scholarly journals Decoupling salinity and carbonate chemistry: Low calcium ion concentration rather than salinity limits calcification in Baltic Sea mussels

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trystan Sanders ◽  
Jörn Thomsen ◽  
Jens Daniel Müller ◽  
Gregor Rehder ◽  
Frank Melzner
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Calcium Ion ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Ion Concentration ◽  
Carbonate Chemistry ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The West ◽  
Baltic Proper ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Calcium Ion Concentration

Abstract. The Baltic Sea has a salinity gradient decreasing from fully marine (> 25) in the West to below 7 in the Central Baltic Proper. Reef forming mytilid mussels exhibit decreasing growth when salinity

scholarly journals Decoupling salinity and carbonate chemistry: low calcium ion concentration rather than salinity limits calcification in Baltic Sea mussels

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 2573-2590
Author(s):  
Trystan Sanders ◽  
Jörn Thomsen ◽  
Jens Daniel Müller ◽  
Gregor Rehder ◽  
Frank Melzner
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
In Situ Monitoring ◽  
Ion Concentration ◽  
Carbonate Chemistry ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Substrate Inhibitor

Abstract. The Baltic Sea has a salinity gradient decreasing from fully marine (> 25) in the west to below 7 in the central Baltic Proper. Habitat-forming and ecologically dominant mytilid mussels exhibit decreasing growth when salinity < 11; however, the mechanisms underlying reduced calcification rates in dilute seawater are not fully understood. Both [HCO3-] and [Ca2+] also decrease with salinity, challenging calcifying organisms through CaCO3 undersaturation (Ω≤1) and unfavourable ratios of calcification substrates ([Ca2+] and [HCO3-]) to the inhibitor (H+), expressed as the extended substrate–inhibitor ratio (ESIR). This study combined in situ monitoring of three southwest Baltic mussel reefs with two laboratory experiments to assess how various environmental conditions and isolated abiotic factors (salinity, [Ca2+], [HCO3-] and pH) impact calcification in mytilid mussels along the Baltic salinity gradient. Laboratory experiments rearing juvenile Baltic Mytilus at a range of salinities (6, 11 and 16), HCO3- concentrations (300–2100 µmol kg−1) and Ca2+ concentrations (0.5–4 mmol kg−1) reveal that as individual factors, low [HCO3-], pH and salinity cannot explain low calcification rates in the Baltic Sea. Calcification rates are impeded when Ωaragonite ≤ 1 or ESIR ≤ 0.7 primarily due to [Ca2+] limitation which becomes relevant at a salinity of ca. 11 in the Baltic Sea. Field monitoring of carbonate chemistry and calcification rates suggest increased food availability may be able to mask the negative impacts of periodic sub-optimal carbonate chemistry, but not when seawater conditions are permanently adverse, as observed in two Baltic reefs at salinities < 11. Regional climate models predict a rapid desalination of the southwest and central Baltic over the next century and potentially a reduction in [Ca2+] which may shift the distribution of marine calcifiers westward. It is therefore vital to understand the mechanisms by which the ionic composition of seawater impacts bivalve calcification for better predicting the future of benthic Baltic ecosystems.

scholarly journals Calcification in a marginal sea – influence of seawater [Ca<sup>2+</sup>] and carbonate chemistry on bivalve shell formation

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 1469-1482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörn Thomsen ◽  
Kirti Ramesh ◽  
Trystan Sanders ◽  
Markus Bleich ◽  
Frank Melzner
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Carbonate Chemistry ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Estuarine Coastal

Abstract. In estuarine coastal systems such as the Baltic Sea, mussels suffer from low salinity which limits their distribution. Anthropogenic climate change is expected to cause further desalination which will lead to local extinctions of mussels in the low saline areas. It is commonly accepted that mussel distribution is limited by osmotic stress. However, along the salinity gradient, environmental conditions for biomineralization are successively becoming more adverse as a result of reduced [Ca2+] and dissolved inorganic carbon (CT) availability. In larvae, calcification is an essential process starting during early development with formation of the prodissoconch I (PD I) shell, which is completed under optimal conditions within 2 days. Experimental manipulations of seawater [Ca2+] start to impair PD I formation in Mytilus larvae at concentrations below 3 mM, which corresponds to conditions present in the Baltic at salinities below 8 g kg−1. In addition, lowering dissolved inorganic carbon to critical concentrations (< 1 mM) similarly affected PD I size, which was well correlated with calculated ΩAragonite and [Ca2+][HCO3-] ∕ [H+] in all treatments. Comparing results for larvae from the western Baltic with a population from the central Baltic revealed a significantly higher tolerance of PD I formation to lowered [Ca2+] and [Ca2+][HCO3-] ∕ [H+] in the low saline adapted population. This may result from genetic adaptation to the more adverse environmental conditions prevailing in the low saline areas of the Baltic. The combined effects of lowered [Ca2+] and adverse carbonate chemistry represent major limiting factors for bivalve calcification and can thereby contribute to distribution limits of mussels in the Baltic Sea.

scholarly journals Baltic Sea sediments record anthropogenic loads of Cd, Pb, and Zn

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sina Shahabi-Ghahfarokhi ◽  
Sarah Josefsson ◽  
Anna Apler ◽  
Karsten Kalbitz ◽  
Mats Åström ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Heavy Metal Contamination ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The West ◽  
Large Spatial Scale ◽  
Bottom Waters ◽  
Baltic Proper ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Bothnian Bay

Abstract The unsustainable settlement and high industrialization around the catchment of the Baltic Sea has left records of anthropogenic heavy metal contamination in Baltic Sea sediments. Here, we show that sediments record post-industrial and anthropogenic loads of Cd, Zn, and Pb over a large spatial scale in the Baltic Sea. We also demonstrate that there is a control on the accumulation of these metals in relation to oxic/anoxic conditions of bottom waters. The total concentrations of Cd, Zn, and Pb were obtained with the near-total digestion method in thirteen cores collected from the Bothnian Bay, the Bothnian Sea, and the west and central Baltic Proper. The lowest average concentrations of Cd, Zn, and Pb were observed in Bothnian Bay (0.4, 125, 40.2 mg kg−1 DW, respectively). In contrast, the highest concentrations were observed in the west Baltic Proper (5.5, 435, and 56.6 mg kg−1 DW, respectively). The results indicate an increasing trend for Cd, Zn, and Pb from the early nineteenth century until the 1970s, followed by a decrease until 2000–2008. However, surface sediments still have concentrations above the pre-industrial values suggested by the Swedish EPA (Cd is 0.2, Zn is 85, and Pb is 31 mg kg−1 DW). The results also show that the pre-industrial Cd, Zn, and Pb concentrations obtained from 3 cores with ages < 1500 B.C. were 1.8, 1.7, and 1.2 times higher, respectively, than the pre-industrial values suggested by the Swedish EPA. To conclude, accumulations of metals in the Baltic Sea are governed by anthropogenic load and the redox conditions of the environment. The significance of correct environmental governance (measures) can be illustrated with the reduction in the pollution of Pb, Zn, and Cd within the Baltic Sea since the 1980s.

scholarly journals Changes in long chain alkenone distributions and Isochrysidales groups along the Baltic Sea salinity gradient

2019 ◽  
Vol 127 ◽  
pp. 92-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérôme Kaiser ◽  
Karen J. Wang ◽  
Derek Rott ◽  
Gaoyuan Li ◽  
Yinsui Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Long Chain

scholarly journals Geographic variation in fitness‐related traits of the bladderwrack Fucus vesiculosus along the Baltic Sea‐North Sea salinity gradient

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (16) ◽  
pp. 9225-9238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco R. Barboza ◽  
Jonne Kotta ◽  
Florian Weinberger ◽  
Veijo Jormalainen ◽  
Patrik Kraufvelin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Geographic Variation ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Fucus Vesiculosus ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic

Acclimation limits of Fucus evanescens along the salinity gradient of the southwestern Baltic Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-42
Author(s):  
Katharina Romoth ◽  
Petra Nowak ◽  
Daniela Kempke ◽  
Anna Dietrich ◽  
Christian Porsche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Photosynthetic Parameters ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Fucus Evanescens ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract Over recent decades, the neophyte Fucus evanescens has extended eastwards along the salinity gradient within the Baltic Sea, indicating gradual adaptation to low salinity conditions. To find out whether F. evanescens can migrate further into the Baltic Sea and potentially become a competitor to the native F. vesiculosus, the acclimation potentials of different F. evanescens and F. vesiculosus populations were investigated with respect to habitat salinity. For both species, pigmentation, water content, and photosynthetic rate were measured under laboratory and field conditions. The instantaneous measurement data and incubation experiment did not show clear differences in the measured photosynthetic parameters between different salinity levels (6–20), or between species. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear marker PDI (a putative protein disulfide isomerase) separated F. vesiculosus and F. evanescens into well-defined groups supporting the hypothesis that the two very similar species do not represent different morphotypes of the same species/gene pool. These findings indicate that – at least for the vegetative stage of F. evanescens – salinity may not be a limiting factor for a further spread into the Baltic Sea.

scholarly journals Nutrient transports in the Baltic Sea – results from a 30-year physical–biogeochemical reanalysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2113-2131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye Liu ◽  
H. E. Markus Meier ◽  
Kari Eilola
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Optimal Interpolation ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Gulf Of Riga ◽  
Baltic Proper ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract. Long-term oxygen and nutrient transports in the Baltic Sea are reconstructed using the Swedish Coastal and Ocean Biogeochemical model (SCOBI) coupled to the Rossby Centre Ocean model (RCO). Two simulations with and without data assimilation covering the period 1970–1999 are carried out. Here, the weakly coupled scheme with the Ensemble Optimal Interpolation (EnOI) method is adopted to assimilate observed profiles in the reanalysis system. The reanalysis shows considerable improvement in the simulation of both oxygen and nutrient concentrations relative to the free run. Further, the results suggest that the assimilation of biogeochemical observations has a significant effect on the simulation of the oxygen-dependent dynamics of biogeochemical cycles. From the reanalysis, nutrient transports between sub-basins, between the coastal zone and the open sea, and across latitudinal and longitudinal cross sections are calculated. Further, the spatial distributions of regions with nutrient import or export are examined. Our results emphasize the important role of the Baltic proper for the entire Baltic Sea, with large net transport (export minus import) of nutrients from the Baltic proper into the surrounding sub-basins (except the net phosphorus import from the Gulf of Riga and the net nitrogen import from the Gulf of Riga and Danish Straits). In agreement with previous studies, we found that the Bothnian Sea imports large amounts of phosphorus from the Baltic proper that are retained in this sub-basin. For the calculation of sub-basin budgets, the location of the lateral borders of the sub-basins is crucial, because net transports may change sign with the location of the border. Although the overall transport patterns resemble the results of previous studies, our calculated estimates differ in detail considerably.

The first large-scale assessment of three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) biomass and spatial distribution in the Baltic Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 1653-1665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Olsson ◽  
Eglė Jakubavičiūtė ◽  
Olavi Kaljuste ◽  
Niklas Larsson ◽  
Ulf Bergström ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Baltic Proper ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bothnian Sea

Abstract Declines in predatory fish in combination with the impact of climate change and eutrophication have caused planktivores, including three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), to increase dramatically in parts of the Baltic Sea. Resulting impacts of stickleback on coastal and offshore foodwebs have been observed, highlighting the need for increased knowledge on its population characteristics. In this article, we quantify abundance, biomass, size structure, and spatial distribution of stickleback using data from the Swedish and Finnish parts of the Baltic International Acoustic Survey (BIAS) during 2001–2014. Two alternative methods for biomass estimation suggest an increase in biomass of stickleback in the Baltic Proper, stable or increasing mean size over time, and larger individuals toward the north. The highest abundance was found in the central parts of the Baltic Proper and Bothnian Sea. The proportion of stickleback biomass in the total planktivore biomass increased from 4 to 10% in the Baltic Proper and averaged 6% of the total planktivore biomass in the Bothnian Sea. In some years, however, stickleback biomass has ranged from half to almost twice that of sprat (Sprattus sprattus) in both basins. Given the recent population expansion of stickleback and its potential role in the ecosystem, we recommend that stickleback should be considered in future monitoring programmes and in fisheries and environmental management of the Baltic Sea.

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