Description: Dinoflagellate cysts are useful for reconstructing upper water conditions. For adequate reconstructions detailed information is required about the relationship between modern day environmental conditions and the geographic distribution of cysts in sediments. This Atlas summarises the modern global distribution of 71 organicwalled dinoflagellate cyst species. The synthesis is based on the integration of literature sources together with data of 2405 globally distributed surface sediment samples that have been preparedwith a comparable methodology and taxonomy. The distribution patterns of individual cyst species are being comparedwith environmental factors that are knownto influence dinoflagellate growth, gamete production, encystment, excystment and preservation of their organic-walled cysts: surface water temperature, salinity, nitrate, phosphate, chlorophyll-a concentrations and bottom water oxygen concentrations. Graphs are provided for every species depicting the relationship between seasonal and annual variations of these parameters and the relative abundance of the species. Results have been compared with previously published records; an overview of the ecological significance as well as information about the seasonal production of each individual species is presented. The relationship between the cyst distribution and variation in the aforementioned environmental parameters was analysed by performing a canonical correspondence analysis. All tested variables showed a positive relationship on the 99% confidence level. Sea-surface temperature represents the parameter corresponding to the largest amount of variance within the dataset (40%) followed by nitrate, salinity, phosphate and bottom-water oxygen concentration, which correspond to 34%, 33%, 25% and 24% of the variance, respectively. Characterisations of selected environments as well as a discussion about how these factors could have influenced the final cyst yield in sediments are included.

Description: Eight different cyanobacterial diazotrophs (Trichodesmium spp., UCYN-A1, UCYN-A2, UCYN-B, UCYN-C, het-1, het-2 and het-3), and two phytoplankton hosts (UCYN-A1 and A2 hosts), were quantified by their nifH genes (18S rRNA for the hosts) in the western tropical South Pacific in spring 2015. The qPCR data was generated at 18 stations along a west to east transect from New Caledonia to Tahiti, covering oligotrophic to ultra-oligotrophic waters.

Description: Palynological analyses were performed on 53 surface sediment samples from the North Pacific Ocean, including the Bering and Okhotsk Seas (37-64°N, 144°E-148°W), in order to document the relationships between the dinocyst distribution and sea-surface conditions (temperatures, salinities, primary productivity and sea-ice cover). Samples are characterized by concentrations ranging from 18 to 143816 cysts/cm**3 and the occurrence of 32 species. A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was carried out to determine the relationship between environmental variables and the distribution of dinocyst taxa. The first and second axes represent, respectively, 47% and 17.8% of the canonical variance. Axis 1 is positively correlated with all parameters except to the sea-ice and primary productivity in August, which are on the negative side. Results indicate that the composition of dinocyst assemblages is mostly controlled by temperature and that all environmental variables are correlated together. The CCA distinguishes 3 groups of dinocysts: the heterotrophic taxa, the genera Impagidinium and Spiniferites as well as the cyst of Pentapharsodinium dalei and Operculodinium centrocarpum. Five assemblage zones can be distinguished: 1) the Okhotsk Sea zone, which is associated to temperate and eutrophic conditions, seasonal upwellings and Amur River discharges. It is characterized by the dominance of O. centrocarpum, Brigantedinium spp. and Islandinium minutum; 2) the Western Subarctic Gyre zone with subpolar and mesotrophic conditions due to the Kamchatka Current and Alaska Stream inflows. Assemblages are dominated by Nematosphaeropsis labyrinthus, Pyxidinopsis reticulata and Brigantedinium spp.; 3) the Bering Sea zone, depicting a subpolar environment, influenced by seasonal upwellings and inputs from the Anadyr and Yukon Rivers. It is characterized by the dominance of I. minutum and Brigantedinium spp.; 4) the Alaska Gyre zone with temperate conditions and nutrient-enriched surface waters, which is dominated by N. labyrinthus and Brigantedinium spp. and 5) the Kuroshio Extension-North Pacific-Subarctic Current zone characterized by a subtropical and oligotrophic environment, which is dominated by O. centrocarpum, N. labyrinthus and warm taxa of the genus Impagidinium. Transfer functions were tested using the modern analog technique (MAT) on the North Pacific Ocean (= 359 sites) and the entire Northern Hemisphere databases ( = 1419 sites). Results confirm that the updated Northern Hemisphere database is suitable for further paleoenvironmental reconstructions, and the best results are obtained for temperatures with an accuracy of +/-1.7 °C.

Description: Palynological analyses were performed on 53 surface sediment samples from the North Pacific Ocean, including the Bering and Okhotsk Seas (37–64°N, 144°E–148°W), in order to document the relationships between the dinocyst distribution and sea-surface conditions (temperatures, salinities, primary productivity and sea-ice cover). Samples are characterized by concentrations ranging from 18 to 143 816 cysts/cm3 and the occurrence of 32 species. A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was carried out to determine the relationship between environmental variables and the distribution of dinocyst taxa. The first and second axes represent, respectively, 47% and 17.8% of the canonical variance. Axis 1 is positively correlated with all parameters except to the sea-ice and primary productivity in August, which are on the negative side. Results indicate that the composition of dinocyst assemblages is mostly controlled by temperature and that all environmental variables are correlated together. The CCA distinguishes 3 groups of dinocysts: the heterotrophic taxa, the genera Impagidinium and Spiniferites as well as the cyst of Pentapharsodinium dalei and Operculodinium centrocarpum. Five assemblage zones can be distinguished: 1) the Okhotsk Sea zone, which is associated to temperate and eutrophic conditions, seasonal upwellings and Amur River discharges. It is characterized by the dominance of O. centrocarpum, Brigantedinium spp. and Islandinium minutum; 2) the Western Subarctic Gyre zone with subpolar and mesotrophic conditions due to the Kamchatka Current and Alaska Stream inflows. Assemblages are dominated by Nematosphaeropsis labyrinthus, Pyxidinopsis reticulata and Brigantedinium spp.; 3) the Bering Sea zone, depicting a subpolar environment, influenced by seasonal upwellings and inputs from the Anadyr and Yukon Rivers. It is characterized by the dominance of I. minutum and Brigantedinium spp.; 4) the Alaska Gyre zone with temperate conditions and nutrient-enriched surface waters, which is dominated by N. labyrinthus and Brigantedinium spp. and 5) the Kuroshio Extension-North Pacific-Subarctic Current zone characterized by a subtropical and oligotrophic environment, which is dominated by O. centrocarpum, N. labyrinthus and warm taxa of the genus Impagidinium. Transfer functions were tested using the modern analog technique (MAT) on the North Pacific Ocean (= 359 sites) and the entire Northern Hemisphere databases (= 1419 sites). Results confirm that the updated Northern Hemisphere database is suitable for further paleoenvironmental reconstructions, and the best results are obtained for temperatures with an accuracy of ± 1.7 °C.

Description: Dataset: OUTPACE - water column nitrate+nitrite

Description: Constraining the rates and spatial distribution of di-nitrogen (N2) fixation fluxes to the ocean informs our understanding of the environmental sensitivities of N2 fixation as well as the timescale over which the fluxes of nitrogen (N) to and from the ocean may respond to each other. Here we quantify rates of N2 fixation as well as its contribution to export production along a zonal transect in the Western Tropical South Pacific (WTSP) Ocean using N isotope (“d15N”) budgets. Comparing measurements of water column nitrate+nitrite d15N with the d15N of sinking particulate N at a western, central, and eastern station, these d15N budgets indicate high, modest, and low rates of N2 fixation at the respective stations. The results also imply that N2 fixation supports exceptionally high, i.e., >50%, of export production at the western and central stations, which are also proximal to the largest iron sources. These geochemically-based rates of N2 fixation are equal to or greater than those previously reported in the tropical North Atlantic, indicating that the WTSP Ocean has the capacity to support globally significant rates of N2 fixation, which may compensate for N removal in the oxygen deficient zones of the eastern tropical Pacific. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the supplemental document 'Field_names.pdf', and a full dataset description is included in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: http://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/733237

Description: NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE) OCE-1537314

Description: Iron is an essential nutrient that regulates productivity in ~30% of the ocean. Compared with deep (〉2000 meter) hydrothermal activity at mid-ocean ridges that provide iron to the ocean's interior, shallow (〈500 meter) hydrothermal fluids are likely to influence the surface's ecosystem. However, their effect is unknown. In this work, we show that fluids emitted along the Tonga volcanic arc (South Pacific) have a substantial impact on iron concentrations in the photic layer through vertical diffusion. This enrichment stimulates biological activity, resulting in an extensive patch of chlorophyll (360,000 square kilometers). Diazotroph activity is two to eight times higher and carbon export fluxes are two to three times higher in iron-enriched waters than in adjacent unfertilized waters. Such findings reveal a previously undescribed mechanism of natural iron fertilization in the ocean that fuels regional hotspot sinks for atmospheric CO2.

Description: Published

Description: 812-817

Description: 4A. Oceanografia e clima

Description: 6A. Geochimica per l'ambiente e geologia medica

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The Nordic Seas are a key area at the hemispheric scale since they constitute a transitional basin between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans (Figure 1a). The warm and salty North Atlantic waters contribute to the poleward heat transport via the Norwegian (NwAC-W, NwAC-E) and West Spitsbergen (WSC) currents, whereas the Arctic waters carry cool and fresh waters into the Nordic Seas via the East Greenland current (EGC). The interaction between these two surface currents determines the extent of the Polar and Arctic Fronts and acts on the deep-water formation. Several studies have shown large-amplitude variations in sea-surface conditions of the Nordic Seas, during the Holocene, due to changes in the strength and/or thermal characteristics of the NwAC and EGC. However, variability along the EGC is still poorly documented contrary to the NwAC where records depict warmer conditions than present along the main axis during the early Holocene, when summer insolation was higher. Nevertheless, data are not unequivocal since they show regional differences suggesting changes in atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns. This study aims at documenting the impact of the last deglaciation on surface water masses in the Nordic Seas by reconstructing hydrographic parameters and sea-ice along the NwAC and EGC as well as to discuss the influence of the Arctic vs. North Atlantic fluxes. Here, we report the results from centennial resolution analyses performed on cores M23323, MSM 5/5-712-2 and JM06-WP-16MC (Figure 1a). Dinocyst assemblages were used as a proxy for the reconstructions of sea-surface conditions. We employed the Modern Analogue Technique (MAT) and the Northern Hemisphere dinocyst database that includes 1429 sites. The reconstructed past sea-surface conditions include the temperatures and salinities in summer, as well as the sea-ice cover duration. Likewise, redundancy analyses were done on dinocyst assemblages and environmental parameters in order to determine the statistical weight of changes observed in the distribution of assemblages. In each core, dinocyst assemblages show a clear transition at about 6.8 cal. kyrs BP. It is characterized by assemblages dominated by Nematosphaeropsis labyrinthus accompanied by Spiniferites elongatus and Spiniferites ramosus then by assemblages almost exclusively dominated by Operculodinium centrocarpum. This transition is also confirmed by the redundancy analyses that illustrate a sign shift. Sea-surface reconstructions indicate similar variations between cores but with different orders of magnitude (Figure 1b). Data of core M23323 depict cool summer temperatures (mean of 8°C) and low salinity (〈34.5) with episodic sea-ice (up to 2 months/yr) until 6.8 cal. kyrs BP. Furthermore, this interval corresponds to relatively high concentrations of pollen grains (up to 4000 grains/cm3), which suggest high fluvial discharge from adjacent watersheds. These palynological data suggest an environment marked by a coastal influence with high terrestrial inputs causing low surface salinity and upper water mass stratification. Data of core MSM5/5-712-2 illustrate a comparable variability except that summer temperatures are colder (mean of 5°) with low summer salinity (mean of 33.5) and high seasonal sea-ice cover up to 6 months/yr. Despite very low sedimentation rate, and consequently low temporal resolution in core JM06-WP-16MC, the reconstructions point out large-amplitude oscillations associated with cool conditions (mean of 6°C in summer), a mean salinity of 34 and a seasonal sea-ice cover between 2 and 3 months/yr. After 6.8 cal. kyrs BP, reconstructions from core M23323 indicate a warming trend (≈1.5°C) and the gradual establishment of modern-like conditions with temperatures reaching 9.5°C in summer and a salinity of ~34.8, as the consequence of predominant NwAC. Reconstructions from core MSM 5/5-712-2 illustrate a more stable environment with a slight cooling trend (≈1°C) that could be due to an increase of the EGC and/or ESC fluxes. This transition is not so visible in core JM06-WP-16MC, which depicts a large cyclicity with cool conditions (mean of 7°C in summer), salinity around 34.8 and a seasonal sea-ice cover reaching up to 4 months/yr. However, a freshwater pulse (≈33.5) associated with a sea-ice cover of 4 months/yr at ca. 5.9 cal. kyrs BP is well recorded in cores MSM5/5-712-2 and JM06-WP-16-MC suggesting a strengthening of the EGC and a southward moving of the Polar-Arctic Fronts. Overall, records from these three cores point out a major reorganization of sea-surface conditions during the early-mid- Holocene transition in the Nordic Seas, and particularly in the eastern part. Also, it seems that the decoupling of the western and eastern branches of the Norwegian current as well as the WSC played a predominant role on the variability of sea-surface conditions during this time. The cool conditions reconstructed from core M23323, for the early Holocene period, contrast with warm ones observed along the main axis of the North Atlantic current as recorded, for instance, by diatoms (e.g., Berner et al., 2010) and alkenones (e.g., Calvo et al., 2002). We hypothesize here that this difference in water mass during the early Holocene was notably due to an enhanced freshwater influence from the northwestern Europe, including the Baltic Sea watershed, which lead to an intensification of coastal currents and an enhancement of the upper water mass stratification along the continental margin. Berner, K.S., Koç, N., Godtliebsen, F., 2010, High frequency climate variability of the Norwegian Atlantic Current during the early Holocene period and a possible connection to the Gleissberg cycle: The Holocene, v. 20, p. 245-255. Calvo, E., Grimalt, J., Jansen, E., 2002, High resolution U37 k sea surface temperature reconstruction in the Norwegian Sea during the Holocene: Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 21, p. 1385-1394. [Figures see online publication]