Description: The contribution of carbonate-producing benthic organisms to the global marine carbon budget has been overlooked, the prevailing view being that calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is predominantly produced by marine plankton. Here, we provide the first estimation of the global contribution of echinoderms to the marine carbon cycle, based on organism-level measurements from species of the five echinoderm classes. Echinoderms global CaCO3 contribution amounts to ~0.861 Pg CaCO3 yr-1 (0.102 Pg C yr-1 of inorganic carbon) as a production rate, and ~2.11 Pg CaCO3 (0.25 Pg C of inorganic carbon) as a standing stock globally. Echinoderm inorganic carbon production (0.102 Pg C yr-1) is less than the global pelagic production (0.4-1.8 Pg C yr-1), and similar to the estimates for carbonate shelves globally (0.02-0.12 Pg C yr-1). Echinoderm CaCO3 production per unit area, is ~27.01 g CaCO3 m-2 yr-1 (3.24 g C m-2 yr-1 as inorganic carbon) on a global scale for all areas, with a standing stock of ~63.34 g CaCO3 m-2 (7.60 g C m-2 as inorganic carbon), and ~7.97 g C m-2 as organic carbon. The shelf production is 77.91 g CaCO3 m-2 yr-1 (9.35 g C m-2 yr-1 as inorganic carbon) in contrast to 2.05 g CaCO3 m-2 yr-1 (0.24 g C m-2 yr-1 as inorganic carbon) for the slope on a global scale. The biogeography of the CaCO3 standing stocks of echinoderms showed strong latitudinal variability. Roughly 80% of the global CaCO3 production from echinoderms occurs between 0 and 800 meters. The shelf and upper slope contribute the most. We provide a global distribution of echinoderm populations in the context of global calcite saturation horizons, since undersaturated waters with respect to mineral phases are surfacing. This shallowing is a direct consequence of ocean acidification, and in some places it may reach the shelf and upper slope permanently. These organism-level data contribute substantially to the assessment of global carbonate inventories, which at present are poorly estimated. Additionally, it is desirable to include these benthic compartments in coupled global biogeochemical models representing the “biological pump”, since at present all efforts have focused on pelagic processes, dominated by coccolithophores.

Description: Chemical, mineralogic, and lithologic ground truth was acquired for the first time on Mars in terrain units mapped using orbital Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (MRO HiRISE) image data. Examination of several dozen outcrops shows that Mars is geologically complex at meter length scales, the record of its geologic history is well exposed, stratigraphic units may be identified and correlated across significant areas on the ground, and outcrops and geologic relationships between materials may be analyzed with techniques commonly employed in terrestrial field geology. Despite their burial during the course of Martian geologic time by widespread epiclastic materials, mobile fines, and fall deposits, the selective exhumation of deep and well-preserved geologic units has exposed undisturbed outcrops, stratigraphic sections, and structural information much as they are preserved and exposed on Earth. A rich geologic record awaits skilled future field investigators on Mars. The correlation of ground observations and orbital images enables construction of a corresponding geologic reconnaissance map. Most of the outcrops visited are interpreted to be pyroclastic, impactite, and epiclastic deposits overlying an unexposed substrate, probably related to a modified Gusev crater central peak. Fluids have altered chemistry and mineralogy of these protoliths in degrees that vary substantially within the same map unit. Examination of the rocks exposed above and below the major unconformity between the plains lavas and the Columbia Hills directly confirms the general conclusion from remote sensing in previous studies over past years that the early history of Mars was a time of more intense deposition and modification of the surface. Although the availability of fluids and the chemical and mineral activity declined from this early period, significant later volcanism and fluid convection enabled additional, if localized, chemical activity.

Description: Effective data management plays a key role in oceanographic research as cruise-based data, collected from different laboratories and expeditions, are commonly compiled to investigate regional to global oceanographic processes. Here we describe new and updated best practice data standards for discrete chemical oceanographic observations, specifically those dealing with column header abbreviations, quality control flags, missing value indicators, and standardized calculation of certain properties. These data standards have been developed with the goals of improving the current practices of the scientific community and promoting their international usage. These guidelines are intended to standardize data files for data sharing and submission into permanent archives. They will facilitate future quality control and synthesis efforts and lead to better data interpretation. In turn, this will promote research in ocean biogeochemistry, such as studies of carbon cycling and ocean acidification, on regional to global scales. These best practice standards are not mandatory. Agencies, institutes, universities, or research vessels can continue using different data standards if it is important for them to maintain historical consistency. However, it is hoped that they will be adopted as widely as possible to facilitate consistency and to achieve the goals stated above.