Persistent organic pollutants in Asia: Fate and distribution in the ocean and atmosphere

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Arsenic and Phosphorus Biogeochemistry in the Ocean: Arsenic Species as Proxies for P-Limitation

Arsenic and phosphorus are biochemically very similar, and hence arsenate (As5+) is toxic by interfering with the energy metabolism, in particular during P limitation. However, many phytoplankton detoxify As by reducing arsenate to arsenite (As3+), and/or methylating it to mono and dimethyl As. Such As detoxification becomes operative in oligotrophic waters when phosphate concentrations are below those for As; therefore, we evaluated the potential use of these detoxification products as indicators of P-limitation by measuring As speciation during the US GEOTRACES North Atlantic transect. The distribution of As3+ concentrations in surface waters is similar to that of N : P ratios and alkaline phosphatase activity (APA), two conventional proxies for P-limitation. As3+ concentrations have a very similar relationship to phosphate as APA to phosphate, and therefore indicate the potential of As3+ as proxy for P-limitation. From the relationship to phosphate we derived threshold values of As3+ concentration to indicate moderate and extreme P-limitation. We then applied these threshold values to assess P-limitation with high horizontal resolution in the North Atlantic, improving on the contradictory assessments using the conventional proxies. Our new evaluation is consistent with the general concept that the North Atlantic is moderately to extremely limited in phosphate

Sea surface phytoplankton community response to nutrient and light changes

The sea surface microlayer (SML) is the boundary layer between the ocean and the atmosphere and plays a unique role in marine biogeochemistry. Phytoplankton communities in this uppermost surface layer are exposed to extreme ultraviolet (UV) radiation and potentially high nutrient supplies. In order to understand the response of SML communities to such contrasting conditions, we conducted experiments at three different sites, the North Sea (open ocean) and two sites, outer and middle fjord, in the Sognefjord, Norway, with differing physical and chemical parameters. We manipulated light, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) supply to natural communities collected from the SML and compared their response to that of the underlying water (ULW) communities at 1-m depth. Phytoplankton communities in both SML and ULW responded significantly to N addition, suggesting the upper 1-m surface phytoplankton communities were N-limited. While phytoplankton growth rates were higher with high N and high light supply, biomass yield was higher under low light conditions and with a combined N and P supply. Furthermore, biomass yield was generally higher in the ULW communities compared to SML communities. Nutrient and light effects on phytoplankton growth rates, particulate organic carbon (POC) and stoichiometry varied with geographical location. Phytoplankton growth rates in both SML and ULW at the open ocean station, the site with highest salinity, did not respond to light changes, whereas the communities in the middle fjord, characterized by high turbidity and low salinity, did experience light limitation. This work on the upper surface phytoplankton communities provides new insights into possible effects of coastal darkening and increases understanding of oceanic biogeochemical cycling

Overlooked Diversity of Ultramicrobacterial Minorities at the Air-Sea Interface

Members of the Candidate phylum Patescibacteria, also called Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR), are described as ultramicrobacteria with limited metabolic capacities. Wide diversity and relative abundances up to 80% in anaerobic habitats, e.g., in groundwater or sediments are characteristic for Candidatus Patescibacteria. However, only few studies exist for marine surface water. Here, we report the presence of 40 patescibacterial candidate clades at air-sea interfaces, including the upper water layer, floating foams and the sea-surface microlayer (SML), a < 1 mm layer at the boundary between ocean and atmosphere. Particle-associated (>3 μm) and free-living (3–0.2 μm) samples were obtained from the Jade Bay, North Sea, and 16S rRNA (gene) amplicons were analyzed. Although the abundance of Cand. Patescibacteria representatives were relatively low (<1.3%), members of Cand. Kaiserbacteria and Cand. Gracilibacteria were found in all samples. This suggests profound aerotolerant capacities of these phylogenetic lineages at the air-sea interface. The presence of ultramicrobacteria in the >3 μm fraction implies adhesion to bigger aggregates, potentially in anoxic niches, and a symbiotic lifestyle. Due to their small sizes, Cand. Patescibacteria likely become aerosolized to the atmosphere and dispersed to land with possible implications for affecting microbial communities and associated processes in these ecosystems.J.R.: C.S., O.W. and this study were funded by the European Research Council project PASSME, grant number GA336408. The picture of seafoam was taken during a campaign funded by the Assemble Plus project MIDSEAS (European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, Grant Agreement No. 730984). D.P.R.H. was supported by the European Regional Development Fund/Estonian Research Council funded by “Mobilitas Plus Top Researcher grant MOBTT24”. A.J.P. received funding by the Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (“Nachwuchsgruppe Alexander Probst”). The APC was funded by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Duisburg-Essen.J.R.: C.S., O.W. and this study were funded by the European Research Council project PASSME, grant number GA336408. The picture of seafoam was taken during a campaign funded by the Assemble Plus project MIDSEAS (European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, Grant Agreement No. 730984). D.P.R.H. was supported by the European Regional Development Fund/Estonian Research Council funded by “Mobilitas Plus Top Researcher grant MOBTT24”. A.J.P. received funding by the Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (“Nachwuchsgruppe Alexander Probst”). The APC was funded by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Duisburg-Essen

Air-Sea CO2-Exchange in a Large Annular Wind-Wave Tank and the Effects of Surfactants

Wind, chemical enhancement, phytoplankton activity, and surfactants are potential factors driving the air-sea gas exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2). We investigated their effects on the gas transfer velocity of CO2 in a large annular wind-wave tank filled with natural seawater from the North Atlantic Ocean. Experiments were run under 11 different wind speed conditions (ranging from 1.5 ms−1 to 22.8 ms−1), and we increased the water pCO2 concentration twice by more than 950 μatm for two of the seven experimental days. We develop a conceptual box model that incorporated the thermodynamics of the marine CO2 system. Surfactant concentrations in the sea surface microlayer (SML) ranged from 301 to 1015 μgL−1 (as Triton X-100 equivalents) with enrichments ranged from 1.0 to 5.7 in comparison to the samples from the underlying bulk water. With wind speeds up to 8.5 ms−1, surfactants in the SML can reduce the gas transfer velocity by 54%. Wind-wave tank experiments in combination with modeling are useful tools for obtaining a better understanding of the gas transfer velocities of CO2 across the air-sea boundary. The tank allowed for measuring the gas exchange velocity under extreme low and high wind speeds; in contrast, most previous parametrizations have fallen short because measurements of gas exchange velocities in the field are challenging, especially at low wind conditions. High variability in the CO2 transfer velocities suggests that gas exchange is a complex process not solely controlled by wind forces, especially in low wind conditions

Algal blooms: how are they harming models used for climate management?

18th International Conference on Harmful Algae (ICHA 2018), 21-26 October 2018, Nantes, France.-- 4 pages, 2 figuresMicroalgae blooms are generally associated with bacterial secondary producers. They produce organic matter (OM), some of which associates with the sea surface microlayer (SML). OM in the SML below the actual surface reduces fluxes of energy, including heat and momentum, and substances, including greenhouse gases, aerosols, algae, bacteria and viruses. In addition to the SML-associated OM, another OM fraction, foam (including whitecaps), often lies above the primary SML when windspeeds exceed about 5 m s-1, trapping gas bubbles. Such foam also dramatically increases albedo, reflecting solar radiation back into space, thus reducing solar heating and penetration of photosynthetically active radiation. Mean coverage of the ocean surface by foam has been measured to range between 1-6%, particularly in zones of Trade Winds. Different types of OM, and particularly their mechanical properties, depend on ambient algal abundance, as well as on taxonomic composition, as do the dynamics of foam formation and decay. Air-sea fluxes may thus be influenced by genomic control through the blooming microalgae and Darwinian-type evolution. Bacteria may also play a role. In addition, foam patches on the ocean’s surface serve as a unique microbial habitat. Such blooms, particularly when their taxonomic composition changes unpredictably, are likely to be harming the usefulness of climate models. Some of this harm might be mitigated by studying the relevant effects of these blooms on fluxes, and incorporating these effects into climate modelsJS is supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China grant (41876134) and the Changjiang Scholar Program of Chinese Ministry of Educatio