routes for the SOLAS scientific community to reach this overarching goal conclude the chapter

Long-Term Preservation of Oil Spill Events in Sediments: The Case for the \u3cem\u3eDeepwater Horizon\u3c/em\u3e Oil Spill in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Geochemical studies can provide a record of environmental changes and biogeochemical processes in sedimentary systems. Analytical methods are in need of high-throughput procedures targeting recalcitrant and multiple chemical species for delineating ecological patterns and ecosystem health. The goal of this chapter is to summarize the analytical methods, recalcitrant molecules and transformed organic material used in previous studies as chemical indicators of the impact and fate of Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil residues in sediments. Further monitoring of recalcitrant molecules and transformed material will help to elucidate the long-term fate of the DWH weathered oil in sedimentary environments of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM)

Applications of FTICR-MS in Oil Spill Studies

During the past decade, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) has been established as a technique of choice for the comprehensive chemical assessment of some of the most complex organic mixtures, such as petroleum, or dissolved organic matter. In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout, FTICR-MS demonstrated its applicability for the characterization of oil spill residues produced by abiotic weathering, such as photooxidation, and/or microbial processes and interactions, for example, marine oil snow aggregation. Such residues are abundant in high molecular weight, polar, and heteroatom-bearing chemical species, which cannot be analyzed by the typical oil spill forensics tools such as gas chromatography. Therefore, the expansion of the analytical window afforded by FTICR-MS is crucial for the monitoring and understanding of long-term oil spill fate. Furthermore, capability of FTICR-MS to characterize non-hydrocarbon petroleum fractions will be very important in the case of potential future spills of heavy, unconventional oils, such as bitumen

Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Chlamydophila abortus infection in dairy goats in the Northeast of Brazil

Few data are available on the prevalence and risk factors of Chlamydophila abortus infection in goats in Brazil. A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the flock-level prevalence of C. abortus infection in goats from the semiarid region of the Paraíba State, Northeast region of Brazil, as well as to identify risk factors associated with the infection. Flocks were randomly selected and a pre-established number of female goats > 12 mo old were sampled in each of these flocks. A total of 975 serum samples from 110 flocks were collected, and structured questionnaire focusing on risk factors for C. abortus infection was given to each farmer at the time of blood collection. For the serological diagnosis the complement fixation test (CFT) using C. abortus S26/3 strain as antigen was performed. The flock-level factors for C. abortus prevalence were tested using multivariate logistic regression model. Fifty-five flocks out of 110 presented at least one seropositive animal with an overall prevalence of 50.0% (95%; CI: 40.3%, 59.7%). Ninety-one out of 975 dairy goats examined were seropositive with titers >32, resulting in a frequency of 9.3%. Lend buck for breeding (odds ratio = 2.35; 95% CI: 1.04-5.33) and history of abortions (odds ratio = 3.06; 95% CI: 1.37-6.80) were associated with increased flock prevalence

The Sedimentary Record of MOSSFA Events in the Gulf of Mexico: A Comparison of the \u3cem\u3eDeepwater Horizon\u3c/em\u3e (2010) and Ixtoc 1 (1979) Oil Spills

Marine Oil Snow Sedimentation and Flocculent Accumulation (MOSSFA) refers to the process of formation, sinking, and seafloor deposition of oil-contaminated marine snow and oil-mineral aggregates. MOSSFA was well documented in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon(DWH 2010) and likely occurred in the southern GoM during Ixtoc 1 (1979–1980). This chapter introduces Part IV: Oil Spill Records in Deep Sea Sediments and addresses a series of questions regarding MOSSFA in the sedimentary record: What were the characteristics of MOSSFA sedimentary inputs? What was the extent of MOSSFA on the seafloor? What postdepositional processes took place as a result of MOSSFA? Can MOSSFA be preserved in the sedimentary record? MOSSFA sedimentary inputs were comprised of three main components (biogenic, lithogenic, and petrogenic), many of which were surface derived. MOSSFA resulted in a four- to ten fold increase in bulk sediment accumulation rates, a two- to three fold increase in oil-derived hydrocarbon concentrations, a two- to three-order of magnitude increase in Corexit 9500A dispersant concentration, and two- to three fold increases in surface-derived biotic material (e.g., planktic foraminifera, diatoms). Estimates of the total spatial extent of MOSSFA on the seafloor of the northern GoM range from 1030 to 35,425 km2, accounting for between 3.7% and 14.4% of the total petroleum released during DWH. Increased microbial respiration of organic carbon caused depleted surface sediment oxygen, intensifying reducing conditions up to 3 years following DWH. Multiple proxies provided evidence of multi-year preservation of both oil residue in the sediments associated with DWH, MOSSFA, and the sedimentary event in the geologic record. Despite confounding factors in the southern GoM including regional events (e.g., volcanoes, hurricanes) and complex hydrocarbon backgrounds (e.g., natural seeps, oil, and gas infrastructure), multiple sedimentary proxies have provided evidence of degraded Ixtoc 1 oil-residue input and the MOSSFA sedimentary event preserved in the geologic record greater than 35 years after Ixtoc 1. Federal and international policies can be benefitted by incorporating MOSSFA with regard to response strategies, weighing the ecological trade-off between oiled coastlines and offshore benthic environments