scholarly journals The Sources of Organic Carbon in the Deepest Ocean: Implication From Bacterial Membrane Lipids in the Mariana Trench Zone

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiwei Li ◽  
Zhiyan Chen ◽  
Xinxin Li ◽  
Shun Chen ◽  
Hengchao Xu ◽  
...  

Hadal trenches have higher microbial carbon turnover rates as compared to adjacent abyssal plains. However, the source of organic carbon in the trench remains enigmatic. In this study, we show that a fraction of organic carbon is possibly derived in situ and correlated with chemoautotrophic communities supported by the fluid discharge of water-rock interaction in the trench wall, based on analysis of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) membrane lipids, including archaeal isoprenoid GDGTs (IsoGDGTs) and bacterial branched GDGTs (BrGDGTs), in sediments and rocks of the Mariana and Yap Trenches, northwest Pacific Ocean. These trench sediments contained relative higher BrGDGTs ratios, which was a rare observation in the open ocean. The BrGDGT-to-IsoGDGT ratios ranged in 0.02–0.88 (mean = 0.10 ± 0.11) in sediments and 0.09–0.38 (mean = 0.17 ± 0.13) in altered rocks. The calculated values of branched and isoprenoid tetraether (BIT) index ranged from 0.02–0.73 (mean = 0.18 ± 0.11) in sediments and from 0.16–0.9 in altered rocks (mean = 0.37 ± 0.27). Moreover, these GDGTs exhibited similar characteristics to those of altered basalt rocks, indicating inputs of organic carbon from the trench subsurface environment. Thus, in addition to organic-rich material settling, we propose chemoautotrophic activity in oceanic crust could be an additional source of organic carbon in the deepest part of the ocean, with an important role in deep-sea carbon cycles.

Author(s):  
Ling-Fen Kong ◽  
Yan-Bin He ◽  
Zhang-Xian Xie ◽  
Xing Luo ◽  
Hao Zhang ◽  
...  

The twilight zone (from the base of the euphotic zone to the depth of 1000 m) is the major area of particulate organic carbon (POC) remineralization in the ocean, and heterotrophic microbes contribute to more than 70% of the estimated remineralization. However, little is known about the microbial community and metabolic activity directly associated with POC remineralization in this chronically understudied realm. Here, we characterized the microbial community proteomes of POCs collected from the twilight zone of three contrasting sites in the Northwest Pacific Ocean using a metaproteomic approach. The particle-attached bacteria from Alteromonadales, Rhodobacterales, and Enterobacteriales were the primary POC remineralizers. Hydrolytic enzymes, including proteases and hydrolases, that degrade proteinaceous components and polysaccharides, the main constituents of POC, were abundant and taxonomically associated with these bacterial groups. Furthermore, identification of diverse species-specific transporters and metabolic enzymes implied niche specialization for nutrient acquisition among these bacterial groups. Temperature was the main environmental factor driven the active bacterial groups and metabolic processes, and Enterobacteriales replaced Alteromonadales as the predominant group under low temperature. This study provides insight into the key bacteria and metabolic processes involved in POC remineralization, and niche complementarity and species substitution among bacterial groups are critical for efficient POC remineralization in the twilight zone. IMPORTANCE The Ocean’s twilight zone is a critical zone where more than 70% of the sinking particulate organic carbon (POC) are remineralized. Therefore, the twilight zone determines the size of biological carbon storage in the ocean, and regulates the global climate. Prokaryotes are major players that govern remineralization of POC in this region. However, knowledge of microbial community structure and metabolic activity is still lacking. This study unveiled microbial communities and metabolic activities of POCs collected from the twilight zone of three contrasting environments in the Northwest Pacific Ocean using a metaproteomic approach. Alteromonadales, Rhodobacterales and Enterobacteriales were the major remineralizers of POC. They excreted diverse species-specific hydrolytic enzymes to split POC to solubilized POC or dissolved organic carbon. Temperature played a crucial role in regulating the community composition and metabolism. Furthermore, niche complementarity or species substitution among bacterial groups guaranteed the efficient remineralization of POC in the twilight zone.


2006 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifton S. Buck ◽  
William M. Landing ◽  
Joseph A. Resing ◽  
Geoffrey T. Lebon

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 408
Author(s):  
Xi Chen ◽  
Mei Hong ◽  
Shiqi Wu ◽  
Kefeng Liu ◽  
Kefeng Mao

To study the optimal design of Wave Glider parameters in the wave environment of the Northwest Pacific Ocean, the North Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea, the average velocity of a Wave Glider was taken as the evaluation criterion. Wave reanalysis data from ERA5 were used to classify the mean wave height and period into five types by the K-means clustering method. In addition, a dynamic model was used to simulate the influence of umbilical length, airfoil, and maximum limited angle on the velocity of the Wave Glider under the five types of wave element. The force of the wings was simulated using FLUENT as the model input. The simulation results show that (1) 7 m is the most suitable umbilical length; (2) a smaller relative thickness should be selected in perfect conditions; and (3) for the first type of wave element, 15° is the best choice for the maximum limited angle, and 20° is preferred for the second, third, and fourth types, while 25° is preferred for the fifth type.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 661
Author(s):  
Mohamed Freeshah ◽  
Xiaohong Zhang ◽  
Erman Şentürk ◽  
Muhammad Arqim Adil ◽  
B. G. Mousa ◽  
...  

The Northwest Pacific Ocean (NWP) is one of the most vulnerable regions that has been hit by typhoons. In September 2018, Mangkhut was the 22nd Tropical Cyclone (TC) over the NWP regions (so, the event was numbered as 1822). In this paper, we investigated the highest amplitude ionospheric variations, along with the atmospheric anomalies, such as the sea-level pressure, Mangkhut’s cloud system, and the meridional and zonal wind during the typhoon. Regional Ionosphere Maps (RIMs) were created through the Hong Kong Continuously Operating Reference Stations (HKCORS) and International GNSS Service (IGS) data around the area of Mangkhut typhoon. RIMs were utilized to analyze the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) response over the maximum wind speed points (maximum spots) under the meticulous observations of the solar-terrestrial environment and geomagnetic storm indices. Ionospheric vertical TEC (VTEC) time sequences over the maximum spots are detected by three methods: interquartile range method (IQR), enhanced average difference (EAD), and range of ten days (RTD) during the super typhoon Mangkhut. The research findings indicated significant ionospheric variations over the maximum spots during this powerful tropical cyclone within a few hours before the extreme wind speed. Moreover, the ionosphere showed a positive response where the maximum VTEC amplitude variations coincided with the cyclone rainbands or typhoon edges rather than the center of the storm. The sea-level pressure tends to decrease around the typhoon periphery, and the highest ionospheric VTEC amplitude was observed when the low-pressure cell covers the largest area. The possible mechanism of the ionospheric response is based on strong convective cells that create the gravity waves over tropical cyclones. Moreover, the critical change state in the meridional wind happened on the same day of maximum ionospheric variations on the 256th day of the year (DOY 256). This comprehensive analysis suggests that the meridional winds and their resulting waves may contribute in one way or another to upper atmosphere-ionosphere coupling.


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