scholarly journals Coupled changes in western South Atlantic carbon sequestration and particle reactive element cycling during millennial-scale Holocene climate variability

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruna B. Dias ◽  
Alexander M. Piotrowski ◽  
Cátia F. Barbosa ◽  
Igor M. Venancio ◽  
Cristiano M. Chiessi ◽  
...  

AbstractContinental shelves have the potential to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide via the biological pump, burying it in seafloor sediments. The efficiency of marine carbon sequestration changes rapidly due to variations in biological productivity, organic carbon oxidation, and burial rate. Here we present a high temporal resolution record of marine carbon sequestration changes from a western South Atlantic shelf site sensitive to Brazil Current-driven upwelling. The comparison of biological records to rare earth element (REE) patterns from authigenic oxides shows a strong relationship between higher biological productivity and stronger particle reactive element cycling (i.e. REE cycling) during rapid climate change events. This is the first evidence that authigenic oxides archive past changes in upper ocean REE cycling by the exported organic carbon. In addition, our data suggest that Brazil Current-driven upwelling varies on millennial-scales and in time with continental precipitation anomalies as registered in Brazilian speleothems during the Holocene. This indicates an ocean–atmosphere control on the biological pump, most probably related to South American monsoon system variability.

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 4553-4593 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Chiessi ◽  
S. Mulitza ◽  
G. Mollenhauer ◽  
J. B. Silva ◽  
J. Groeneveld ◽  
...  

Abstract. During Termination 1, millennial-scale weakening events of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) supposedly produced major changes in sea surface temperatures (SST) of the western South Atlantic, and in mean air temperatures (MAT) over southeastern South America. It was suggested, for instance, that the Brazil Current (BC) would strengthen (weaken) and the North Brazil Current (NBC) would weaken (strengthen) during slowdown (speed-up) events of the AMOC. This anti-phase pattern was claimed to be a necessary response to the decreased North Atlantic heat piracy during periods of weak AMOC. However, the thermal evolution of the western South Atlantic and the adjacent continent is largely unknown and a compelling record of the BC-NBC anti-phase behavior remains elusive. Here we address this issue, presenting high temporal resolution SST and MAT records from the BC and southeastern South America, respectively. We identify a warming in the western South Atlantic during Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1), which is followed first by a drop and then by increasing temperatures during the Bølling–Allerød, in-phase with an existing NBC record. Additionally, a similar SST evolution is shown by a southernmost eastern South Atlantic record, suggesting a South Atlantic-wide pattern in SST evolution during most of Termination 1. Over southeastern South America, our MAT record shows a two-step increase during Termination 1, synchronous with atmospheric CO2 rise (i.e., during the second half of HS1 and during the Younger Dryas), and lagging abrupt SST changes by several thousand years. This delay corroborates the notion that the long duration of HS1 was fundamental to drive the Earth out of the last glacial.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 915-929 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Chiessi ◽  
S. Mulitza ◽  
G. Mollenhauer ◽  
J. B. Silva ◽  
J. Groeneveld ◽  
...  

Abstract. During Termination 1, millennial-scale weakening events of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) supposedly produced major changes in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) of the western South Atlantic, and in mean air temperatures (MATs) over southeastern South America. It has been suggested, for instance, that the Brazil Current (BC) would strengthen (weaken) and the North Brazil Current (NBC) would weaken (strengthen) during slowdown (speed-up) events of the AMOC. This anti-phase pattern was claimed to be a necessary response to the decreased North Atlantic heat piracy during periods of weak AMOC. However, the thermal evolution of the western South Atlantic and the adjacent continent is so far largely unknown. Here we address this issue, presenting high-temporal-resolution SST and MAT records from the BC and southeastern South America, respectively. We identify a warming in the western South Atlantic during Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1), which is followed first by a drop and then by increasing temperatures during the Bølling–Allerød, in phase with an existing SST record from the NBC. Additionally, a similar SST evolution is shown by a southernmost eastern South Atlantic record, suggesting a South Atlantic-wide pattern in SST evolution during most of Termination 1. Over southeastern South America, our MAT record shows a two-step increase during Termination 1, synchronous with atmospheric CO2 rise (i.e., during the second half of HS1 and during the Younger Dryas), and lagging abrupt SST changes by several thousand years. This delay corroborates the notion that the long duration of HS1 was fundamental in driving the Earth out of the last glacial.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
I Gusti Bagus Siladharma ◽  
Widiastuti Karim

The widespread of coral disease may threatened Bali`s marine tourism which is the main asset for the nation prosperity. However, the disease prevalence is still unknown, in particular inshore coral reefs near to tourist spot areas. Therefore, the research aims to investigate the contribution of terrestrial runoff to coral disease prevalence and to examine the relationships between disease prevalence and environmental parameters (nitrate, phosphate, organic carbon and total suspended solids (TSS)) within the population of massive Porites on shallow north Bali reefs. Syndrome, diseases and healthy colonies of massive Porites coral were counted and noted within a 2 x 10 m belt transect at 3 sampling sites. The dominant disease observed was ulcerative white spots (UWS), while the syndromes were pigmentation response and aggressive overgrowth by macroalgae. The highest mean UWS prevalence was at site 3 which was the closest site to runoff (prevalence = 91%).This disease only affected one colony at site 1 and 2, respectively. Disease prevalence had strong relationship with TSS and nitrate, yet it showed weak relationship with phosphate and organic carbon. These results suggest that terrestrial runoff could contribute to the disease prevalence by increasing the TSS, nutrients and organic carbon loading to the inshore ecosystems. High level of organic carbon could severe the disease, particularly when combined with elevated TSS and nutrient, by reducing the coral`s immunity system. Keywords: coral disease, prevalence, terrestrial runoff, Porites, ulcerative white spot, environmental parameter, North Bali.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos M. Duarte

Abstract. Vegetated coastal habitats, including seagrass and macroalgal beds, mangrove forests and salt marshes, form highly productive ecosystems, but their contribution to the global carbon budget remains overlooked, and these forests remain hidden in representations of the global carbon budget. Despite being confined to a narrow belt around the shoreline of the world's oceans, where they cover less than 7 million km2, vegetated coastal habitats support about 1 to 10 % of the global marine net primary production and generate a large organic carbon surplus of about 40 % of their net primary production (NPP), which is either buried in sediments within these habitats or exported away. Large, 10-fold uncertainties in the area covered by vegetated coastal habitats, along with variability about carbon flux estimates, result in a 10-fold bracket around the estimates of their contribution to organic carbon sequestration in sediments and the deep sea from 73 to 866 Tg C yr−1, representing between 3 % and 1∕3 of oceanic CO2 uptake. Up to 1∕2 of this carbon sequestration occurs in sink reservoirs (sediments or the deep sea) beyond these habitats. The organic carbon exported that does not reach depositional sites subsidizes the metabolism of heterotrophic organisms. In addition to a significant contribution to organic carbon production and sequestration, vegetated coastal habitats contribute as much to carbonate accumulation as coral reefs do. While globally relevant, the magnitude of global carbon fluxes supported by salt-marsh, mangrove, seagrass and macroalgal habitats is declining due to rapid habitat loss, contributing to loss of CO2 sequestration, storage capacity and carbon subsidies. Incorporating the carbon fluxes' vegetated coastal habitats' support into depictions of the carbon budget of the global ocean and its perturbations will improve current representations of the carbon budget of the global ocean.


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