Sponge contribution to the silicon cycle of a diatom-rich shallow bay

In coastal systems, planktonic and benthic silicifiers compete for the pool of dissolved silicon, a nutrient required to make their skeletons. The contribution of planktonic diatoms to the cycling of silicon in coastal systems is often well characterized, while that of benthic silicifiers such as sponges has rarely been quantified. Herein, silicon fluxes and stocks are quantified for the sponge fauna in the benthic communities of the Bay of Brest (France). A total of 45 siliceous sponge species living in the Bay account for a silicon standing stock of 1215 tons, while that of diatoms is only 27 tons. The silicon reservoir accumulated as sponge skeletons in the superficial sediments of the Bay rises to 1775 tons, while that of diatom skeletons is only 248 tons. These comparatively large stocks of sponge silicon were estimated to cycle two orders of magnitude slower than the diatom stocks. Sponge silicon stocks need years to decades to be renewed, while diatom turnover lasts only days. Although the sponge monitoring over the last 6 years indicates no major changes of the sponge stocks, our results do not allow to conclude if the silicon sponge budget of the Bay is at steady state, and potential scenarios are discussed. The findings buttress the idea that sponges and diatoms play contrasting roles in the marine silicon cycle. The budgets of these silicon major users need to be integrated and their connections revealed, if we aim to reach a full understanding of the silicon cycling in coastal ecosystems.

Unraveling Salinity Extreme Events in Coastal Environments: A Winter Focus on the Bay of Brest

Extreme weather events affect coastal marine ecosystems. The increase in intensity and occurrence of such events drive modifications in coastal hydrology and hydrodynamics. Here, focusing on the winter period (from December to March), we investigated multi-decade (2000–2018) changes in the hydrological properties of the Bay of Brest (French Atlantic coast) as an example of the response of a semi-enclosed bay to extreme weather episodes and large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns. The relationships between extreme weather events and severe low salinity conditions (as a proxy for changes in water density) were investigated using high-frequency in situ observations and high-resolution numerical simulations. The identification of intense episodes was based on the timing, duration, and annual occurrence of extreme events. By examining the interannual variability of extreme low salinity events, we detect a patent influence of local and regional weather conditions on atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns, precipitation, and river runoff. We revealed that low salinity events in Brittany were controlled by large-scale forcings: they prevailed during the positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation and periods of low occurrences of the Atlantic Ridge weather regime. The increase in severe storms observed in western France since 2010 has led to a doubling of the occurrence and duration of extreme low salinity events in Brittany.

Geodetic Seafloor Positioning Using an Unmanned Surface Vehicle—Contribution of Direction-of-Arrival Observations

Precise underwater geodetic positioning remains a challenge. Measurements combining surface positioning (GNSS) with underwater acoustic positioning are generally performed from research vessels. Here we tested an alternative approach using a small Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) with a compact GNSS/Acoustic experimental set-up, easier to deploy, and more cost-effective. The positioning system included a GNSS receiver directly mounted above an Ultra Short Baseline (USBL) module integrated with an inertial system (INS) to correct for the USV motions. Different acquisition protocols, including box-in circles around transponders and two static positions of the USV, were tested. The experiment conducted in the shallow waters (40 m) of the Bay of Brest, France, provided a data set to derive the coordinates of individual transponders from two-way-travel times, and direction of arrival (DOA) of acoustic rays from the transponders to the USV. Using a least-squares inversion, we show that DOAs improve single transponder positioning both in box-in and static acquisitions. From a series of short positioning sessions (20 min) over 2 days, we achieved a repeatability of ~5 cm in the locations of the transponders. Post-processing of the GNSS data also significantly improved the two-way-travel times residuals compared to the real-time solution.

Distribution of iron porphyrin like complexes along the land sea continuum of the Iroise Sea

<p>The aim of FeLINE project (Fer Ligands In the aulNe Estuary) was to determine the distribution of iron and associated ligands concentrations along the land sea continuum of the Iroise Sea (Bay of Brest, France). Iron porphyrin like ligands (Fe-Py) such as heme and hemoproteins are relevant complexes in iron biogeochemical cycling as they can persist in seawater and on marine particulates. This work reveals for the first time the distribution of Fe-Py concentrations (dissolved plus reactive particulate) along a temperate macrotidal estuary. Unfiltered samples were collected in October 2019 across a transect of the Aulne river and estuary / Rade of Brest / Iroise Sea during low tidal coefficient (39). Fe-Py concentrations were determined using flow injection analysis with chemiluminescence detection adapted from Vong et al. (2007). Various interferences (organic, metallic, pH and salinity) were tested. The detection limit attained was 11 pmol.l<sup>-1</sup> and the time of analysis 1min30s per sample. The Fe-Py concentrations varied from 0.007 ±0.002 nmol.l<sup>-1 </sup>for S=33.98 and 1.177 ±0.007 nmol.l<sup>-1 </sup>for S = 0.92. The Fe-Py concentrations clearly showed a non-conservative behavior due to various processes other than simple mixing of natural and seawater. The highest values revealing a Fe-Py enrichment were observed in the Estuarine Turbidity Maximum (ETM) for which concentrations varied between 1.177 ±0.007, S = 5.2 and 0.738 ±0.004 nmol.l<sup>-1</sup> S = 8.59. This positive anomaly of Fe-Py concentrations (40%) also corresponded to the lowest pH values (pH =7.27-7.32). The distal part of the transect displayed a negative anomaly for salinities comprised between 15 and 25 (loss of 37%). The four last points geographically corresponding to the Bay of Brest (S>35) exhibited low and stable Fe-Py concentrations of 0.007±0.002 and 0.024 ± 0.003 nmol.l<sup>-1</sup>. The supply and removal fluxes were respectively estimated at 2.4±0.2g/d and 8.1 ± 0.8g/d, revealing an average Fe-Py removal of 39.8% that is probably due to particle flocculation.</p>

Effect of P depletion on the functional pools of diatom carbohydrates, and their utilization by bacterial communities

Phosphorus (P) limitation of phytoplankton growth is known to affect the accumulation and release of carbohydrates (CHO) by micro-algae. However, relatively little is known about the fate of algal exudates, notably their bacterial degradation. The CHO chemical characterization is also not exhaustive, especially in ‘functional’ pools relevant for phytoplankton physiology (particulate reserve [R] or structural [S] CHO) and for bacterial degradation (dissolved mono- [MDCHO] and polysaccharides [P-DCHO]). In this study, we investigated how P depletion and repletion affect the CHO composition in diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii cultures, and the shortterm response of free and diatom-attached bacteria in terms of abundance and potential βglucosidase activity (βGlc). The bacterial inoculum was composed of the bacterial consortiums of diatom precultures and a natural bacterial community from the Bay of Brest. P depletion favored CHO accumulation in diatom cells, mainly as R i.e. soluble CHO accumulated in cytoplasm, but also as S, polysaccharides linked to the cell wall. The R:S ratio was high in the present diatom cultures. The high M-DCHO observed in P-deplete cultures (twice that of P-replete cultures) when P-DCHO remained quite similar is explained both by active polysaccharide hydrolysis (very high potential βGlc of attached bacteria) and reduced uptake of M-DCHO by Pdepleted bacteria. P depletion of heterotrophic bacteria favors labile CHO accumulation, which may affect particle potential aggregation. However, the remarkably constant M-DCHO concentration over time for both conditions suggests tight coupling between phytoplankton accumulation, release, polymer hydrolysis and monomer uptake by bacteria.

Extreme event occurrences and impacts in coastal waters of western Europe

<p><strong>Extreme event occurrences and impacts in coastal waters of western Europe</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Coline Poppeschi<sup>1</sup>, Maximilian Unterberger<sup>1</sup>, Guillaume Charria<sup>1</sup>, Peggy Rimmelin-Maury<sup>2</sup>, Eric Goberville<sup>3</sup>, Nicolas Barrier<sup>5</sup>, Emilie Grossteffan<sup>2</sup>, Michel Repecaud<sup>6</sup>, Loïc Quemener<sup>6</sup>, Sébastien Theetten<sup>1</sup>, Sébastien Petton<sup>7</sup>, Jean-François Le Roux<sup>1</sup>, Paul Tréguer<sup>4</sup></p><p><sup> </sup></p><p><sup>1</sup> Ifremer, Univ. Brest, CNRS, IRD, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), IUEM, 29280 Brest, France.</p><p><sup>2 </sup>OSU-Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), UMS3113, F-29280, Plouzané, France.</p><p><sup>3 </sup>Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, UMR 7208 BOREA, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UCN, UA, IRD, Paris, France.</p><p><sup>4 </sup>IUEM, UMR-CNRS 6539 Laboratoire de l’Environnement Marin (LEMAR), OSU IUEM, F-29280, Plouzané, France.</p><p><sup>5 </sup>MARBEC, Université de Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Ifremer, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), F-34203 Sète, France.</p><p><sup>6 </sup>Ifremer, Centre de Brest, REM/RDT/DCM, F-29280, Plouzané, France.</p><p><sup>7 </sup>Ifremer, Centre de Brest, RBE/PFOM/LPI, F-29840, Argenton en Landunvez, France.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>            The occurrence and the impact of the atmospheric extreme events in coastal waters of western Europe is evolving. Responses of the coastal environment to those events and evolutions need to be explored and explained. In this framework, the hydrodynamical and biogeochemical processes driven by extreme events in the bay of Brest are studied to better estimate their impacts on the local ecosystem. We are analyzing long-term in situ observations (since 2000), sampled at high and low frequencies, from the COAST-HF and SOMLIT network sites, located at the entrance to the bay of Brest. This study is divided into two main parts: the detection and characterization of extreme events, followed by the analysis of a realistic numerical simulation of these events to understand the underlying ocean processes. We focus on freshwater events during the winter months (December, January, February and March), considering the season with most of extreme event occurrence. The relationship between local extreme events and variability at larger scales, considering climate indices such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), is detailed. A comparison between the low frequency data from the SOMLIT network and the high frequency data from the COAST-HF network is carried out, highlighting the potential of high frequency measurements for the detection of extreme events. A comparison between in situ data and two numerical simulations of different resolutions is also performed over salinity time series. The interannual variability of extreme event occurrences and features in a context of climate change is also discussed. The link between these extreme low salinity events and the winter nitrate levels in the bay of Brest is shown. Then, we investigate the relationship between extreme events and biology in the coastal environment.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Keywords </strong></p><p>In-situ observations, High and low frequency measurements, Extreme events, Numerical simulations, Bay of Brest, Weather regimes.</p>

A 45-year sub-annual reconstruction of seawater temperature in the Bay of Brest, France, using the shell oxygen isotope composition of the bivalve Glycymeris glycymeris

A reconstruction of sea surface temperature (SST) spanning 45 years (1966–2011) was developed from δ18O obtained from the aragonitic shells of Glycymeris glycymeris, collected from the Bay of Brest, France. Bivalve sampling was undertaken monthly between 2014 and 2015 using a dredge. In total, 401 live specimens and 243 articulated paired valves from dead specimens were collected, of which 24 individuals were used to reconstruct SST. Temperatures determined using the palaeotemperature equation of Royer et al. compared well with observed SST during the growing season between 1998 and 2010 (Pearson’s correlation: p = 0.002, r = 0.760). Furthermore, a significant negative correlation was found between the reconstructed SST and the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre (SPG) index ( p = 0.001, r = −0.50), and a significant positive correlation was found with the East Atlantic Pattern (EAP) index when the reconstructed SST was lagged by 1 year ( p = 0.002, r = 0.46). This led to the conclusion that EAP and SPG are major influences on SSTs in the Bay of Brest. As the SPG controls air temperature in Northern Europe and the EAP controls water temperature in Southern Europe, this suggests that the Bay of Brest is an interaction area between these two climate systems. As such, this locality is interesting as the δ18O of the shells can be used as a proxy for both the SPG and EAP, and temperature reconstructions can provide a unique insight into how these climate systems interacted prior to the instrumental era.