Phytoplankton stimulation in frontal regions of Benguela Upwelling filaments by internal factors

Filaments are intrusions of upwelling water into the sea, separated from the surrounding water by fronts. Current knowledge explains the enhanced primary production and phytoplankton growth found in frontal areas by external factors like nutrient input. The question is whether this enhancement is also caused by intrinsic factors, i.e., simple mixing without external forcing. In order to study the direct effect of frontal mixing on organisms, disturbing external influx has to be excluded. Therefore, mixing was simulated by joining waters originating from “inside” and “outside” the filament in mesocosms (“tanks”). These experiments were conducted during two cruises in the northern Benguela upwelling system in September 2013 and January 2014. The mixed waters reached a much higher net primary production and chlorophyll a (chla) concentration than the original waters already 2–3 days after their merging. The peak in phytoplankton biomass stays longer than the chla peak. After their maxima, primary production rates decreased quickly due to depletion of the nutrients. The increase in colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) may indicate excretion and degradation. Zooplankton is not quickly reacting on the changed conditions. We conclude that already simple mixing of two water bodies, which occurs generally at fronts between upwelled and ambient water, leads to a short-term stimulation of the phytoplankton growth. However, after the exhaustion of the nutrient stock, external nutrient supply is necessary to maintain the enhanced phytoplankton growth in the frontal area. Based on these data, some generally important ecological factors are discussed as for example nutrient ratios and limitations, silicate requirements and growth rates

Highly Active Ice-Nucleating Particles at the Summer North Pole

The amount of ice versus supercooled water in clouds is important for their radiative properties and role in climate feedbacks. Hence, knowledge of the concentration of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) is needed. Generally, the concentrations of INPs are found to be very low in remote marine locations allowing cloud water to persist in a supercooled state. We had expected the concentrations of INPs at the North Pole to be very low given the distance from open ocean and terrestrial sources coupled with effective wet scavenging processes. Here we show that during summer 2018 (August and September) high concentrations of biological INPs (active at\ua0>−20\ub0C) were sporadically present at the North Pole. In fact, INP concentrations were sometimes as high as those recorded at mid-latitude locations strongly impacted by highly active biological INPs, in strong contrast to the Southern Ocean. Furthermore, using a balloon borne sampler we demonstrated that INP concentrations were often different at the surface versus higher in the boundary layer where clouds form. Back trajectory analysis suggests strong sources of INPs near the Russian coast, possibly associated with wind-driven sea spray production, whereas the pack ice, open leads, and the marginal ice zone were not sources of highly active INPs. These findings suggest that primary ice production, and therefore Arctic climate, is sensitive to transport from locations such as the Russian coast that are already experiencing marked climate change

Highly Active Ice‐Nucleating Particles at the Summer North Pole

The amount of ice versus supercooled water in clouds is important for their radiative properties and role in climate feedbacks. Hence, knowledge of the concentration of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) is needed. Generally, the concentrations of INPs are found to be very low in remote marine locations allowing cloud water to persist in a supercooled state. We had expected the concentrations of INPs at the North Pole to be very low given the distance from open ocean and terrestrial sources coupled with effective wet scavenging processes. Here we show that during summer 2018 (August and September) high concentrations of biological INPs (active at >−20°C) were sporadically present at the North Pole. In fact, INP concentrations were sometimes as high as those recorded at mid-latitude locations strongly impacted by highly active biological INPs, in strong contrast to the Southern Ocean. Furthermore, using a balloon borne sampler we demonstrated that INP concentrations were often different at the surface versus higher in the boundary layer where clouds form. Back trajectory analysis suggests strong sources of INPs near the Russian coast, possibly associated with wind-driven sea spray production, whereas the pack ice, open leads, and the marginal ice zone were not sources of highly active INPs. These findings suggest that primary ice production, and therefore Arctic climate, is sensitive to transport from locations such as the Russian coast that are already experiencing marked climate change

Many Labs 5:Testing pre-data collection peer review as an intervention to increase replicability

Replication studies in psychological science sometimes fail to reproduce prior findings. If these studies use methods that are unfaithful to the original study or ineffective in eliciting the phenomenon of interest, then a failure to replicate may be a failure of the protocol rather than a challenge to the original finding. Formal pre-data-collection peer review by experts may address shortcomings and increase replicability rates. We selected 10 replication studies from the Reproducibility Project: Psychology (RP:P; Open Science Collaboration, 2015) for which the original authors had expressed concerns about the replication designs before data collection; only one of these studies had yielded a statistically significant effect (p < .05). Commenters suggested that lack of adherence to expert review and low-powered tests were the reasons that most of these RP:P studies failed to replicate the original effects. We revised the replication protocols and received formal peer review prior to conducting new replication studies. We administered the RP:P and revised protocols in multiple laboratories (median number of laboratories per original study = 6.5, range = 3?9; median total sample = 1,279.5, range = 276?3,512) for high-powered tests of each original finding with both protocols. Overall, following the preregistered analysis plan, we found that the revised protocols produced effect sizes similar to those of the RP:P protocols (?r = .002 or .014, depending on analytic approach). The median effect size for the revised protocols (r = .05) was similar to that of the RP:P protocols (r = .04) and the original RP:P replications (r = .11), and smaller than that of the original studies (r = .37). Analysis of the cumulative evidence across the original studies and the corresponding three replication attempts provided very precise estimates of the 10 tested effects and indicated that their effect sizes (median r = .07, range = .00?.15) were 78% smaller, on average, than the original effect sizes (median r = .37, range = .19?.50)

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Chemical composition of summertime High Arctic aerosols

This thesis presents new insights into the chemical composition of semi-volatile compounds in aerosol samples collected in the central Arctic Ocean close to the North Pole in September 2018. The central Arctic Ocean is an inaccessible location due to the lack of land areas along with heavy pack ice conditions. Therefore, large knowledge gaps remain to understand the Arctic climate system, and in particular the role of aerosol particles in its pristine atmosphere. The chemical composition of the aerosol samples was analysed on a molecular level using High Resolution Time-of-Flight Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry coupled to a Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols (FIGAERO-HRToF-CIMS). The analysis revealed a significant signal from compounds that are likely from marine sources. One important precursor for marine aerosols is dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a gas released by phytoplankton and ice algae in the Arctic Ocean. DMS oxidises in the atmosphere to produce oxidation products that can contribute to aerosol growth. Analysis of air mass origin with backward trajectories showed that the highest ambient DMS concentrations originated from marine areas around the pack ice. However, no correlation could be shown within the pack ice between ambient DMS and its oxidation product methanesulfonic acid (MSA) in the particle phase. As FIGAERO-HRToF-CIMS is commonly used in areas with higher particle concentrations and has never been used in the central Arctic before, this thesis further demonstrates its suitability for measurements of aerosol chemical composition in this remote region.Denna avhandling ämnar att presentera nya kunskaper om den kemiska sammansättningen av halvflyktiga föreningar i aerosolprover som samlades in i Norra ishavet nära Nordpolen i september 2018. Den innersta delen av Norra ishavet är svårtillgängligt på grund av bristen på fasta landområden ihop med kompakt packis. Därför kvarstår stora kunskapsluckor i förståelsen av klimatsystemet i Arktis, och i synnerhet aerosolpartiklars roll i dess orörda atmosfär. Den kemiska sammansättningen av aerosolproverna analyserades på molekylnivå med högupplöst kemisk joniseringsmasspektrometri kopplad till ett filterinsläpp för gaser och aerosoler (FIGAERO-HRToF-CIMS). Analysen visade på en tydlig signal från föreningar som sannolikt har marina källor. En viktig kemisk föregångare till marina aerosoler är dimetylsulfid (DMS), en gas som frigörs av fytoplankton och isalger i Ishavet. DMS oxiderar i atmosfären till oxidationsprodukter som kan bidra till en storleksökning av aerosoler. Genom analys av provluftens ursprung med trajektorieanalys visades att de högsta DMS-koncentrationerna kom från havsområdena runt packisen. Ingen korrelation kunde emellertid visas inom packisområdet mellan DMS i gasfas och dess oxidationsprodukt metansulfonsyra (MSA) i partikelfas. Eftersom FIGAERO-HRToF-CIMS ofta används i områden med högre partikelkoncentrationer och aldrig har använts i de inre delarna av Arktis tidigare, visar denna avhandling även att tekniken är lämplig för att mäta den kemiska sammansättningen av aerosoler i detta avlägsna polarområde

Chemical perspectives on aerosol-cloud interactions in the High Arctic

Atmospheric aerosol particles have important yet highly uncertain impacts on the Earth’s climate, with the largest uncertainties residing in the interactions between aerosols and clouds. The extent to which aerosols act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) depends on the chemical composition and size of the particles. To make correct predictions of cloud formation and the associated climate forcing, more knowledge on the physicochemical properties of aerosols is needed. This thesis investigates the chemical composition and CCN activity of aerosols in the High Arctic using a Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer with a Filter Inlet for Gases and Aerosols (FIGAERO-CIMS). The Arctic is the region on Earth with the current largest increase of mean surface temperature due to global warming and with big knowledge gaps in terms of aerosol-cloud-climate interactions. The first two articles focus on the region within the pack ice and marginal ice zone (MIZ) during Arctic late summer. They introduce new insights into the molecular composition of organic submicron (diameter&lt;1 μm) aerosols and the associated hygroscopicity. The composition is shown to include a wide range of carbon and oxygen numbers, with a clear contribution from dimethyl sulfide (DMS) oxidation products. Together with observations of the inorganic aerosol fraction and CCN, the aerosol is shown to be highly hygroscopic, and the activation diameter and CCN number concentration to be possible to predict using κ-Köhler theory. The last two articles present results from a year-long study in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. The third article addresses the seasonality of DMS oxidation products, with a focus on the newly discovered compound hydroperoxymethyl thioformate (HPMTF). The analysis shows that gas-phase HPMTF follows the same development pattern in summer as the well-known oxidation product methylsulfonic acid (MSA), indicating a local source of DMS. HPMTF was however not found in significant amounts in the particle phase in either season. In the fourth article, the chemical composition of cloud residuals (particles remaining after drying of cloud droplets) was shown to be clearly influenced by DMS oxidation products (MSA and sulfuric acid) in summer. The importance of MSA and sulfuric acid for Arctic low-level cloud formation has previously been presumed, but not confirmed by in-situ observations

Chemical perspectives on aerosol-cloud interactions in the High Arctic

Atmospheric aerosol particles have important yet highly uncertain impacts on the Earth’s climate, with the largest uncertainties residing in the interactions between aerosols and clouds. The extent to which aerosols act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) depends on the chemical composition and size of the particles. To make correct predictions of cloud formation and the associated climate forcing, more knowledge on the physicochemical properties of aerosols is needed. This thesis investigates the chemical composition and CCN activity of aerosols in the High Arctic using a Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer with a Filter Inlet for Gases and Aerosols (FIGAERO-CIMS). The Arctic is the region on Earth with the current largest increase of mean surface temperature due to global warming and with big knowledge gaps in terms of aerosol-cloud-climate interactions. The first two articles focus on the region within the pack ice and marginal ice zone (MIZ) during Arctic late summer. They introduce new insights into the molecular composition of organic submicron (diameter&lt;1 μm) aerosols and the associated hygroscopicity. The composition is shown to include a wide range of carbon and oxygen numbers, with a clear contribution from dimethyl sulfide (DMS) oxidation products. Together with observations of the inorganic aerosol fraction and CCN, the aerosol is shown to be highly hygroscopic, and the activation diameter and CCN number concentration to be possible to predict using κ-Köhler theory. The last two articles present results from a year-long study in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. The third article addresses the seasonality of DMS oxidation products, with a focus on the newly discovered compound hydroperoxymethyl thioformate (HPMTF). The analysis shows that gas-phase HPMTF follows the same development pattern in summer as the well-known oxidation product methylsulfonic acid (MSA), indicating a local source of DMS. HPMTF was however not found in significant amounts in the particle phase in either season. In the fourth article, the chemical composition of cloud residuals (particles remaining after drying of cloud droplets) was shown to be clearly influenced by DMS oxidation products (MSA and sulfuric acid) in summer. The importance of MSA and sulfuric acid for Arctic low-level cloud formation has previously been presumed, but not confirmed by in-situ observations