Description: In marine recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) ozone is often used in combination with biofiltration for the improvement of process water quality. Especially for disinfection purposes ozone residuals are required, that lead to a fast formation of secondary oxidants in seawater, summed up as ozone-produced oxidants (OPO). We studied the impact of OPO on nitrifying biofilter bacteria in a series of laboratory batch experiments by exposing (i) cell suspensions of the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) Nitrosomonas marina strain 22 and the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) Nitrospira strain Ecomares 2.1, (ii) a pure culture of the NOB Nitrospira strain immobilized on biocarriers, as well as (iii) a heterogeneous biofilm culture settled on biocarriers from a marine RAS for 1 h to different OPO concentrations up to 0.6 mg/l chlorine equivalent. Subsequent activity tests detected a negative linear correlation between OPO concentration and nitrifying activity of suspended pure cultures. Immobilization on biocarriers increased the tolerance of AOB and NOB dramatically, suggesting the biofilm matrix to be highly protective against OPO. Furthermore, we investigated the chronic effect of moderate ozonation at OPO concentrations of 0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 mg/l chlorine equivalent on biofilter performance in a 21 d exposure experiment using 12 experimental RAS, stocked with tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Chronic exposure experiments could not reveal any harmful impact on biofilter performance for OPO concentrations up to 0.15 mg/l, even at continuous exposure. Surprisingly, nitrifying activity was enhanced at all OPO concentrations compared to the control without ozonation, suggesting moderate ozonation to promote biological nitrification. It can be concluded that rather health, welfare and performance of most cultivated fish species are the limiting factors for ozone dosage than nitrification performance of biofilters. The results may further have practical implications in relation to design and operational strategy of water treatment processes in RAS and might thus contribute to the optimization of an effective and safe treatment combination of biofiltration and ozonation

Description: Due to the unprecedented rate at which our climate is changing, the ultimate consequence for many species is likely to be either extinction or migration to an alternate habitat. Certain species might, however, evolve at a rate that could make them resilient to the effects of a rapidly changing environment. This scenario is most likely to apply to species that have large population sizes and rapid generation times, such that the genetic variation required for adaptive evolution can be readily supplied. Emiliania huxleyi (Lohm.) Hay and Mohler (Prymnesiophyceae) is likely to be such a species, as it is the most conspicuous extant calcareous phytoplankton species in our oceans with growth rates of 1 day−1. Here we report on a validated set of microsatellites, in conjunction with the coccolithophore morphology motif genetic marker, to genotype 93 clonal isolates collected from across the world. Of these, 52 came from a single bloom event in the North Sea collected on the D366 United Kingdom Ocean Acidification cruise in June–July 2011. There were 26 multilocus genotypes (MLGs) encountered only once in the North Sea bloom and 8 MLGs encountered twice or up to six times. Each of these repeated MLGs exhibited Psex values of less than 0.05, indicating each repeated MLG was the product of asexual reproduction and not separate meiotic events. In addition, we show that the two most polymorphic microsatellite loci, EHMS37 and P01E05, are reporting on regions likely undergoing rapid genetic drift during asexual reproduction. Despite the small sample size, there were many more repeated genotypes than previously reported for other bloom-forming phytoplankton species, including a previously genotyped E. huxleyi bloom event. This study challenges the current assumption that sexual reproduction predominates during bloom events. Whilst genetic diversity is high amongst extant populations of E. huxleyi, the root cause for this diversity and ultimate fate of these populations still requires further examination. Nonetheless, we show that certain CMM genotypes are found everywhere, while others appear to have a regional bias.

Description: Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) into coastal areas is a common global phenomenon and is rapidly gaining scientific interest due to its influence on marine ecology, the coastal sedimentary environment and its potential as a future freshwater resource. We conducted an integrated study of hydroacoustic surveys combined with geochemical porewater and water column investigations at a well‐known groundwater seep site in Eckernförde Bay (Germany). We aim to better constrain the effects of shallow gas and SGD on high frequency multibeam backscatter data and to present acoustic indications for submarine groundwater discharge. Our high‐quality hydroacoustic data reveal hitherto unknown internal structures within the pockmarks in Eckernförde Bay. Using precisely positioned sediment core samples, our hydroacoustic‐geochemical approach can differentiate intra‐pockmark regimes that were formerly assigned to pockmarks of a different nature. We demonstrate that high‐frequency multibeam data, in particular the backscatter signals, can be used to detect shallow free gas in areas of enhanced groundwater advection in muddy sediments. Intriguingly, our data reveal relatively small (typically 〈15 m across) pockmarks within the much larger, previously mapped, pockmarks. The small pockmarks, which we refer to as “intra‐pockmarks”, have formed due to the localized ascent of gas and groundwater; they manifest themselves as a new type of ‘eyed’ pockmarks, revealed by their acoustic backscatter pattern. Our data suggest that, in organic‐rich muddy sediments, morphological lows combined with a strong multibeam backscatter signal can be indicative of free shallow gas and subsequent advective groundwater flow.