North Atlantic anthropogenic carbon: methods, trends, budgets, variabilities, and uncertainties

Since the advent of the industrial revolution, atmospheric CO2 has increased from 275 ppm to over 400 ppm, enhancing the associated Greenhouse effect and being suggested as the main cause of recent climate change. The global ocean sequesters around a third of the CO2 emitted by human activity, mitigating climate impacts, with the highest anthropogenic CO2 (Cant) storage per unit area occurring in the North Atlantic. However, ocean Cant cannot be measured directly, but it is calculated with published uncertainties that range between ±10 % and ±20 %. Here, we assess five methods used to estimate Cant, named ∆C*, ΦCT0, TrOCA, TTD, and eMLR, by using the outputs of four climate models (CCSM, CM2Mc, OCCAM, and GFDL-ESM2M) between 1860 and 2100, the most recent observation database (e.g. GLODAPv2) between 1980 and 2013, and the repeated time series collected along the 24.5◦N Atlantic transect between 1992 and 2016. We focus on the North Atlantic upper 1000 m, where the Mode waters store the largest Cant amount. In this layer, the TTD and ∆C* estimates confine the probable range of Cant concentrations, therefore we focus on these two methods. For both, we quantify a total (analytical precisions + methodological assumptions) uncertainty of ±34 %, which is higher than previously suggested. However, the Cant uncertainties depend on timeframes and regions: between 1992 and 2010, observations enable us to reliably decrease these uncertainties to ±13 % (TTD) and ±14 % (∆C*) in the upper 1000 m of the subtropical North Atlantic (20-30◦N). Here, we estimate with a quasi Monte Carlo approach that the Mode waters Cant pool increases by 0.5 (TTD) and 0.8 (∆C*) ± 0.2 μmol kg−1 yr−1, thus the estimates diverge over time. We associate the divergence to unsteady CO2 disequilibrium between the atmosphere and ocean (0.3 (∆C*) and 0.5 (TTD) ± 0.3 μmol kg−1 yr−1), and biogeochemical changes, as suggested by the increasing (0.3 ± 0.1 μmol kg−1 yr−1) dissolved inorganic carbon from remineralised soft tissue: these alterations are unequally captured by the TTD and ∆C* techniques. Changes in ocean biogeochemistry are further explored using the output of a CM2Mc pre-industrial ‘control’ simulation over two millennia. Here, the statistically significant drivers of the enhancement in remineralised soft-tissue carbon are increasing mean residence time (R2 = 0.86) and acidification (R2 = 0.68). Feedback mechanisms have the potential to shift the oceanic carbon cycle towards new equilibria, significantly influencing the future North Atlantic carbon uptake

Shallow-water gaseohydrothermal plume studies after massive eruption at Panarea, Aeolian Islands, Italy

Copyright © 2013 Elsevier. NOTICE: This is the author’s version of a work accepted for publication by Elsevier. Changes resulting from the publishing process, including peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting and other quality control mechanisms, may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Marine Systems, 2014, Vol.131, pp. 1-9 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2013.10.001Marine water dynamics in the near field of a massive gas eruption near Panarea (Aeolian Islands volcanic arc, SE Tyrrhenian Sea) is described. ADCP current-meters were deployed during the paroxysmal phase in 2002 and 2003 a few meters from the degassing vent, recording day-long timeseries. Datasets were sorted to remove errors and select good quality ensembles over the entire water column. Standard deviation of error velocity was considered a proxy for inhomogeneous velocity fields over beams. Time series intervals had been selected when the basic ADCP assumptions were fulfilled and random errors minimized. Backscatter data were also processed to identify bubbles in the water column with the aim of locating bubble-free ensembles. Reliable timeseries are selected combining these data. Two possible scenarios have been described: firstly, a high dynamic situation with visible surface diverging rings of waves, entrainment on the lower part of the gas column, detrainment in the upper part and a stagnation line (SL) at mid depth where currents were close to zero and most of the gas bubbles spread laterally; secondly, a lower dynamic situation with water entraining into the gas plume at all depths and no surface rings of diverging waves. Reasons for these different dynamics may be ascribed to changes in gas fluxes (one order of magnitude higher in 2002). Description of SL is important to quantify its position in the water column and timing for entrainment-detrainment, and it can be measured by ADCP and calculated from models.Italian ISMAR-CNR, La Spezia. http://www.ismar.cnr.it/organization/geographic-units/ismar-la-spezi

Characterization of Italian honeys (Marche Region) on the basis of their mineral content and some typical quality parameters

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The characterization of three types of Marche (Italy) honeys (Acacia, Multifloral, Honeydew) was carried out on the basis of the their quality parameters (pH, sugar content, humidity) and mineral content (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, and Mn). Pattern recognition methods such as principal components analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were performed in order to classify honey samples whose botanical origins were different, and identify the most discriminant parameters. Lastly, using ANOVA and correlations for all parameters, significant differences between diverse types of honey were examined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most of the samples' water content showed good maturity (98%) whilst pH values were in the range 3.50 – 4.21 confirming the good quality of the honeys analysed. Potassium was quantitatively the most relevant mineral (mean = 643 ppm), accounting for 79% of the total mineral content. The Ca, Na and Mg contents account for 14, 3 and 3% of the total mineral content respectively, while other minerals (Cu, Mn, Fe) were present at very low levels. PCA explained 75% or more of the variance with the first two PC variables. The variables with higher discrimination power according to the multivariate statistical procedure were Mg and pH. On the other hand, all samples of acacia and honeydew, and more than 90% of samples of multifloral type have been correctly classified using the LDA. ANOVA shows significant differences between diverse floral origins for all variables except sugar, moisture and Fe.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In general, the analytical results obtained for the Marche honeys indicate the products' high quality. The determination of physicochemical parameters and mineral content in combination with modern statistical techniques can be a useful tool for honey classification.</p

Rapporto sulle attivita’ oceanografiche, geochimiche, geologiche, geofisiche e di campionamento durante la crociera PANA13 con ITS Magnaghi : Panarea, I.Eolie, Tirreno S.Orientale, 2013-06-02- 2013-06-08.

Vengono presentate le attivita\u27 ed i risultati preliminari della crociera PANA13 ( 2013-06-02- 2013-06-08)con ITS Magnaghi . Le attivita’ principali previste erano la acquisizione di dati geochimici, geologici, geofisici e di campionamento acque e sedimento nella zona di Panarea, Isole Eolie, Tirreno Centro Meridionale. Si sono anche effettuate misure di DIC e flussi alla interfaccia acqua/sedimento con Camera bentica, per lo studio del problema della acidificazione dell’Oceano e dei processi relativi alla CO2

Characterization of "Yaa Chud" Medicine on the Thailand-Myanmar border: selecting for drug-resistant malaria and threatening public health.

Multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a severe public health problem on the Thailand-Myanmar border. Many villagers buy packets of 4-5 mixed medicines ("yaa chud") from shops without medical assessment as their first-line malaria treatment. In 2000-2001 a local researcher purchased 50 yaa chud from 44 shops around Mae Sot, Thailand and Myawaddy, Myanmar (Burma), for his wife who was said to be pregnant with fever and drowsiness. The tablets/capsules were provisionally identified by appearance and active ingredients determined in a subset by using mass and atomic spectrometry. The most frequently detected active ingredients were acetaminophen (22%), chlorpheniramine (13.4%), chloroquine (12.6%), tetracycline/doxycycline (11.4%), and quinine (5.1%). Only seven bags contained potentially curative medicine for malaria. A total of 82% of the bags contained medicines contraindicated in pregnancy. Inappropriate, ineffective antimalarial drugs on the Thailand-Myanmar border are likely to increase malaria morbidity, mortality and health costs and engender the emergence and spread of antimalarial drug resistance

Pyrrolyl and Indolyl α-γ-Diketo Acid Derivatives Acting as Selective Inhibitors of Human Carbonic Anhydrases IX and XII

Solid tumors are active tissues containing hypoxic regions and producing metabolic acids. By decreasing pH, cancer cells create a hostile environment for surrounding host cells and foster tumor growth and progression. By governing acid/base regulation, carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are involved in several physiological/pathological processes, including tumors. Indeed, CAs are clinically relevant in cancer therapy as among the fifteen human isoforms, two of them, namely CA IX (overexpressed in solid tumors and associated with increased metastasis and poor prognosis) and CA XII (overexpressed in some tumors) are involved in tumorigenesis. Targeting these two isoforms is considered as a pertinent approach to develop new cancer therapeutics. Several CA inhibitors (CAIs) have been described, even though they are unselective inhibitors of different isoforms. Thus, efforts are needed to find new selective CAIs. In this work, we described new diketo acid derivatives as CAIs, with the best acting compounds 1c and 5 as nanomolar inhibitors of CA IX and XII, being also two orders of magnitude selective over CAs I and II. Molecular modeling studies showed the different binding poses of the best acting CAIs within CA II and IX, highlighting the key structural features that could confer the ability to establish specific interactions within the enzymes. In different tumor cell lines overexpressing CA IX and XII, the tested compounds showed antiproliferative activity already at 24 h treatment, with no effects on somatic not transformed cells

Pyrrolyl and Indolyl &alpha;-&gamma;-Diketo Acid Derivatives Acting as Selective Inhibitors of Human Carbonic Anhydrases IX and XII

Solid tumors are active tissues containing hypoxic regions and producing metabolic acids. By decreasing pH, cancer cells create a hostile environment for surrounding host cells and foster tumor growth and progression. By governing acid/base regulation, carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are involved in several physiological/pathological processes, including tumors. Indeed, CAs are clinically relevant in cancer therapy as among the fifteen human isoforms, two of them, namely CA IX (overexpressed in solid tumors and associated with increased metastasis and poor prognosis) and CA XII (overexpressed in some tumors) are involved in tumorigenesis. Targeting these two isoforms is considered as a pertinent approach to develop new cancer therapeutics. Several CA inhibitors (CAIs) have been described, even though they are unselective inhibitors of different isoforms. Thus, efforts are needed to find new selective CAIs. In this work, we described new diketo acid derivatives as CAIs, with the best acting compounds 1c and 5 as nanomolar inhibitors of CA IX and XII, being also two orders of magnitude selective over CAs I and II. Molecular modeling studies showed the different binding poses of the best acting CAIs within CA II and IX, highlighting the key structural features that could confer the ability to establish specific interactions within the enzymes. In different tumor cell lines overexpressing CA IX and XII, the tested compounds showed antiproliferative activity already at 24 h treatment, with no effects on somatic not transformed cells

New geological, geophysical and biological insights on the hydrothermal system of the Panarea – Basiluzzo Volcanic complex (Aeolian Islands, Tyrrhenian Sea)

Since the exhalative crisis of 2002 cruises were carried out to investigate morphology, magnetic and gravity fields, fluid escape, plume anomalies, biological and microbiological activity, benthic fluxes, early diagenesis, mineralogy and geochemistry of water and sediments of the hydrothermal system of Panarea. The volcanic complex was mapped by multibeam, including backscatter analysis, and magnetometric surveys were done to detect low magnetization in areas with hydrothermal activity, i.e., vents, sulphide deposits, chimney fields. CTD by ship and on ROV detected acidic plumes at bottom (minimum pH value 6.5) and mid depths. An Automatic Benthic Chamber was deployed on a terrace (40m) and in depressions with gas-charged and hydrothermally altered sediments (80m). At the 40m site, strong releases of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) and Fe, Mn, Zn (75.7, 2.0, 2.9, 3.4 µmol m -2 day -1 ) were found. Average decrease of pH in the chamber was ~4 units day -1 with a H + benthic flux of 0.32 µmol m -2 day -1 ). DIC values of seawater had average 2.3, increasing to 3.1 on degassing vents, while 7.5 µmol was measured on top of a bubbling core. ROV dives explored and sampled several sites; active chimneys (black, red crusts and yellowish-orange precipitates at top) were recovered on the SE flanks of Basiluzzo; pH value of 5 was measured aboard on sediments. XRD and XRF data on the external crust showed Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides, including goethite and opal, with Co, Ce, Sr, Zn and Cu enrichments, whereas the inner part are depleted of Fe, Mn and other metals, mostly under detection limits. SEM imagery shows porous filamentous minerals, that are probably bacterial in origin. Dives to SW discovered fields of partially or totally relict chimneys at the same depth (~200m). Chimneys are present on the edges of slope failures and settled on areas of relative lower positive magnetic anomaly, indicating possible shallow depth level of hydrothermal alteration. Reddish crusts and sediments, and acid, gas boiling water (pH 5.5) were cored at 90 m depth upslope of the \u27active\u27 chimneys; upslope from the \u27relict\u27 chimney\u27s fields, oxized-normal sediments were found. Biological investigations on the sediments revealed a community strongly dominated by the amphipod Ampelisca ledoyeri (43.8 % of the total abundance), probably dwelling in the tube-patches. Rare species were detected on the chimney\u27s samples. The phylogenetic diversity of microbial communities in the precipitates collected on chimneys and on Bottaro vent was analyzed by bacterial and archaeal 16S rDNA clone libraries, showing a dominance of sulfur-oxidazing epsilon and gamma proteobacteria. Very interesting groups of archaea were revealed including methanotrophic Thermoplasmatales and members of SM1 candidate division. Overall prokaryotic diversity was found similar to that of deep sea hydrothermal vents and other sulfidic habitats. White microbial mats were found in an area S of Panarea, on a N-S oriented fracture