Description: The effect of ocean warming and acidification was investigated on a natural plankton assemblage from an oligotrophic area, the bay of Villefranche (NW Mediterranean Sea). The assemblage was sampled in March 2012 and exposed to the following four treatments for 12 days: control ( 360 µatm, 14°C), elevated pCO2 ( 610 µatm, 14°C), elevated temperature ( 410 µatm, 17°C), and elevated pCO2 and temperature ( 690 µatm, 17°C). Nutrients were already depleted at the beginning of the experiment and the concentrations of chlorophyll a (chl a), heterotrophic prokaryotes and viruses decreased, under all treatments, throughout the experiment. There were no statistically significant effects of ocean warming and acidification, whether in isolation or combined, on the concentrations of nutrients, particulate organic matter, chl a and most of the photosynthetic pigments. Furthermore, 13C labelling showed that the carbon transfer rates from 13C-sodium bicarbonate into particulate organic carbon were not affected by seawater warming nor acidification. Rates of gross primary production followed the general decreasing trend of chl a concentrations and were significantly higher under elevated temperature, an effect exacerbated when combined to elevated pCO2 level. In contrast to the other algal groups, the picophytoplankton population (cyanobacteria, mostly Synechococcus) increased throughout the experiment and was more abundant in the warmer treatment though to a lesser extent when combined to high pCO2 level. These results suggest that under nutrient-depleted conditions in the Mediterranean Sea, ocean acidification has a very limited impact on the plankton community and that small species will benefit from warming with a potential decrease of the export and energy transfer to higher trophic levels.

Description: High mercury (Hg) levels have been observed for arctic biota, despite limited local sources of anthropogenic Hg in the Arctic. Scavenging of Hg exerts an important control on the residence time of Hg in surface waters. The downward Hg export flux and Hg burial rates in bottom sediments are not well-constrained as a result of the lack of particulate Hg (Hgp) observations in the Arctic Ocean. Here, we estimated downward Hg export flux based on Hg concentrations in suspended particulate matter (SPM) and using the radionuclide pair 234Th/238U, coupled to Hgp/234Th ratios in particles. Using new observations made during the German GEOTRACES TransArcII (GN04) and the U.S. Arctic GEOTRACES (GN01) cruises in August–October 2015, we estimated the Hgp export flux in the central Arctic Ocean and the outer shelf. We find that 81 ± 58 Mg year–1 Hgp is exported from the upper 100 m, of which 16 ± 10 Mg year–1 is ultimately buried in marine sediments. An extrapolation to the entire Arctic Ocean, including the inner shelf, results in 156 Mg year–1Hgp export from the surface ocean and 28 Mg year–1 Hg burial rate. Our study shows that the Hgp export flux could be higher than previously thought, and this should be taken into consideration for future arctic Hg budget estimations.

Description: The Fram Strait is the only deep connection between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The main water and mercury (Hg) fluxes between these oceans occur via the Fram Strait and Barents Sea Opening. Several Hg mass balance studies indicated a net Hg export from the Arctic to the Atlantic Ocean. However, in the absence of Hg measurements in the Fram Strait and Barents Sea Opening, these estimates were based on North Atlantic and central Arctic Ocean data alone. Here, we refine the Arctic total Hg (tHg) and methylated Hg (MeHg) mass budgets using new data acquired during the 2015 GEOTRACES (section GN04) TransArcII cruise in the Barents Sea Opening and the 2016 GEOTRACES (section GN05) GRIFF cruise, which covered the Fram Strait and Northeast Greenland Shelf. Total Hg increased westward along the Fram Strait transect, reaching the highest concentrations on the Northeast Greenland Shelf. Concentrations of tHg averaged 1.29 ± 0.43 pM in the East Greenland Current, while core waters of the West Spitsbergen Current had average values of 0.80 ± 0.26 pM. Using our new data, we estimate that 43 ± 9 Mg y-1 of tHg is transported to the Arctic Ocean in the core of the West Spitsbergen Current, while 54 ± 13 Mg y-1 of tHg is exported from the Arctic Ocean in the East Greenland Current and Recirculated Atlantic Water. This results in a net tHg export of 11 ± 8 Mg y-1 via the Fram Strait. We find a shallow MeHg maximum (at 150Â m depth) in the East Greenland Current, in agreement to what was reported for the central Arctic Ocean and Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The West Spitsbergen Current is characterized by lower MeHg concentrations and a deeper MeHg maximum, that is located at approximately 1000Â m depth. We estimate a net MeHg export of 6 ± 2 Mg y-1 from the Arctic Ocean via the Fram Strait, which is nearly half of the exported tHg. Most of the exported MeHg is in the form of DMHg (2:1 ratio of dimethylmercury to monomethylmercury). Previous studies reported lower MeHg proportions. Our observations show that the Arctic Ocean is producing and exporting MeHg to the Atlantic Ocean. In total, the Arctic Ocean exports about 18 Mg y-1 of tHg to the Nordic Seas and North Atlantic via the Fram Strait and Davis Strait, of which 7.5 Mg y-1 is in the MeHg form.

Description: We examined metal (Al, V. Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) and particulate organic carbon (OC) concentrations of the marine vertical export flux at the DYFAMED time-series station in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. We present here the first data set of natural and anthropogenic metals from sediment trap moorings deployed at 1000 m-depth between 2003 and 2007 at the DYFAMED site. A highly significant correlation was observed between most metal concentrations, whatever the nature and emission source of the metal. Cu, Zn and Cd exhibit different behaviors, presumably due to their high solubility and complexation with organic ligands. The observed difference of atmospheric and marine fluxes in terms of temporal variability and elemental concentration suggests that dense water convection and primary production and not atmospheric deposition control the marine vertical export flux. This argument is strengthened by the fact that significant Saharan dust events did not result in concomitant marine vertical export fluxes nor did they generate significant changes in metal concentrations of trapped particles

Description: Highlights • First full water column measurements of tHg, pHg, MMHg, MeHg, and DGM at the Fram Strait. • The Arctic Ocean exports tHg- and MeHg-enriched waters to the North Atlantic Ocean. • The Arctic Ocean exports about 18 Mg y−1 of tHg to the Nordic Seas and North Atlantic. • About 40% of exported tHg is in the form of MeHg. The Fram Strait is the only deep connection between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The main water and mercury (Hg) fluxes between these oceans occur via the Fram Strait and Barents Sea Opening. Several Hg mass balance studies indicated a net Hg export from the Arctic to the Atlantic Ocean. However, in the absence of Hg measurements in the Fram Strait and Barents Sea Opening, these estimates were based on North Atlantic and central Arctic Ocean data alone. Here, we refine the Arctic total Hg (tHg) and methylated Hg (MeHg) mass budgets using new data acquired during the 2015 GEOTRACES (section GN04) TransArcII cruise in the Barents Sea Opening and the 2016 GEOTRACES (section GN05) GRIFF cruise, which covered the Fram Strait and Northeast Greenland Shelf. Total Hg increased westward along the Fram Strait transect, reaching the highest concentrations on the Northeast Greenland Shelf. Concentrations of tHg averaged 1.29 ± 0.43 pM in the East Greenland Current, while core waters of the West Spitsbergen Current had average values of 0.80 ± 0.26 pM. Using our new data, we estimate that 43 ± 9 Mg y−1 of tHg is transported to the Arctic Ocean in the core of the West Spitsbergen Current, while 54 ± 13 Mg y−1 of tHg is exported from the Arctic Ocean in the East Greenland Current and Recirculated Atlantic Water. This results in a net tHg export of 11 ± 8 Mg y−1via the Fram Strait. We find a shallow MeHg maximum (at 150 m depth) in the East Greenland Current, in agreement to what was reported for the central Arctic Ocean and Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The West Spitsbergen Current is characterized by lower MeHg concentrations and a deeper MeHg maximum, that is located at approximately 1000 m depth. We estimate a net MeHg export of 6 ± 2 Mg y−1 from the Arctic Ocean via the Fram Strait, which is nearly half of the exported tHg. Most of the exported MeHg is in the form of DMHg (2:1 ratio of dimethylmercury to monomethylmercury). Previous studies reported lower MeHg proportions. Our observations show that the Arctic Ocean is producing and exporting MeHg to the Atlantic Ocean. In total, the Arctic Ocean exports about 18 Mg y−1 of tHg to the Nordic Seas and North Atlantic via the Fram Strait and Davis Strait, of which 7.5 Mg y−1 is in the MeHg form.

Description: Methylmercury is a potent toxin threatening the global population mainly through the consumption of marine fish. Hydrothermal venting directly delivers natural mercury to the ocean, yet its global flux remains poorly constrained. To determine the extent to which anthropogenic inputs have increased oceanic mercury levels, it is crucial to estimate natural mercury levels. Here we combine observations of vent fluids, plume waters, seawater and rock samples to quantify the release of mercury from the Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse hydrothermal vent at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The majority (67–95%) of the mercury enriched in the vent fluids (4,966 ± 497 pmol l −1 ) is rapidly diluted to reach background seawater levels (0.80 pmol l −1 ). A small Hg fraction (2.6–10%) is scavenged to the Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse mound rocks. Scaling up our findings and previous work, we propose a mercury flux estimate of 1.5–64.7 t per year from mid-ocean ridges. This hydrothermal flux is small in comparison to anthropogenic inputs. This suggests that most of the mercury present in the ocean must be of anthropogenic origin and that the implementation of emissions reduction measures outlined in the Minamata Convention could effectively reduce mercury levels in the global ocean and subsequently in marine fish.