Environmental variables driving species and genus level changes in annual plankton biomass

Abiotic variables subject to global change are known to affect plankton biomasses, and these effects can be species-specific. Here, we investigate the environmental drivers of annual biomass using plankton data from the Gulf of Finland in the northern Baltic Sea, spanning years 1993–2016. We estimated annual biomass time-series of 31 nanoplankton and microplankton species and genera from day-level data, accounting for the average phenology and wind. We found wind effects on day-level biomass in 16 taxa. We subsequently used state-space models to connect the annual biomass changes with potential environmental drivers (temperature, salinity, stratification, ice cover and inorganic nutrients), simultaneously accounting for temporal trends. We found clear environmental effects influencing the annual biomasses of Dinobryon faculiferum, Eutreptiella spp., Protoperidinium bipes, Pseudopedinella spp., Snowella spp. and Thalassiosira baltica and indicative effects in 10 additional taxa. These effects mostly concerned temperature, salinity or stratification. Together, these 16 taxa represent two-thirds of the summer biomass in the sampled community. The inter-annual variability observed in salinity and temperature is relatively low compared to scenarios of predicted change in these variables. Therefore, the potential impacts of the presented effects on plankton biomasses are considerable

Report on policies in foresight in OO - Report on initiatives, strategies and roadmaps that contribute to foresight in ocean observation

Identifying existing initiatives in foresight in ocean observation, emerging strategies and roadmaps

Report on the European BioEco observing system

This deliverable provides (1) updates to D1.2 ‘Map the current state of biological observations in Europe’, (2) a report on the two workshops and global review undertaken to progress capacity and coordination of ocean observation, and (3) outlines key steps forward that will improve our capacity to predict biological and ecosystem changes under a changing climate

DEVELOP EUROGOOS MARINE CLIMATE SERVICE WITH A SEAMLESS EARTH SYSTEM APPROACH

The ocean is an important pathway to a low-carbon and climate resilient society, e.g. in areas of blue carbon, green shipping, offshore renewable energy, aquaculture, fi shery and coastal adaptation. Currently, 26 EU member states have made their National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) and/or National Strategy Plan (NAP) which needs a strong climate information service. European Global Ocean Observing System (EuroGOOS) has a strategy to expand existing operational marine service to climate change in 2020-2030. As focal points of national marine, climate and/or weather services, ROOS (Regional Sea Operational Oceanographic System) members have extensive experiences in working with citizens, stakeholders and decision-makers at national, regional and municipality levels. This paper will review current marine climate service capacity in ROOS members, identify gaps in modelling, products and service, and propose a seamless earth system approach for developing EuroGOOS and ROOS marine climate service capacities.Versión del edito

Eutrophication in marine waters: harmonization of MSFD methodological standards at EU level

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) establishes the framework for the protection, conservation and sustainable use of the marine environment at the Union level. Because of its potential negative effects on the marine water quality, eutrophication is one of the criteria assessed under MSFD. This report presents the results of the joint work between JRC and a network of Member States (MS) eutrophication designated experts to assess the level of harmonization in Eutrophication methodological standards and threshold definition at regional and EU level. The information compiled at regional and national level showed that although methodologies are defined already for all the criteria, the degree of harmonization of methodological approaches across MS and regions is in some cases very low. In addition further developments are needed for some regions to agree on common indicators and threshold values. Based on these results the report highlights existing gaps and proposes recommendations to improve the eutrophication assessment framework at EU level.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

The Importance of Mesodinium rubrum at Post-Spring Bloom Nutrient and Phytoplankton Dynamics in the Vertically Stratified Baltic Sea

The inter-annual dynamics of the photosynthetic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum in the central Gulf of Finland in spring-summer continuum during 5 years were followed. The analysis was mainly based on high-resolution measurements and sampling in the surface layer along the ferry route Tallinn-Helsinki. The main purpose was to analyze the dynamics of M. rubrum biomass, its contribution to the photosynthetic plankton biomass, and the influence of water temperature and variations of inorganic nutrients in the surface and sub-surface layer on its dynamics. The analysis revealed that the outcome of the M. rubrum bloom in spring was largely related to the surface layer water temperature—in the years of earlier warming, the higher biomass of this species was formed. The photosynthetic ciliate was an important primary producer in all studied years during the late phase or post-spring bloom period in the Gulf of Finland. The maximum proportion of M. rubrum in the photosynthetic plankton community was estimated up to 88% in May and up to 91% in June. We relate the observed post-spring bloom decrease of phosphate concentrations in the surface layer to the dominance and growth of M. rubrum. We suggest that this link can be explained by the vertical migration behavior of M. rubrum and phosphate utilization in the surface layer coupled with inorganic nitrogen assimilation in the sub-surface layer. Thus, the dynamics of M. rubrum could strongly influence the amount of post-spring bloom excess PO43- in the euphotic layer and the depth of nitracline in the Gulf of Finland