scholarly journals Spatial Distribution of Arctic Bacterioplankton Abundance Is Linked to Distinct Water Masses and Summertime Phytoplankton Bloom Dynamics (Fram Strait, 79°N)

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda G. Cardozo-Mino ◽  
Eduard Fadeev ◽  
Verena Salman-Carvalho ◽  
Antje Boetius

The Arctic is impacted by climate warming faster than any other oceanic region on Earth. Assessing the baseline of microbial communities in this rapidly changing ecosystem is vital for understanding the implications of ocean warming and sea ice retreat on ecosystem functioning. Using CARD-FISH and semi-automated counting, we quantified 14 ecologically relevant taxonomic groups of bacterioplankton (Bacteria and Archaea) from surface (0–30 m) down to deep waters (2,500 m) in summer ice-covered and ice-free regions of the Fram Strait, the main gateway for Atlantic inflow into the Arctic Ocean. Cell abundances of the bacterioplankton communities in surface waters varied from 105 cells mL–1 in ice-covered regions to 106 cells mL–1 in the ice-free regions. Observations suggest that these were overall driven by variations in phytoplankton bloom conditions across the Strait. The bacterial groups Bacteroidetes and Gammaproteobacteria showed several-fold higher cell abundances under late phytoplankton bloom conditions of the ice-free regions. Other taxonomic groups, such as the Rhodobacteraceae, revealed a distinct association of cell abundances with the surface Atlantic waters. With increasing depth (>500 m), the total cell abundances of the bacterioplankton communities decreased by up to two orders of magnitude, while largely unknown taxonomic groups (e.g., SAR324 and SAR202 clades) maintained constant cell abundances throughout the entire water column (ca. 103 cells mL–1). This suggests that these enigmatic groups may occupy a specific ecological niche in the entire water column. Our results provide the first quantitative spatial variations assessment of bacterioplankton in the summer ice-covered and ice-free Arctic water column, and suggest that further shift toward ice-free Arctic summers with longer phytoplankton blooms can lead to major changes in the associated standing stock of the bacterioplankton communities.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda G. Cardozo Mino ◽  
Eduard Fadeev ◽  
Verena Salman-Carvalho ◽  
Antje Boetius

AbstractThe Arctic is impacted by climate warming faster than any other oceanic region on Earth. Assessing the baseline of microbial communities in this rapidly changing ecosystem is vital for understanding the imminent implications of Arctic warming and sea ice retreat on ecosystem functioning. Using CARD-FISH and semi-automated counting, we quantified 14 ecologically relevant taxonomic groups of bacterioplankton (Bacteria and Archaea) from surface (0– 30 m) down to deep waters (2500 m) in summerly ice-covered and ice-free regions of the Fram Strait, the main gateway for Atlantic inflow into the Arctic Ocean. Cell abundances of the bacterioplankton communities in surface waters varied from 105 cells mL−1 in ice-covered region to 106 cells mL−1 in the ice-free region and were overall driven by variations in phytoplankton bloom conditions across the Strait. In surface waters the bacterial classes Bacteroidia and Gammaproteobacteria showed several-fold higher cell abundances under late phytoplankton bloom conditions of the ice-free regions. Other taxonomic groups, such as the Rhodobacteraceae, revealed a distinct association of cell abundances with the surface Atlantic waters. With depth (> 500 m) the total cell abundances of the bacterioplankton communities decreased by one to two orders of magnitude, while largely unknown taxonomic groups (e.g., SAR324 and SAR202 clades) maintained constant cell abundances throughout the entire water column (103 cells mL−1). This suggests that some enigmatic taxonomic groups may occupy a specific ecological niche in the entire water column. Our results provide the first quantitative spatial variations assessment of bacterioplankton in summerly ice-covered and ice-free Arctic water column, and suggest that further shift towards ice-free Arctic summers with longer phytoplankton blooms can lead to major changes in the associated standing stock of the bacterioplankton communities.


2018 ◽  
Vol 142 ◽  
pp. 94-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Montserrat Roca-Martí ◽  
Viena Puigcorbé ◽  
Jana Friedrich ◽  
Michiel Rutgers van der Loeff ◽  
Benjamin Rabe ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3129-3155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakase Hayashida ◽  
Nadja Steiner ◽  
Adam Monahan ◽  
Virginie Galindo ◽  
Martine Lizotte ◽  
...  

Abstract. Sea ice represents an additional oceanic source of the climatically active gas dimethyl sulfide (DMS) for the Arctic atmosphere. To what extent this source contributes to the dynamics of summertime Arctic clouds is, however, not known due to scarcity of field measurements. In this study, we developed a coupled sea ice–ocean ecosystem–sulfur cycle model to investigate the potential impact of bottom-ice DMS and its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) on the oceanic production and emissions of DMS in the Arctic. The results of the 1-D model simulation were compared with field data collected during May and June of 2010 in Resolute Passage. Our results reproduced the accumulation of DMS and DMSP in the bottom ice during the development of an ice algal bloom. The release of these sulfur species took place predominantly during the earlier phase of the melt period, resulting in an increase of DMS and DMSP in the underlying water column prior to the onset of an under-ice phytoplankton bloom. Production and removal rates of processes considered in the model are analyzed to identify the processes dominating the budgets of DMS and DMSP both in the bottom ice and the underlying water column. When openings in the ice were taken into account, the simulated sea–air DMS flux during the melt period was dominated by episodic spikes of up to 8.1 µmol m−2 d−1. Further model simulations were conducted to assess the effects of the incorporation of sea-ice biogeochemistry on DMS production and emissions, as well as the sensitivity of our results to changes of uncertain model parameters of the sea-ice sulfur cycle. The results highlight the importance of taking into account both the sea-ice sulfur cycle and ecosystem in the flux estimates of oceanic DMS near the ice margins and identify key uncertainties in processes and rates that should be better constrained by new observations.


2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Στυλιανός Φοδελιανάκης

Nutrient enrichment is a common source of disturbance for marineecosystems. A prerequisite for the prediction of the effects of nutrient enrichment atthe ecosystem level is the understanding of the ecological mechanisms governingbacterioplankton communities, due to their high affinity with nutrients. The aim ofthis thesis was to examine changes in the composition and structure ofbacterioplankton communities of the water column and coastal sediment undernutrient enrichment. Three studies were conducted for that purpose: two in closedexperimental conditions and one examining changes in situ. In the first two studies,changes in the water column bacterioplankton communities were examined after Paddition and in nutrient enriched habitats, respectively. In the third study, changes inthe communities of coastal sediment were examined with and without the additionof organic matter and aeration of the water column. The main conclusions from theresults of this thesis were:a) Bacterioplankton communities of the Eastern Mediterranean show a high degreeof resistance to short-term P addition, although their biomass and production islimited by P.b) Five abundant taxonomic groups showed a similar pattern of change across threedifferent nutrient enriched habitats. These groups could be potentially used asindicators for monitoring nutrient enrichment at the water column.c) After incubation under presence or absence of organic enrichment, sedimentbacterial communities originating from different habitats clustered based on theincubation conditions rather than on the area of origin. That occurred faster for twoout of the three areas, where the amount of organic matter in the sediment wasinitially higher and bacterial community diversity was lower. These results indirectlysupport the theory of Baas-Becking that "everything is everywhere but theenvironment selects" and the positive correlation between diversity and communitystability.


Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rémi Amiraux ◽  
Lukas Smik ◽  
Denizcan Köseoğlu ◽  
Jean-François Rontani ◽  
Virginie Galindo ◽  
...  

In recent years, certain mono- and di-unsaturated highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) alkene biomarkers (i.e., IP25 and HBI IIa) have emerged as useful proxies for sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic, respectively. Despite the relatively large number of sea ice reconstructions based on IP25 and HBI IIa, considerably fewer studies have addressed HBI variability in sea ice or in the underlying water column during a spring bloom and ice melt season. In this study, we quantified IP25 and various other HBIs at high temporal and vertical resolution in sea ice and the underlying water column (suspended and sinking particulate organic matter) during a spring bloom/ice melt event in Baffin Bay (Canadian Arctic) as part of the Green Edge project. The IP25 data are largely consistent with those reported from some previous studies, but also highlight: (i) the short-term variability in its production in sea ice; (ii) the release of ice algae with high sinking rates following a switch in sea ice conditions from hyper- to hyposaline within the study period; and (iii) the occurrence of an under-ice phytoplankton bloom. Outcomes from change-point analysis conducted on chlorophyll a and IP25, together with estimates of the percentage of ice algal organic carbon in the water column, also support some previous investigations. The co-occurrence of other di- and tri-unsaturated HBIs (including the pelagic biomarker HBI III) in sea ice are likely to have originated from the diatom Berkeleya rutilans and/or the Pleurosigma and Rhizosolenia genera, residing either within the sea ice matrix or on its underside. Although a possible sea ice source for HBIs such as HBI III may also impact the use of such HBIs as pelagic counterparts to IP25 in the phytoplankton marker-IP25 index, we suggest that the impact is likely to be small based on HBI distribution data.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thibaut Barreyre ◽  
Ilker Fer ◽  
Bénédicte Ferré

<p>NorEMSO is a coordinated, large-scale deep-ocean observation facility to establish the Norwegian node for the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory (EMSO). The project aims to explore the under-sampled Nordic Seas to gain a better understanding of the critical role that they play in our climate system and global ocean circulation. An overarching scientific objective is to better understand the drivers for the temporal and spatial changes of water mass transformations, ocean circulation, acidification and thermo-chemical exchanges at the seafloor in the Nordic Seas, and to contribute to improvement of models and forecasting by producing and making available high quality, near real time data. NorEMSO will achieve this by combining expansion of existing and establishment of new observatory network infrastructure, as well as its coordination and integration into EMSO.</p><p>NorEMSO comprises of three main components: moored observatories, gliders, and seafloor and water column observatory at the Mohn Ridge (EMSO-Mohn).</p><p>Moored observation systems include an array of four moored observatories located at key positions in the Nordic Seas (Svinøy, Station M, South Cape, and central Fram Strait).</p><p>Gliders will be operated along five transects across both the Norwegian and the Greenland Seas to monitor circulation and water mass properties at those key locations. Transects in the Norwegian and Lofoten basins will focus on monitoring the Norwegian Atlantic Current, and a transect in Fram Strait will monitor properties and variability in the return Atlantic Water along the Polar Front in the northern Nordic Seas. In addition, transects in the Greenland and Iceland Seas will address the water mass transformation processes through wintertime open ocean convection, and the southbound transport of surface water from the Arctic Ocean and dense water that feeds the lower limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in the East Greenland Current.</p><p>EMSO-Mohn will establish, at the newly discovered hydrothermal site on the Mohn Ridge, a fixed-point seabed-water-column-coupled and wireless observatory with a multidisciplinary approach – from geophysics and physical oceanography to ecology and microbiology. It is primarily directed at understanding hydrothermal fluxes and associated hydrothermal plume dynamics in the water column and how it disperses in an oceanographic front over the Mohn Ridge.</p><p>Following EMSO philosophy, NorEMSO will provide data and platforms to a large and diverse group of users, from scientists and industries to institutions and policy makers. The observations will serve climate research, ocean circulation understanding, numerical operational models, design of environmental policies, and education.</p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 1319-1329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inga Kristiansen ◽  
Eilif Gaard ◽  
Hjálmar Hátún ◽  
Sigrún Jónasdóttir ◽  
A. Sofia A. Ferreira

Abstract The southwestern Norwegian Sea is characterized by an inflow of warm and saline Atlantic water from the southwest and cold and less saline East Icelandic Water (EIW), of Arctic origin, from the northwest. These two water masses meet and form the Iceland-Faroe Front (IFF). In this region, the copepod Calanus finmarchicus plays a key role in the pelagic ecosystem. Time-series of C. finmarchicus and Calanus hyperboreus in May and September, extending back to the early 1990s, were studied in relation to phytoplankton bloom dynamics and hydrography. The main reproductive period of C. finmarchicus started consistently earlier south of the IFF, resulting in different life cycles and stage compositions in the two water masses. In 2003, a sudden shift occurred north of the IFF, resulting in a similar phenology pattern to south of the IFF. Before this, only one generation of C. finmarchicus was produced in the Arctic water, but the earlier reproduction enabled the species to produce two generations after 2003. Simultaneously, C. hyperboreus, an expatriate in the EIW, largely disappeared. Food availability is unlikely the reason for the phenological differences observed across the front, as the typical pattern of the phytoplankton spring bloom showed an earlier onset north of the IFF. Temperature and salinity peaked at record high values in 2003 and 2004, and therefore possible links to oceanography are discussed. The dominant role of Calanus spp. and the potential linkages to water mass exchanges may herald strong effects on the ecosystem and pelagic fish in this subpolar Atlantic region under expected climate change.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 6461-6491 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mau ◽  
J. Blees ◽  
E. Helmke ◽  
H. Niemann ◽  
E. Damm

Abstract. The bacterially mediated aerobic methane oxidation (MOx) is a key mechanism in controlling methane (CH4) emissions from the world's oceans to the atmosphere. In this study, we investigated MOx in the Arctic fjord Storfjorden (Spitsbergen) by applying a combination of radio-tracer based incubation assays (3H-CH4 and 14H-CH4), stable C-CH4 isotope measurements, and molecular tools (16S rRNA DGGE-fingerprinting, pmoA- and mxaF gene analyses). Strofjorden is stratified in the summertime with melt water (MW) in the upper 60 m of the water column, Arctic water (ArW) between 60–100 m and brine-enriched shelf water (BSW) down to 140 m. CH4 concentrations were supersaturated with respect to the atmospheric equilibrium (∼3 nM) throughout the water column, increasing from ∼20 nM at the surface to a maximum of 72 nM at 60 m and decreasing below. MOx rate measurements at near in situ CH4 concentrations (here measured with 3H-CH4 raising the ambient CH4 pool by <2 nM) showed a similar trend: low rates at the sea surface increasing to a maximum of ∼2.3 nM d−1 at 60 m followed by a decrease in the deeper ArW/BSW. In contrast, rate measurements with 14H-CH4 at elevated CH4 concentrations (incubations were spiked with ∼450 nM of 14H-CH4, providing an estimate of the CH4 oxidation potential) showed comparably low turnover rates (<1 nMd−1) at 60 m, but peaked in ArW/BSW at ∼100 m water depth, concomitant with increasing 14C-values in the residual CH4 pool. Our results indicate that the MOx community in the surface MW is adapted to relatively low CH4 concentrations. In contrast, the activity of the deep water MOx community is relatively low at the ambient, summertime CH4 concentrations but has the potential to increase rapidly in response to CH4 availability. A similar distinction between surface and deep water MOx is also suggested by our molecular analyses. Although, we found pmoA and maxF gene sequences throughout the water column attesting the ubiquitous presence of MOx communities in Storfjorden, deep water amplicons of pmoA and maxF were unusually long. Also a DGGE band related to the known Type I MOx Mehtylosphera was observed in deep BWS, but absent in surface MW. Apparently, different MOx communities have developed in the stratified water masses in Storfjorden, which is possibly related to the spatiotemporal variability in CH4 supply to the distinct water masses.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Agustí ◽  
Jeffrey W. Krause ◽  
Israel A. Marquez ◽  
Paul Wassmann ◽  
Svein Kristiansen ◽  
...  

Abstract. Diatoms tend to dominate the Arctic spring phytoplankton bloom, a key event in the ecosystem including a rapid decline in surface-water pCO2. While a mass sedimentation event of diatoms at the bloom terminus is commonly observed, there are few reports on the status of diatoms' health during Arctic blooms and its possible role on sedimentary fluxes. Thus, we examine the idea that the major diatom-sinking event which occurs at the end of the regional bloom is driven by physiologically deteriorated cells. Here we quantify, using the Bottle-Net, Arctic diatom stocks below and above the photic zone and assess their cell health status. The communities were sampled around the Svalbard islands and encompassed pre- to post-bloom conditions. A mean of 24.2±6.7 % SE (standard error) of the total water column (max. 415 m) diatom standing stock was found below the photic zone, indicating significant diatom sedimentation. The fraction of living diatom cells in the photic zone averaged 59.4±6.3 % but showed the highest mean percentages (72.0 %) in stations supporting active blooms. In contrast, populations below the photic layer were dominated by dead cells (20.8±4.9 % living cells). The percentage of diatoms' standing stock found below the photic layer was negatively related to the percentage of living diatoms in the surface, indicating that healthy populations remained in the surface layer. Shipboard manipulation experiments demonstrated that (1) dead diatom cells sank faster than living cells, and (2) diatom cell mortality increased in darkness, showing an average half-life among diatom groups of 1.025±0.075 d. The results conform to a conceptual model where diatoms grow during the bloom until resources are depleted and supports a link between diatom cell health status (affected by multiple factors) and sedimentation fluxes in the Arctic. Healthy Arctic phytoplankton communities remained at the photic layer, whereas the physiologically compromised (e.g., dying) communities exported a large fraction of the biomass to the aphotic zone, fueling carbon sequestration to the mesopelagic and material to benthic ecosystems.


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