Pyrene Mineralization by Mycobacterium sp. Strain KMS in a Barley Rhizosphere

To determine whether the soil Mycobacterium isolate KMS would mineralize pyrene under rhizosphere conditions, a microcosm system was established to collect radioactive carbon dioxide released from the labeled polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Microcosms were designed as sealed, flow-through systems that allowed the growth of plants. Experiments were conducted to evaluate mineralization of 14C-labeled pyrene in a sand amended with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degrading Mycobacterium isolate KMS, barley plants, or barley plants with roots colonized by isolate KMS. Mineralization was quantified by collecting the 14CO2 produced from 14C-labeled pyrene at intervals during the 10-d incubation period. Roots and foliar tissues were examined for 14C incorporation. Mass balances for microcosms were determined through combustion of sand samples and collection and quantification of 14CO2 evolved from radiolabeled pyrene. No pyrene mineralization was observed in the sterile control systems. Greater release of 14CO2 was observed in the system with barley colonized by KMS than in microcosms containing just the bacterium inoculum or sterile barley plants. These findings suggest that phytostimulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons mineralization could be applied in remediation schemes

Operating Cabled Underwater Observatories in Rough Shelf-Sea Environments:A Technological Challenge

Cabled coastal observatories are often seen as future-oriented marine technology that enables science to conduct observational and experimental studies under water year-round, independent of physical accessibility to the target area. Additionally, the availability of (unrestricted) electricity and an Internet connection under water allows the operation of complex experimental setups and sensor systems for longer periods of time, thus creating a kind of laboratory beneath the water. After successful operation for several decades in the terrestrial and atmospheric research field, remote controlled observatory technology finally also enables marine scientists to take advantage of the rapidly developing communication technology. The continuous operation of two cabled observatories in the southern North Sea and off the Svalbard coast since 2012 shows that even highly complex sensor systems, such as stereo-optical cameras, video plankton recorders or systems for measuring the marine carbonate system, can be successfully operated remotely year-round facilitating continuous scientific access to areas that are difficult to reach, such as the polar seas or the North Sea. Experience also shows, however, that the challenges of operating a cabled coastal observatory go far beyond the provision of electricity and network connection under water. In this manuscript, the essential developmental stages of the "COSYNA Shallow Water Underwater Node" system are presented, and the difficulties and solutions that have arisen in the course of operation since 2012 are addressed with regard to technical, organizational and scientific aspects.</p

The Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas (COSYNA)

The Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas (COSYNA) was established in order to better understand the complex interdisciplinary processes of northern seas and the Arctic coasts in a changing environment. Particular focus is given to the German Bight in the North Sea as a prime example of a heavily used coastal area, and Svalbard as an example of an Arctic coast that is under strong pressure due to global change. The COSYNA automated observing and modelling system is designed to monitor real-time conditions and provide short-term forecasts, data, and data products to help assess the impact of anthropogenically induced change. Observations are carried out by combining satellite and radar remote sensing with various in situ platforms. Novel sensors, instruments, and algorithms are developed to further improve the understanding of the interdisciplinary interactions between physics, biogeochemistry, and the ecology of coastal seas. New modelling and data assimilation techniques are used to integrate observations and models in a quasi-operational system providing descriptions and forecasts of key hydrographic variables. Data and data products are publicly available free of charge and in real time. They are used by multiple interest groups in science, agencies, politics, industry, and the public

Ferrybox record of transect Cuxhaven-Harwich 2002-03 to 2005-10 in NetCDF-format

From 2002 to 2005 a FerryBox system was installed aboard two different ferries traveling between Cuxhaven (GE) and Harwich (UK) on a daily basis. The FerryBox system is an automated flow-through monitoring system for measuring oceanographic and biogeochemical parameters installed on ships of opportunity. The variables were recorded in a time interval of 10-20 seconds corresponding to a spatial resolution of about 100m. The dataset provides the parameters water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll-a fluorescence. There is a longer data gap between November 2002 and August 2003 in the time series due to a change of the vessel in October 2002

Sea surface current deduced from Doppler-shift of high-frequency radar backscatter, 2010-10-29 to 2016-12-31

The HF-Radar network in the German Bight consist of three Wellen Radar (WERA) Systems, which are located on Sylt, Büsum and Wangerooge. All Systems transmit via a rectangular array of four antennae with an average power of 32 W. The Systems on Sylt and Büsum operate at 10.8 MHz with a linear receive array consisting of 12 antennae, while the Wangerooge radar operates at 12.1 MHz with a 16 antennae array. Each radar covers a 120° field of view with a 3°azimuth and 1.5 km range resolution. All systems are operated continuously with an hourly program, where 58 minutes are for measurements and the remaining 2 minutes are utilized to find the best suited frequency around the selected frequency band. The acquired data are preprocessed at each radar site and than forwarded to the main server at HZG in Geesthacht were the final products are generated and uploaded to the COSYNA data base. The radial component of the ocean surface current with respect to the radar look direction is retrieved at each radar site utilizing 20 minutes of data. These components typically cover a range distance of 100 km within the azimuth of 120° covered by the radar. The surface current components are forwarded to the main server at HZG were the data are subject to quality control and fused to a surface current vector field. The radar network resolves surface currents every 20 minutes, which are made available on the COSYNA web portal within 30 minutes of acquisition (http://codm.hzg.de/codm/). The data are organized in daily netCDF files. The first file is from 2010. The measurements are ongoing and will be added in PANGAEA as complete years. All data including the near real-time data will be still available via the COSYNA data portal (doi:10.17616/R3K02T). Details of data management in COSYNA in general are described in an Ocean Science paper (doi:10.5194/os-12-909-2016)