Articles | Volume 16, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4337-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4337-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Nov 2019
Research article |
| 15 Nov 2019
| 15 Nov 2019
Environmental factors influencing benthic communities in the oxygen minimum zones on the Angolan and Namibian margins
Ulrike Hanz
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Ocean Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, Texel, 1797SH, the Netherlands
Claudia Wienberg
MARUM–Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Dierk Hebbeln
MARUM–Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Gerard Duineveld
Department of Ocean Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, Texel, 1797SH, the Netherlands
Marc Lavaleye
Department of Ocean Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, Texel, 1797SH, the Netherlands
Katriina Juva
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, 24148 Kiel, Germany
Wolf-Christian Dullo
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, 24148 Kiel, Germany
André Freiwald
Department for Marine Research, Senckenberg Institute, 26382 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Leonardo Tamborrino
MARUM–Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Gert-Jan Reichart
Department of Ocean Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, Texel, 1797SH, the Netherlands
Faculty of Geosciences, Earth Sciences Department, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3512JE, the Netherlands
Sascha Flögel
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, 24148 Kiel, Germany
Furu Mienis
Department of Ocean Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, Texel, 1797SH, the Netherlands
Related authors
Kathrin Busch, Ulrike Hanz, Furu Mienis, Benjamin Mueller, Andre Franke, Emyr Martyn Roberts, Hans Tore Rapp, and Ute Hentschel
Biogeosciences, 17, 3471–3486, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3471-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3471-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Seamounts are globally abundant submarine structures that offer great potential to study the impacts and interactions of environmental gradients at a single geographic location. In an exemplary way, we describe potential mechanisms by which a seamount can affect the structure of pelagic and benthic (sponge-)associated microbial communities. We conclude that the geology, physical oceanography, biogeochemistry, and microbiology of seamounts are even more closely linked than currently appreciated.
Anna Cutmore, Nicole Bale, Rick Hennekam, Bingjie Yang, Darci Rush, Gert-Jan Reichart, Ellen C. Hopmans, and Stefan Schouten
Clim. Past, 21, 957–971, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-957-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-957-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
As human activities lower marine oxygen levels, understanding the impact on the marine nitrogen cycle is vital. The Black Sea, which became oxygen-deprived 9600 years ago, offers key insights. By studying organic compounds linked to nitrogen cycle processes, we found that, 7200 years ago, the Black Sea's nitrogen cycle significantly altered due to severe deoxygenation. This suggests that continued marine oxygen decline could similarly alter the marine nitrogen cycle, affecting vital ecosystems.
Vesna Bertoncelj, Furu Mienis, Paolo Stocchi, and Erik van Sebille
Ocean Sci., 21, 945–964, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-945-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-945-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores ocean currents around Curaçao and how land-derived substances like pollutants and nutrients travel in the water. Most substances move northwest, following the main current, but at times, ocean eddies spread them in other directions. This movement may link polluted areas to pristine coral reefs, impacting marine ecosystems. Understanding these patterns helps inform conservation and pollution management around Curaçao.
Luis Greiffenhagen, Jürgen Titschack, Claudia Wienberg, Haozhuang Wang, and Dierk Hebbeln
Biogeosciences, 22, 2201–2223, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2201-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2201-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Cold-water coral mounds are large structures on the seabed that are built by corals over thousands of years. They are regarded as carbonate sinks, with a potentially important role in the marine carbon cycle, but more quantitative studies are needed. Using sediment cores, we calculate the amount of carbon that has been stored in two mounds over the last 400 000 years. We provide the first numbers and show that up to 19 times more carbon is accumulated in mounds than on the common seafloor.
Peter Kraal, Kristin A. Ungerhofer, Darci Rush, and Gert-Jan Reichart
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1870, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1870, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Short summary
Element cycles in oxygen-depleted areas such as upwelling areas inform future deoxygenation scenarios. The Benguela upwelling system shows strong decoupling of nitrogen and phosphorus cycling due to seasonal shelf anoxia. Anaerobic processes result in pelagic nitrogen loss as N2. At the same time, sediments are rich in fish-derived and bacterial phosphorus, with high fluxes of excess phosphate, altering deep-water nitrogen:phosphorus ratios. Such alterations can affect ocean functioning.
Yannick F. Bats, Klaas G. J. Nierop, Alice Stuart-Lee, Joost Frieling, Linda van Roij, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Appy Sluijs
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1678, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1678, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we analyzed the molecular and stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13C) of pollen and spores (sporomorphs) that underwent chemical treatments that simulate diagenesis during fossilization. We show that the successive removal of sugars and lipids results in 13C depletion of the residual sporomorph, leaving it rich aromatic compounds. This residual aromatic-rich structure likely represents diagenetically resistant sporopollenin, implying diagenesis results in 13C depletion of pollen.
Szabina Karancz, Lennart J. de Nooijer, Bas van der Wagt, Marcel T. J. van der Meer, Sambuddha Misra, Rick Hennekam, Zeynep Erdem, Julie Lattaud, Negar Haghipour, Stefan Schouten, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Clim. Past, 21, 679–704, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-679-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-679-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Changes in upwelling intensity of the Benguela upwelling region during the last glacial motivated us to investigate the local CO2 history during the last glacial-to-interglacial transition. Using various geochemical tracers on archives from both subsurface and surface waters reveals enhanced storage of carbon at depth during the Last Glacial Maximum. An efficient biological pump likely prevented outgassing of CO2 from intermediate depth to the atmosphere.
Evert de Froe, Igor Yashayaev, Christian Mohn, Johanne Vad, Furu Mienis, Gerard Duineveld, Ellen Kenchington, Erica Head, Steve W. Ross, Sabena Blackbird, George A. Wolff, J. Murray Roberts, Barry MacDonald, Graham Tulloch, and Dick van Oevelen
Biogeosciences, 21, 5407–5433, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5407-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5407-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Deep-sea sponge grounds are distributed globally and are considered hotspots of biological diversity and biogeochemical cycling. To date, little is known about the environmental constraints that control where deep-sea sponge grounds occur and what conditions favour high sponge biomass. Here, we characterize oceanographic conditions at two contrasting sponge grounds. Our results imply that sponges and associated fauna benefit from strong tidal currents and favourable regional ocean currents.
Devika Varma, Laura Villanueva, Nicole J. Bale, Pierre Offre, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Stefan Schouten
Biogeosciences, 21, 4875–4888, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4875-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4875-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Archaeal hydroxylated tetraether lipids are increasingly used as temperature indicators in marine settings, but the factors influencing their distribution are still unclear. Analyzing membrane lipids of two thaumarchaeotal strains showed that the growth phase of the cultures does not affect the lipid distribution, but growth temperature profoundly affects the degree of cyclization of these lipids. Also, the abundance of these lipids is species-specific and is not influenced by temperature.
Louise Delaigue, Gert-Jan Reichart, Chris Galley, Yasmina Ourradi, and Matthew Paul Humphreys
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2853, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2853, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study analyzed pH in ocean surface waters to understand how they fluctuate with changes in temperature, salinity, and biological activities. We found that temperature mainly controls daily pH variations, but biological processes also play a role, especially in affecting CO2 levels between the ocean and atmosphere. Our research shows how these factors together maintain the balance of ocean chemistry, which is crucial for predicting changes in marine environments.
Charlotte Eich, Mathijs van Manen, J. Scott P. McCain, Loay J. Jabre, Willem H. van de Poll, Jinyoung Jung, Sven B. E. H. Pont, Hung-An Tian, Indah Ardiningsih, Gert-Jan Reichart, Erin M. Bertrand, Corina P. D. Brussaard, and Rob Middag
Biogeosciences, 21, 4637–4663, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4637-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4637-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Phytoplankton growth in the Southern Ocean (SO) is often limited by low iron (Fe) concentrations. Sea surface warming impacts Fe availability and can affect phytoplankton growth. We used shipboard Fe clean incubations to test how changes in Fe and temperature affect SO phytoplankton. Their abundances usually increased with Fe addition and temperature increase, with Fe being the major factor. These findings imply potential shifts in ecosystem structure, impacting food webs and elemental cycling.
Guangnan Wu, Klaas G. J. Nierop, Bingjie Yang, Stefan Schouten, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Peter Kraal
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3192, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3192, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Estuaries store and process large amounts of carbon, making them vital to the global carbon cycle. In the Port of Rotterdam, we studied the source of organic matter (OM) in sediments and how it influences OM breakdown. We found that marine OM degrades faster than land OM, and human activities like dredging can accelerate this by exposing sediments to oxygen. Our findings highlight the impact of human activities on carbon storage in estuaries, which is key for managing estuarine carbon dynamics.
Sebastian Steinig, Wolf Dummann, Peter Hofmann, Martin Frank, Wonsun Park, Thomas Wagner, and Sascha Flögel
Clim. Past, 20, 1537–1558, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1537-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1537-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The opening of the South Atlantic Ocean, starting ~ 140 million years ago, had the potential to influence the global carbon cycle and climate trends. We use 36 climate model experiments to simulate the evolution of ocean circulation in this narrow basin. We test different combinations of palaeogeographic and atmospheric CO2 reconstructions with geochemical data to not only quantify the influence of individual processes on ocean circulation but also to find nonlinear interactions between them.
Anna-Selma van der Kaaden, Sandra R. Maier, Siluo Chen, Laurence H. De Clippele, Evert de Froe, Theo Gerkema, Johan van de Koppel, Furu Mienis, Christian Mohn, Max Rietkerk, Karline Soetaert, and Dick van Oevelen
Biogeosciences, 21, 973–992, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-973-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-973-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Combining hydrodynamic simulations and annotated videos, we separated which hydrodynamic variables that determine reef cover are engineered by cold-water corals and which are not. Around coral mounds, hydrodynamic zones seem to create a typical reef zonation, restricting corals from moving deeper (the expected response to climate warming). But non-engineered downward velocities in winter (e.g. deep winter mixing) seem more important for coral reef growth than coral engineering.
Joost Frieling, Linda van Roij, Iris Kleij, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Appy Sluijs
Biogeosciences, 20, 4651–4668, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4651-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4651-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present a first species-specific evaluation of marine core-top dinoflagellate cyst carbon isotope fractionation (εp) to assess natural pCO2 dependency on εp and explore its geological deep-time paleo-pCO2 proxy potential. We find that εp differs between genera and species and that in Operculodinium centrocarpum, εp is controlled by pCO2 and nutrients. Our results highlight the added value of δ13C analyses of individual micrometer-scale sedimentary organic carbon particles.
Laura Pacho, Lennart de Nooijer, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 20, 4043–4056, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4043-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4043-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We analyzed Mg / Ca and other El / Ca (Na / Ca, B / Ca, Sr / Ca and Ba / Ca) in Nodosariata. Their calcite chemistry is markedly different to that of the other calcifying orders of foraminifera. We show a relation between the species average Mg / Ca and its sensitivity to changes in temperature. Differences were reflected in both the Mg incorporation and the sensitivities of Mg / Ca to temperature.
Niels J. de Winter, Daniel Killam, Lukas Fröhlich, Lennart de Nooijer, Wim Boer, Bernd R. Schöne, Julien Thébault, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 20, 3027–3052, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3027-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3027-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Mollusk shells are valuable recorders of climate and environmental changes of the past down to a daily resolution. To explore this potential, we measured changes in the composition of shells of two types of bivalves recorded at the hourly scale: the king scallop Pecten maximus and giant clams (Tridacna) that engaged in photosymbiosis. We find that photosymbiosis produces more day–night fluctuation in shell chemistry but that most of the variation is not periodic, perhaps recording weather.
Rick Hennekam, Katharine M. Grant, Eelco J. Rohling, Rik Tjallingii, David Heslop, Andrew P. Roberts, Lucas J. Lourens, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Clim. Past, 18, 2509–2521, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-2509-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-2509-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The ratio of titanium to aluminum (Ti/Al) is an established way to reconstruct North African climate in eastern Mediterranean Sea sediments. We demonstrate here how to obtain reliable Ti/Al data using an efficient scanning method that allows rapid acquisition of long climate records at low expense. Using this method, we reconstruct a 3-million-year North African climate record. African environmental variability was paced predominantly by low-latitude insolation from 3–1.2 million years ago.
Carolien M. H. van der Weijst, Koen J. van der Laan, Francien Peterse, Gert-Jan Reichart, Francesca Sangiorgi, Stefan Schouten, Tjerk J. T. Veenstra, and Appy Sluijs
Clim. Past, 18, 1947–1962, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1947-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1947-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The TEX86 proxy is often used by paleoceanographers to reconstruct past sea-surface temperatures. However, the origin of the TEX86 signal in marine sediments has been debated since the proxy was first proposed. In our paper, we show that TEX86 carries a mixed sea-surface and subsurface temperature signal and should be calibrated accordingly. Using our 15-million-year record, we subsequently show how a TEX86 subsurface temperature record can be used to inform us on past sea-surface temperatures.
Carolien M. H. van der Weijst, Josse Winkelhorst, Wesley de Nooijer, Anna von der Heydt, Gert-Jan Reichart, Francesca Sangiorgi, and Appy Sluijs
Clim. Past, 18, 961–973, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-961-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-961-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A hypothesized link between Pliocene (5.3–2.5 million years ago) global climate and tropical thermocline depth is currently only backed up by data from the Pacific Ocean. In our paper, we present temperature, salinity, and thermocline records from the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Surprisingly, the Pliocene thermocline evolution was remarkably different in the Atlantic and Pacific. We need to reevaluate the mechanisms that drive thermocline depth, and how these are tied to global climate change.
Matthew P. Humphreys, Erik H. Meesters, Henk de Haas, Szabina Karancz, Louise Delaigue, Karel Bakker, Gerard Duineveld, Siham de Goeyse, Andreas F. Haas, Furu Mienis, Sharyn Ossebaar, and Fleur C. van Duyl
Biogeosciences, 19, 347–358, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-347-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-347-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A series of submarine sinkholes were recently discovered on Luymes Bank, part of Saba Bank, a carbonate platform in the Caribbean Netherlands. Here, we investigate the waters inside these sinkholes for the first time. One of the sinkholes contained a body of dense, low-oxygen and low-pH water, which we call the
acid lake. We use measurements of seawater chemistry to work out what processes were responsible for forming the acid lake and discuss the consequences for the carbonate platform.
Alice E. Webb, Didier M. de Bakker, Karline Soetaert, Tamara da Costa, Steven M. A. C. van Heuven, Fleur C. van Duyl, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Lennart J. de Nooijer
Biogeosciences, 18, 6501–6516, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6501-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6501-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The biogeochemical behaviour of shallow reef communities is quantified to better understand the impact of habitat degradation and species composition shifts on reef functioning. The reef communities investigated barely support reef functions that are usually ascribed to conventional coral reefs, and the overall biogeochemical behaviour is found to be similar regardless of substrate type. This suggests a decrease in functional diversity which may therefore limit services provided by this reef.
Nicolai Schleinkofer, David Evans, Max Wisshak, Janina Vanessa Büscher, Jens Fiebig, André Freiwald, Sven Härter, Horst R. Marschall, Silke Voigt, and Jacek Raddatz
Biogeosciences, 18, 4733–4753, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4733-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4733-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We have measured the chemical composition of the carbonate shells of the parasitic foraminifera Hyrrokkin sarcophaga in order to test if it is influenced by the host organism (bivalve or coral). We find that both the chemical and isotopic composition is influenced by the host organism. For example strontium is enriched in foraminifera that grew on corals, whose skeleton is built from aragonite, which is naturally enriched in strontium compared to the bivalves' calcite shell.
Indah Ardiningsih, Kyyas Seyitmuhammedov, Sylvia G. Sander, Claudine H. Stirling, Gert-Jan Reichart, Kevin R. Arrigo, Loes J. A. Gerringa, and Rob Middag
Biogeosciences, 18, 4587–4601, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4587-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4587-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Organic Fe speciation is investigated along a natural gradient of the western Antarctic Peninsula from an ice-covered shelf to the open ocean. The two major fronts in the region affect the distribution of ligands. The excess ligands not bound to dissolved Fe (DFe) comprised up to 80 % of the total ligand concentrations, implying the potential to solubilize additional Fe input. The ligands on the shelf can increase the DFe residence time and fuel local primary production upon ice melt.
Ove H. Meisel, Joshua F. Dean, Jorien E. Vonk, Lukas Wacker, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Han Dolman
Biogeosciences, 18, 2241–2258, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2241-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2241-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Arctic permafrost lakes form thaw bulbs of unfrozen soil (taliks) beneath them where carbon degradation and greenhouse gas production are increased. We analyzed the stable carbon isotopes of Alaskan talik sediments and their porewater dissolved organic carbon and found that the top layers of these taliks are likely more actively degraded than the deeper layers. This in turn implies that these top layers are likely also more potent greenhouse gas producers than the underlying deeper layers.
Wolf Dummann, Sebastian Steinig, Peter Hofmann, Matthias Lenz, Stephanie Kusch, Sascha Flögel, Jens Olaf Herrle, Christian Hallmann, Janet Rethemeyer, Haino Uwe Kasper, and Thomas Wagner
Clim. Past, 17, 469–490, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-469-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-469-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the climatic mechanism that controlled the deposition of organic matter in the South Atlantic Cape Basin during the Early Cretaceous. The presented geochemical and climate modeling data suggest that fluctuations in riverine nutrient supply were the main driver of organic carbon burial on timescales < 1 Myr. Our results have implications for the understanding of Cretaceous atmospheric circulation patterns and climate-land-ocean interactions in emerging ocean basins.
Delphine Dissard, Gert Jan Reichart, Christophe Menkes, Morgan Mangeas, Stephan Frickenhaus, and Jelle Bijma
Biogeosciences, 18, 423–439, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-423-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-423-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Results from a data set acquired from living foraminifera T. sacculifer collected from surface waters are presented, allowing us to establish a new Mg/Ca–Sr/Ca–temperature equation improving temperature reconstructions. When combining equations, δ18Ow can be reconstructed with a precision of ± 0.5 ‰, while successive reconstructions involving Mg/Ca and δ18Oc preclude salinity reconstruction with a precision better than ± 1.69. A new direct linear fit to reconstruct salinity could be established.
Siham de Goeyse, Alice E. Webb, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Lennart J. de Nooijer
Biogeosciences, 18, 393–401, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-393-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-393-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Foraminifera are calcifying organisms that play a role in the marine inorganic-carbon cycle and are widely used to reconstruct paleoclimates. However, the fundamental process by which they calcify remains essentially unknown. Here we use inhibitors to show that an enzyme is speeding up the conversion between bicarbonate and CO2. This helps the foraminifera acquire sufficient carbon for calcification and might aid their tolerance to elevated CO2 level.
Linda K. Dämmer, Lennart de Nooijer, Erik van Sebille, Jan G. Haak, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Clim. Past, 16, 2401–2414, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2401-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2401-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The compositions of foraminifera shells often vary with environmental parameters such as temperature or salinity; thus, they can be used as proxies for these environmental variables. Often a single proxy is influenced by more than one parameter. Here, we show that while salinity impacts shell Na / Ca, temperature has no effect. We also show that the combination of different proxies (Mg / Ca and δ18O) to reconstruct salinity does not seem to work as previously thought.
Anne Roepert, Lubos Polerecky, Esmee Geerken, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Jack J. Middelburg
Biogeosciences, 17, 4727–4743, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4727-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4727-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated, for the first time, the spatial distribution of chlorine and fluorine in the shell walls of four benthic foraminifera species: Ammonia tepida, Amphistegina lessonii, Archaias angulatus, and Sorites marginalis. Cross sections of specimens were imaged using nanoSIMS. The distribution of Cl and F was co-located with organics in the rotaliids and rather homogeneously distributed in miliolids. We suggest that the incorporation is governed by the biomineralization pathway.
Marlow Julius Cramwinckel, Lineke Woelders, Emiel P. Huurdeman, Francien Peterse, Stephen J. Gallagher, Jörg Pross, Catherine E. Burgess, Gert-Jan Reichart, Appy Sluijs, and Peter K. Bijl
Clim. Past, 16, 1667–1689, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-1667-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-1667-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Phases of past transient warming can be used as a test bed to study the environmental response to climate change independent of tectonic change. Using fossil plankton and organic molecules, here we reconstruct surface ocean temperature and circulation in and around the Tasman Gateway during a warming phase 40 million years ago termed the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum. We find that plankton assemblages track ocean circulation patterns, with superimposed variability being related to temperature.
Carolien Maria Hendrina van der Weijst, Josse Winkelhorst, Anna von der Heydt, Gert-Jan Reichart, Francesca Sangiorgi, and Appy Sluijs
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2020-105, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2020-105, 2020
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Kathrin Busch, Ulrike Hanz, Furu Mienis, Benjamin Mueller, Andre Franke, Emyr Martyn Roberts, Hans Tore Rapp, and Ute Hentschel
Biogeosciences, 17, 3471–3486, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3471-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3471-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Seamounts are globally abundant submarine structures that offer great potential to study the impacts and interactions of environmental gradients at a single geographic location. In an exemplary way, we describe potential mechanisms by which a seamount can affect the structure of pelagic and benthic (sponge-)associated microbial communities. We conclude that the geology, physical oceanography, biogeochemistry, and microbiology of seamounts are even more closely linked than currently appreciated.
Sabine Haalboom, David M. Price, Furu Mienis, Judith D. L. van Bleijswijk, Henko C. de Stigter, Harry J. Witte, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Gerard C. A. Duineveld
Biogeosciences, 17, 2499–2519, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2499-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2499-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Mineral mining in deep-sea hydrothermal settings will lead to the formation of plumes of fine-grained, chemically reactive, suspended matter. Understanding how natural hydrothermal plumes evolve as they disperse from their source, and how they affect their surrounding environment, may help in characterising the behaviour of the diluted part of mining plumes. The natural plume provided a heterogeneous, geochemically enriched habitat conducive to the development of a distinct microbial ecology.
Gabriel J. Bowen, Brenden Fischer-Femal, Gert-Jan Reichart, Appy Sluijs, and Caroline H. Lear
Clim. Past, 16, 65–78, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-65-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-65-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Past climate conditions are reconstructed using indirect and incomplete geological, biological, and geochemical proxy data. We propose that such reconstructions are best obtained by statistical inversion of hierarchical models that represent how multi–proxy observations and calibration data are produced by variation of environmental conditions in time and/or space. These methods extract new information from traditional proxies and provide robust, comprehensive estimates of uncertainty.
Nicolai Schleinkofer, Jacek Raddatz, André Freiwald, David Evans, Lydia Beuck, Andres Rüggeberg, and Volker Liebetrau
Biogeosciences, 16, 3565–3582, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3565-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3565-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we tried to correlate Na / Ca ratios from cold-water corals with environmental parameters such as salinity, temperature and pH. We do not observe a correlation between Na / Ca ratios and seawater salinity, but we do observe a strong correlation with temperature. Na / Ca data from warm-water corals (Porites spp.) and bivalves (Mytilus edulis) support this correlation, indicating that similar controls on the incorporation of sodium exist in these aragonitic organisms.
Inge van Dijk, Christine Barras, Lennart Jan de Nooijer, Aurélia Mouret, Esmee Geerken, Shai Oron, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 16, 2115–2130, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2115-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2115-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Systematics in the incorporation of different elements in shells of marine organisms can be used to test calcification models and thus processes involved in precipitation of calcium carbonates. On different scales, we observe a covariation of sulfur and magnesium incorporation in shells of foraminifera, which provides insights into the mechanics behind shell formation. The observed patterns imply that all species of foraminifera actively take up calcium and carbon in a coupled process.
Eveline M. Mezger, Lennart J. de Nooijer, Jacqueline Bertlich, Jelle Bijma, Dirk Nürnberg, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 16, 1147–1165, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1147-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1147-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Seawater salinity is an important factor when trying to reconstruct past ocean conditions. Foraminifera, small organisms living in the sea, produce shells that incorporate more Na at higher salinities. The accuracy of reconstructions depends on the fundamental understanding involved in the incorporation and preservation of the original Na of the shell. In this study, we unravel the Na composition of different components of the shell and describe the relative contribution of these components.
Shauna Ní Fhlaithearta, Christophe Fontanier, Frans Jorissen, Aurélia Mouret, Adriana Dueñas-Bohórquez, Pierre Anschutz, Mattias B. Fricker, Detlef Günther, Gert J. de Lange, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 15, 6315–6328, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6315-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6315-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This study looks at how foraminifera interact with their geochemical environment in the seabed. We focus on the incorporation of the trace metal manganese (Mn), with the aim of developing a tool to reconstruct past pore water profiles. Manganese concentrations in foraminifera are investigated relative to their ecological preferences and geochemical environment. This study demonstrates that Mn in foraminiferal tests is a promising tool to reconstruct oxygen conditions in the seabed.
Jacqueline Bertlich, Dirk Nürnberg, Ed C. Hathorne, Lennart J. de Nooijer, Eveline M. Mezger, Markus Kienast, Steffanie Nordhausen, Gert-Jan Reichart, Joachim Schönfeld, and Jelle Bijma
Biogeosciences, 15, 5991–6018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5991-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5991-2018, 2018
Esmee Geerken, Lennart Jan de Nooijer, Inge van Dijk, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 15, 2205–2218, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2205-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2205-2018, 2018
Timme H. Donders, Niels A. G. M. van Helmond, Roel Verreussel, Dirk Munsterman, Johan ten Veen, Robert P. Speijer, Johan W. H. Weijers, Francesca Sangiorgi, Francien Peterse, Gert-Jan Reichart, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, Lucas Lourens, Gesa Kuhlmann, and Henk Brinkhuis
Clim. Past, 14, 397–411, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-397-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-397-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The buildup and melting of ice during the early glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere, around 2.5 million years ago, were far shorter in duration than during the last million years. Based on molecular compounds and microfossils from sediments dating back to the early glaciations we show that the temperature on land and in the sea changed simultaneously and was a major factor in the ice buildup in the Northern Hemisphere. These data provide key insights into the dynamics of early glaciations.
Joost Frieling, Gert-Jan Reichart, Jack J. Middelburg, Ursula Röhl, Thomas Westerhold, Steven M. Bohaty, and Appy Sluijs
Clim. Past, 14, 39–55, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-39-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-39-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Past periods of rapid global warming such as the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum are used to study biotic response to climate change. We show that very high peak PETM temperatures in the tropical Atlantic (~ 37 ºC) caused heat stress in several marine plankton groups. However, only slightly cooler temperatures afterwards allowed highly diverse plankton communities to bloom. This shows that tropical plankton communities may be susceptible to extreme warming, but may also recover rapidly.
Martin Bartels, Jürgen Titschack, Kirsten Fahl, Rüdiger Stein, Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz, Claude Hillaire-Marcel, and Dierk Hebbeln
Clim. Past, 13, 1717–1749, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1717-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1717-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Multi-proxy analyses (i.a., benthic foraminiferal assemblages and sedimentary properties) of a marine record from Woodfjorden at the northern Svalbard margin (Norwegian Arctic) illustrate a significant contribution of relatively warm Atlantic water to the destabilization of tidewater glaciers, especially during the deglaciation and early Holocene (until ~ 7800 years ago), whereas its influence on glacier activity has been fading during the last 2 millennia, enabling glacier readvances.
Lennart J. de Nooijer, Anieke Brombacher, Antje Mewes, Gerald Langer, Gernot Nehrke, Jelle Bijma, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 14, 3387–3400, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3387-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3387-2017, 2017
Karoliina A. Koho, Lennart J. de Nooijer, Christophe Fontanier, Takashi Toyofuku, Kazumasa Oguri, Hiroshi Kitazato, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 14, 3067–3082, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3067-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3067-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Here we report Mn / Ca ratios in living benthic foraminifera from the NE Japan margin. The results show that the Mn incorporation directly reflects the environment where the foraminifera calcify. Foraminifera that live deeper in sediment, under greater redox stress, generally incorporate more Mn into their carbonate skeletons. As such, foraminifera living close to the Mn reduction zone in sediment appear promising tools for paleoceanographic reconstructions of sedimentary redox conditions.
Inge van Dijk, Lennart J. de Nooijer, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 14, 497–510, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-497-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-497-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Culturing foraminifera under controlled pCO2 conditions shows that incorporation of certain elements (Zn, Ba) into foraminiferal shells is impacted by the inorganic carbonate system. Modeling the chemical speciation of these elements suggests that incorporation is determined by the availability of free ions. Furthermore, analyzing and comparing trends in element incorporation in hyaline and porcelaneous species may provide constrains on the differences between their calcification strategies.
Quentin Dubois-Dauphin, Paolo Montagna, Giuseppe Siani, Eric Douville, Claudia Wienberg, Dierk Hebbeln, Zhifei Liu, Nejib Kallel, Arnaud Dapoigny, Marie Revel, Edwige Pons-Branchu, Marco Taviani, and Christophe Colin
Clim. Past, 13, 17–37, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-17-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-17-2017, 2017
J. D. L. van Bleijswijk, C. Whalen, G. C. A. Duineveld, M. S. S. Lavaleye, H. J. Witte, and F. Mienis
Biogeosciences, 12, 4483–4496, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4483-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4483-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The study characterizes the microbial community composition of a cold-water coral mound. Roche GS-FLX amplicon sequencing was carried out targeting Bacteria and Archaea. Water is well-mixed at 400m depth, less so at 5 mab, where composition of communities differed among summit, slope and off-mound. Near-bottom water differed from 5 mab, showing that waters in between frameworks represent a separate microbial habitat. Patterns of microbial distribution are coupled to topo- and hydrography.
J. Schönfeld, W. Kuhnt, Z. Erdem, S. Flögel, N. Glock, M. Aquit, M. Frank, and A. Holbourn
Biogeosciences, 12, 1169–1189, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-1169-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-1169-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Today’s oceans show distinct mid-depth oxygen minima while whole oceanic basins became transiently anoxic in the Mesozoic. To constrain past bottom-water oxygenation, we compared sediments from the Peruvian OMZ with the Cenomanian OAE 2 from Morocco. Corg accumulation rates in laminated OAE 2 sections match Holocene rates off Peru. Laminated deposits are found at oxygen levels of < 7µmol kg-1; crab burrows appear at 10µmol kg-1 today, both defining threshold values for palaeoreconstructions.
F. Mienis, G. C. A. Duineveld, A. J. Davies, M. M. S. Lavaleye, S. W. Ross, H. Seim, J. Bane, H. van Haren, M. J. N. Bergman, H. de Haas, S. Brooke, and T. C. E. van Weering
Biogeosciences, 11, 2543–2560, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-2543-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-2543-2014, 2014
J. Raddatz, A. Rüggeberg, S. Flögel, E. C. Hathorne, V. Liebetrau, A. Eisenhauer, and W.-Chr. Dullo
Biogeosciences, 11, 1863–1871, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1863-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1863-2014, 2014
D. Hebbeln, C. Wienberg, P. Wintersteller, A. Freiwald, M. Becker, L. Beuck, C. Dullo, G. P. Eberli, S. Glogowski, L. Matos, N. Forster, H. Reyes-Bonilla, and M. Taviani
Biogeosciences, 11, 1799–1815, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1799-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1799-2014, 2014
C. Wienberg, P. Wintersteller, L. Beuck, and D. Hebbeln
Biogeosciences, 10, 3421–3443, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3421-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3421-2013, 2013
T. Morato, K. Ø. Kvile, G. H. Taranto, F. Tempera, B. E. Narayanaswamy, D. Hebbeln, G. M. Menezes, C. Wienberg, R. S. Santos, and T. J. Pitcher
Biogeosciences, 10, 3039–3054, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3039-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3039-2013, 2013
K. A. Koho, K. G. J. Nierop, L. Moodley, J. J. Middelburg, L. Pozzato, K. Soetaert, J. van der Plicht, and G-J. Reichart
Biogeosciences, 10, 1131–1141, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-1131-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-1131-2013, 2013
I. G. M. Wientjes, R. S. W. Van de Wal, G. J. Reichart, A. Sluijs, and J. Oerlemans
The Cryosphere, 5, 589–601, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-589-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-589-2011, 2011
Related subject area
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function: Marine
Sedimentary ancient DNA insights into foraminiferal diversity near the grounding line in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica
Ideas and perspectives: How sediment archives can improve model projections of marine ecosystem change
Multispecies expression of coccolithophore vital effects with changing CO2 concentrations and pH in the laboratory with insights for reconstructing CO2 levels in geological history
The distribution and abundance of planktonic foraminifera under summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean
Biological response of eelgrass epifauna, Taylor's Sea hare (Phyllaplysia taylori) and eelgrass isopod (Idotea resecata), to elevated ocean alkalinity
Including the invisible: deep depth-integrated chlorophyll estimates from remote sensing may assist in identifying biologically important areas in oligotrophic coastal margins
Growth response of Emiliania huxleyi to ocean alkalinity enhancement
Phytoplankton adaptation to steady or changing environments affects marine ecosystem functioning
Characterizing regional oceanography and bottom environmental conditions at two contrasting sponge grounds on the northern Labrador Shelf
Particulate inorganic carbon quotas by coccolithophores in low oxygen/low pH waters off the Southeast Pacific margin
Reviews and Syntheses: Trait-based approach to constrain controls on planktic foraminiferal ecology: key trade-offs and current knowledge gaps
Seasonal foraging behavior of Weddell seals in relation to oceanographic environmental conditions in the Ross Sea, Antarctica
Multifactorial effects of warming, low irradiance, and low salinity on Arctic kelps
Extraordinary bloom of toxin-producing phytoplankton enhanced by strong retention in offshore continental shelf waters
Early life stages of fish under ocean alkalinity enhancement in coastal plankton communities
Planktonic foraminifera assemblage composition and flux dynamics inferred from an annual sediment trap record in the central Mediterranean Sea
Reefal ostracod assemblages from the Zanzibar Archipelago (Tanzania)
Composite calcite and opal test in Foraminifera (Rhizaria)
Influence of oxygen minimum zone on macrobenthic community structure in the northern Benguela Upwelling System: a macro-nematode perspective
Simulated terrestrial runoff shifts the metabolic balance of a coastal Mediterranean plankton community towards heterotrophy
Contrasting carbon cycling in the benthic food webs between a river-fed, high-energy canyon and an upper continental slope
A critical trade-off between nitrogen quota and growth allows Coccolithus braarudii life cycle phases to exploit varying environment
Structural complexity and benthic metabolism: resolving the links between carbon cycling and biodiversity in restored seagrass meadows
Building your own mountain: the effects, limits, and drawbacks of cold-water coral ecosystem engineering
Phytoplankton response to increased nickel in the context of ocean alkalinity enhancement
Diversity and density relationships between lebensspuren and tracemaking organisms: a study case from abyssal northwest Pacific
Technical note: An autonomous flow-through salinity and temperature perturbation mesocosm system for multi-stressor experiments
Reviews and syntheses: The clam before the storm – a meta-analysis showing the effect of combined climate change stressors on bivalves
A step towards measuring connectivity in the deep sea: elemental fingerprints of mollusk larval shells discriminate hydrothermal vent sites
Spawner weight and ocean temperature drive Allee effect dynamics in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua: inherent and emergent density regulation
Bacterioplankton dark CO2 fixation in oligotrophic waters
The bottom mixed layer depth as an indicator of subsurface Chlorophyll a distribution
Ideas and perspectives: The fluctuating nature of oxygen shapes the ecology of aquatic habitats and their biogeochemical cycles – the aquatic oxyscape
Impact of deoxygenation and warming on global marine species in the 21st century
Ecological divergence of a mesocosm in an eastern boundary upwelling system assessed with multi-marker environmental DNA metabarcoding
Unique benthic foraminiferal communities (stained) in diverse environments of sub-Antarctic fjords, South Georgia
Upwelled plankton community modulates surface bloom succession and nutrient availability in a natural plankton assemblage
First phytoplankton community assessment of the Kong Håkon VII Hav, Southern Ocean, during austral autumn
Early life stages of a Mediterranean coral are vulnerable to ocean warming and acidification
Mediterranean seagrasses as carbon sinks: methodological and regional differences
Contrasting vertical distributions of recent planktic foraminifera off Indonesia during the southeast monsoon: implications for paleoceanographic reconstructions
The onset of the spring phytoplankton bloom in the coastal North Sea supports the Disturbance Recovery Hypothesis
Species richness and functional attributes of fish assemblages across a large-scale salinity gradient in shallow coastal areas
Modeling the growth and sporulation dynamics of the macroalga Ulva in mixed-age populations in cultivation and the formation of green tides
Spatial changes in community composition and food web structure of mesozooplankton across the Adriatic basin (Mediterranean Sea)
Predicting mangrove forest dynamics across a soil salinity gradient using an individual-based vegetation model linked with plant hydraulics
Will daytime community calcification reflect reef accretion on future, degraded coral reefs?
Modeling polar marine ecosystem functions guided by bacterial physiological and taxonomic traits
Quantifying functional consequences of habitat degradation on a Caribbean coral reef
Enhanced chlorophyll-a concentration in the wake of Sable Island, eastern Canada, revealed by two decades of satellite observations: a response to grey seal population dynamics?
Ewa Demianiuk, Mateusz Baca, Danijela Popović, Inès Barrenechea Angeles, Ngoc-Loi Nguyen, Jan Pawlowski, John B. Anderson, and Wojciech Majewski
Biogeosciences, 22, 2601–2620, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2601-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2601-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Ancient foraminiferal DNA is studied in five Antarctic cores with sediments up to 25 kyr old. We use a standard and a new, more effective marker, which may become the next standard for paleoenvironmental studies. Much less diverse foraminifera occur on slopes of submarine moraines than in open-marine settings. Soft-walled foraminifera, not found in the fossil record, are especially abundant. There is no foraminiferal DNA in tills, suggesting its destruction during glacial redeposition.
Isabell Hochfeld, Ben A. Ward, Anke Kremp, Juliane Romahn, Alexandra Schmidt, Miklós Bálint, Lutz Becks, Jérôme Kaiser, Helge W. Arz, Sarah Bolius, Laura S. Epp, Markus Pfenninger, Christopher A. Klausmeier, Elena Litchman, and Jana Hinners
Biogeosciences, 22, 2363–2380, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2363-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2363-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Marine ecosystem models (MEMs) are valuable for assessing the threats of global warming to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but their predictions vary widely. We argue that MEMs should consider evolutionary processes and undergo independent validation. Here, we present a novel framework for MEM development using validation data from sediment archives, which map long-term environmental and evolutionary change. Our approach is a crucial step towards improving the predictive power of MEMs.
Goulwen Le Guevel, Fabrice Minoletti, Carla Geisen, Gwendoline Duong, Virginia Rojas, and Michaël Hermoso
Biogeosciences, 22, 2287–2308, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2287-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2287-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the impact of environmental conditions on the chemistry of coccoliths, calcite minerals produced by marine algae, to better understand past climate changes. By cultivating different species of coccolithophores under various CO2 and pH levels, we have shown that the isotopic composition of certain species varies with CO2 concentration and quantified these variations.
Flor Vermassen, Clare Bird, Tirza M. Weitkamp, Kate F. Darling, Hanna Farnelid, Céline Heuzé, Allison Y. Hsiang, Salar Karam, Christian Stranne, Marcus Sundbom, and Helen K. Coxall
Biogeosciences, 22, 2261–2286, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2261-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2261-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We provide the first systematic survey of planktonic foraminifera in the high Arctic Ocean. Our results describe the abundance and species composition under summer sea ice. They indicate that the polar specialist N. pachyderma is the only species present, with subpolar species absent. The data set will be a valuable reference for continued monitoring of the state of planktonic foraminifera communities as they respond to the ongoing sea-ice decline and the “Atlantification” of the Arctic Ocean.
Kristin Jones, Lenaïg G. Hemery, Nicholas D. Ward, Peter J. Regier, Mallory C. Ringham, and Matthew D. Eisaman
Biogeosciences, 22, 1615–1630, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1615-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1615-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Ocean alkalinity enhancement is a marine carbon dioxide removal method that aims to mitigate the effects of climate change. This method causes localized increases in ocean pH, but the biological impacts of such changes are not well known. Our study investigated the response of two nearshore invertebrate species to increased pH and found the sea hare to be sensitive to pH changes, whereas the isopod was more resilient. Understanding interactions with biology is important as this field expands.
Renée P. Schoeman, Christine Erbe, and Robert D. McCauley
Biogeosciences, 22, 959–974, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-959-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-959-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Marine habitat models do not include deep chlorophyll maxima, which may support higher trophic level foraging in (meso-)oligotrophic habitats. We used ocean glider data to show that chlorophyll maxima form off Western Australia in September–April. At least 50 % were biomass maxima, likely supporting local krill growing sufficiently for whale consumption. We suggest including deep chlorophyll maxima in marine habitat models as deep depth-integrated estimates from satellite-derived surface values.
Giulia Faucher, Mathias Haunost, Allanah Joy Paul, Anne Ulrike Christiane Tietz, and Ulf Riebesell
Biogeosciences, 22, 405–415, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-405-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-405-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is being evaluated for its capacity to absorb atmospheric CO2 in the ocean and store it long term to mitigate climate change. As researchers plan for field tests to gain insights into OAE, sharing knowledge on its environmental impact on marine ecosystems is urgent. Our study examined NaOH-induced OAE in Emiliania huxleyi, a key coccolithophore species, and found that the added total alkalinity (ΔTA) should stay below 600 µmol kg⁻¹ to avoid negative impacts.
Isabell Hochfeld and Jana Hinners
Biogeosciences, 21, 5591–5611, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5591-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5591-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ecosystem models disagree on future changes in marine ecosystem functioning. We suspect that the lack of phytoplankton adaptation represents a major uncertainty factor, given the key role that phytoplankton play in marine ecosystems. Using an evolutionary ecosystem model, we found that phytoplankton adaptation can notably change simulated ecosystem dynamics. Future models should include phytoplankton adaptation; otherwise they can systematically overestimate future ecosystem-level changes.
Evert de Froe, Igor Yashayaev, Christian Mohn, Johanne Vad, Furu Mienis, Gerard Duineveld, Ellen Kenchington, Erica Head, Steve W. Ross, Sabena Blackbird, George A. Wolff, J. Murray Roberts, Barry MacDonald, Graham Tulloch, and Dick van Oevelen
Biogeosciences, 21, 5407–5433, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5407-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5407-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Deep-sea sponge grounds are distributed globally and are considered hotspots of biological diversity and biogeochemical cycling. To date, little is known about the environmental constraints that control where deep-sea sponge grounds occur and what conditions favour high sponge biomass. Here, we characterize oceanographic conditions at two contrasting sponge grounds. Our results imply that sponges and associated fauna benefit from strong tidal currents and favourable regional ocean currents.
Francisco Javier Díaz-Rosas, Cristian Antonio Vargas, and Peter von Dassow
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3463, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3463, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We studied Particulate Inorganic Carbon (PIC) and coccolithophores in low-oxygen, low-pH waters off the Southeast Pacific margin. We estimated how much PIC is produced by coccolithophores, which supports carbon transport to ocean depths. Results show coccolithophores can thrive in these zones, though their role in carbon export may lessen. This work advances understanding of coccolithophores’ role in carbon cycling as ocean acidification changes marine chemistry.
Kirsty Marie Edgar, Maria Grigoratou, Fanny Monteiro, Ruby Barrett, Rui Ying, and Daniela Schmidt
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3295, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3295, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Planktic foraminifera are microscopic marine organisms whose calcium carbonate shells provide valuable insights into past ocean conditions. A promising means of understanding foraminiferal ecology and their environmental interactions is to constrain their key functional traits relating to feeding, symbioses, motility, calcification and reproduction. Here we review what we know of their functional traits, key gaps in our understanding and suggestions on how to fill them.
Hyunjae Chung, Jikang Park, Mijin Park, Yejin Kim, Unyoung Chun, Sukyoung Yun, Won Sang Lee, Hyun A. Choi, Ji Sung Na, Seung-Tae Yoon, and Won Young Lee
Biogeosciences, 21, 5199–5217, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5199-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5199-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how marine animals adapt to variations in marine environmental conditions is paramount. In this paper, we investigated the influence of changes in seawater and light conditions on the seasonal foraging behavior of Weddell seals in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Our findings could serve as a baseline and establish a foundational understanding for future research, particularly concerning the impact of marine environmental changes on the ecosystem of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area.
Anaïs Lebrun, Cale A. Miller, Marc Meynadier, Steeve Comeau, Pierre Urrutti, Samir Alliouane, Robert Schlegel, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, and Frédéric Gazeau
Biogeosciences, 21, 4605–4620, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4605-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4605-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We tested the effects of warming, low salinity, and low irradiance on Arctic kelps. We show that growth rates were similar across species and treatments. Alaria esculenta is adapted to low-light conditions. Saccharina latissima exhibited nitrogen limitation, suggesting coastal erosion and permafrost thawing could be beneficial. Laminaria digitata did not respond to the treatments. Gene expression of Hedophyllum nigripes and S. latissima indicated acclimation to the experimental treatments.
Valeria Ana Guinder, Urban Tillmann, Martin Rivarossa, Carola Ferronato, Fernando Javier Ramirez, Bernd Krock, Haifeng Gu, and Martin Saraceno
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3157, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3157, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
An unusual survey involving two vessels in the Argentine Sea over a ten-day period enabled synoptic observations of a significant bloom of toxic phytoplankton. Simultaneous species characterization of the bloom, along with measurements of surface currents and fronts, provided insights into its development and retention. Interdisciplinary approaches shed light on the biophysical coupling underlying the persistence and horizontal transport of harmful algal blooms in productive marine environments.
Silvan Urs Goldenberg, Ulf Riebesell, Daniel Brüggemann, Gregor Börner, Michael Sswat, Arild Folkvord, Maria Couret, Synne Spjelkavik, Nicolás Sánchez, Cornelia Jaspers, and Marta Moyano
Biogeosciences, 21, 4521–4532, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4521-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4521-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is being evaluated as a carbon dioxide removal technology for climate change mitigation. With an experiment on species communities, we show that larval and juvenile fish can be resilient to the resulting perturbation of seawater. Fish may hence recruit successfully and continue to support fisheries' production in regions of OAE. Our findings help to establish an environmentally safe operating space for this ocean-based solution.
Thibauld M. Béjard, Andrés S. Rigual-Hernández, Javier P. Tarruella, José-Abel Flores, Anna Sanchez-Vidal, Irene Llamas-Cano, and Francisco J. Sierro
Biogeosciences, 21, 4051–4076, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4051-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4051-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Mediterranean Sea is regarded as a climate change hotspot. Documenting the population of planktonic foraminifera is crucial. In the Sicily Channel, fluxes are higher during winter and positively linked with chlorophyll a concentration and cool temperatures. A comparison with other Mediterranean sites shows the transitional aspect of the studied zone. Finally, modern populations significantly differ from those in the sediment, highlighting a possible effect of environmental change.
Skye Yunshu Tian, Martin Langer, Moriaki Yasuhara, and Chih-Lin Wei
Biogeosciences, 21, 3523–3536, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3523-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3523-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Through the first large-scale study of meiobenthic ostracods from the diverse and productive reef ecosystem in the Zanzibar Archipelago, Tanzania, we found that the diversity and composition of ostracod assemblages as controlled by benthic habitats and human impacts were indicative of overall reef health, and we highlighted the usefulness of ostracods as a model proxy to monitor and understand the degradation of reef ecosystems from the coral-dominated phase to the algae-dominated phase.
Julien Richirt, Satoshi Okada, Yoshiyuki Ishitani, Katsuyuki Uematsu, Akihiro Tame, Kaya Oda, Noriyuki Isobe, Toyoho Ishimura, Masashi Tsuchiya, and Hidetaka Nomaki
Biogeosciences, 21, 3271–3288, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3271-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3271-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We report the first benthic foraminifera with a composite test (i.e. shell) made of opal, which coats the inner part of the calcitic layer. Using comprehensive techniques, we describe the morphology and the composition of this novel opal layer and provide evidence that the opal is precipitated by the foraminifera itself. We explore the potential precipitation process and function(s) of this composite test and further discuss the possible implications for palaeoceanographic reconstructions.
Said Mohamed Hashim, Beth Wangui Waweru, and Agnes Muthumbi
Biogeosciences, 21, 2995–3006, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2995-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2995-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The study investigates the impact of decreasing oxygen in the ocean on macrofaunal communities using the BUS as an example. It identifies distinct shifts in community composition and feeding guilds across oxygen zones, with nematodes dominating dysoxic areas. These findings underscore the complex responses of benthic organisms to oxygen gradients, crucial for understanding ecosystem dynamics in hypoxic environments and their implications for marine biodiversity and sustainability.
Tanguy Soulié, Francesca Vidussi, Justine Courboulès, Marie Heydon, Sébastien Mas, Florian Voron, Carolina Cantoni, Fabien Joux, and Behzad Mostajir
Biogeosciences, 21, 1887–1902, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1887-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1887-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Due to climate change, it is projected that extreme rainfall events, which bring terrestrial matter into coastal seas, will occur more frequently in the Mediterranean region. To test the effects of runoffs of terrestrial matter on plankton communities from Mediterranean coastal waters, an in situ mesocosm experiment was conducted. The simulated runoff affected key processes mediated by plankton, such as primary production and respiration, suggesting major consequences of such events.
Chueh-Chen Tung, Yu-Shih Lin, Jian-Xiang Liao, Tzu-Hsuan Tu, James T. Liu, Li-Hung Lin, Pei-Ling Wang, and Chih-Lin Wei
Biogeosciences, 21, 1729–1756, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1729-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1729-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study contrasts seabed food webs between a river-fed, high-energy canyon and the nearby slope. We show higher organic carbon (OC) flows through the canyon than the slope. Bacteria dominated the canyon, while seabed fauna contributed more to the slope food web. Due to frequent perturbation, the canyon had a lower faunal stock and OC recycling. Only 4 % of the seabed OC flux enters the canyon food web, suggesting a significant role of the river-fed canyon in transporting OC to the deep sea.
Joost de Vries, Fanny Monteiro, Gerald Langer, Colin Brownlee, and Glen Wheeler
Biogeosciences, 21, 1707–1727, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1707-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1707-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Calcifying phytoplankton (coccolithophores) utilize a life cycle in which they can grow and divide into two different phases. These two phases (HET and HOL) vary in terms of their physiology and distributions, with many unknowns about what the key differences are. Using a combination of lab experiments and model simulations, we find that nutrient storage is a critical difference between the two phases and that this difference allows them to inhabit different nitrogen input regimes.
Theodor Kindeberg, Karl Michael Attard, Jana Hüller, Julia Müller, Cintia Organo Quintana, and Eduardo Infantes
Biogeosciences, 21, 1685–1705, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1685-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1685-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Seagrass meadows are hotspots for biodiversity and productivity, and planting seagrass is proposed as a tool for mitigating biodiversity loss and climate change. We assessed seagrass planted in different years and found that benthic oxygen and carbon fluxes increased as the seabed developed from bare sediments to a mature seagrass meadow. This increase was partly linked to the diversity of colonizing algae which increased the light-use efficiency of the seagrass meadow community.
Anna-Selma van der Kaaden, Sandra R. Maier, Siluo Chen, Laurence H. De Clippele, Evert de Froe, Theo Gerkema, Johan van de Koppel, Furu Mienis, Christian Mohn, Max Rietkerk, Karline Soetaert, and Dick van Oevelen
Biogeosciences, 21, 973–992, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-973-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-973-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Combining hydrodynamic simulations and annotated videos, we separated which hydrodynamic variables that determine reef cover are engineered by cold-water corals and which are not. Around coral mounds, hydrodynamic zones seem to create a typical reef zonation, restricting corals from moving deeper (the expected response to climate warming). But non-engineered downward velocities in winter (e.g. deep winter mixing) seem more important for coral reef growth than coral engineering.
Xiaoke Xin, Giulia Faucher, and Ulf Riebesell
Biogeosciences, 21, 761–772, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-761-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-761-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is a promising approach to remove CO2 by accelerating natural rock weathering. However, some of the alkaline substances contain trace metals which could be toxic to marine life. By exposing three representative phytoplankton species to Ni released from alkaline materials, we observed varying responses of phytoplankton to nickel concentrations, suggesting caution should be taken and toxic thresholds should be avoided in OAE with Ni-rich materials.
Olmo Miguez-Salas, Angelika Brandt, Henry Knauber, and Torben Riehl
Biogeosciences, 21, 641–655, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-641-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-641-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In the deep sea, the interaction between benthic fauna (tracemakers) and substrate can be preserved as traces (i.e. lebensspuren), which are common features of seafloor landscapes, rendering them promising proxies for inferring biodiversity from marine images. No general correlation was observed between traces and benthic fauna. However, a local correlation was observed between specific stations depending on unknown tracemakers, tracemaker behaviour, and lebensspuren morphotypes.
Cale A. Miller, Pierre Urrutti, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, Steeve Comeau, Anaïs Lebrun, Samir Alliouane, Robert W. Schlegel, and Frédéric Gazeau
Biogeosciences, 21, 315–333, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-315-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-315-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This work describes an experimental system that can replicate and manipulate environmental conditions in marine or aquatic systems. Here, we show how the temperature and salinity of seawater delivered from a fjord is manipulated to experimental tanks on land. By constantly monitoring temperature and salinity in each tank via a computer program, the system continuously adjusts automated flow valves to ensure the seawater in each tank matches the targeted experimental conditions.
Rachel A. Kruft Welton, George Hoppit, Daniela N. Schmidt, James D. Witts, and Benjamin C. Moon
Biogeosciences, 21, 223–239, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-223-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-223-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We conducted a meta-analysis of known experimental literature examining how marine bivalve growth rates respond to climate change. Growth is usually negatively impacted by climate change. Bivalve eggs/larva are generally more vulnerable than either juveniles or adults. Available data on the bivalve response to climate stressors are biased towards early growth stages (commercially important in the Global North), and many families have only single experiments examining climate change impacts.
Vincent Mouchi, Christophe Pecheyran, Fanny Claverie, Cécile Cathalot, Marjolaine Matabos, Yoan Germain, Olivier Rouxel, Didier Jollivet, Thomas Broquet, and Thierry Comtet
Biogeosciences, 21, 145–160, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-145-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-145-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The impact of deep-sea mining will depend critically on the ability of larval dispersal of hydrothermal mollusks to connect and replenish natural populations. However, assessing connectivity is extremely challenging, especially in the deep sea. Here, we investigate the potential of using the chemical composition of larval shells to discriminate larval origins between multiple hydrothermal sites in the southwest Pacific. Our results confirm that this method can be applied with high accuracy.
Anna-Marie Winter, Nadezda Vasilyeva, and Artem Vladimirov
Biogeosciences, 20, 3683–3716, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3683-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3683-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
There is an increasing number of fish in poor state, and many do not recover, even when fishing pressure is ceased. An Allee effect can hinder population recovery because it suppresses the fish's productivity at low abundance. With a model fitted to 17 Atlantic cod stocks, we find that ocean warming and fishing can cause an Allee effect. If present, the Allee effect hinders fish recovery. This shows that Allee effects are dynamic, not uncommon, and calls for precautionary management measures.
Afrah Alothman, Daffne López-Sandoval, Carlos M. Duarte, and Susana Agustí
Biogeosciences, 20, 3613–3624, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3613-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3613-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates bacterial dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) fixation in the Red Sea, an oligotrophic ecosystem, using stable-isotope labeling and spectroscopy. The research reveals that bacterial DIC fixation significantly contributes to total DIC fixation, in the surface and deep water. The study demonstrates that as primary production decreases, the role of bacterial DIC fixation increases, emphasizing its importance with photosynthesis in estimating oceanic carbon dioxide production.
Arianna Zampollo, Thomas Cornulier, Rory O'Hara Murray, Jacqueline Fiona Tweddle, James Dunning, and Beth E. Scott
Biogeosciences, 20, 3593–3611, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3593-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3593-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper highlights the use of the bottom mixed layer depth (BMLD: depth between the end of the pycnocline and the mixed layer below) to investigate subsurface Chlorophyll a (a proxy of primary production) in temperate stratified shelf waters. The strict correlation between subsurface Chl a and BMLD becomes relevant in shelf-productive waters where multiple stressors (e.g. offshore infrastructure) will change the stratification--mixing balance and related carbon fluxes.
Marco Fusi, Sylvain Rigaud, Giovanna Guadagnin, Alberto Barausse, Ramona Marasco, Daniele Daffonchio, Julie Régis, Louison Huchet, Capucine Camin, Laura Pettit, Cristina Vina-Herbon, and Folco Giomi
Biogeosciences, 20, 3509–3521, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3509-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3509-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Oxygen availability in marine water and freshwater is very variable at daily and seasonal scales. The dynamic nature of oxygen fluctuations has important consequences for animal and microbe physiology and ecology, yet it is not fully understood. In this paper, we showed the heterogeneous nature of the aquatic oxygen landscape, which we defined here as the
oxyscape, and we addressed the importance of considering the oxyscape in the modelling and managing of aquatic ecosystems.
Anne L. Morée, Tayler M. Clarke, William W. L. Cheung, and Thomas L. Frölicher
Biogeosciences, 20, 2425–2454, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2425-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2425-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Ocean temperature and oxygen shape marine habitats together with species’ characteristics. We calculated the impacts of projected 21st-century warming and oxygen loss on the contemporary habitat volume of 47 marine species and described the drivers of these impacts. Most species lose less than 5 % of their habitat at 2 °C of global warming, but some species incur losses 2–3 times greater than that. We also calculate which species may be most vulnerable to climate change and why this is the case.
Markus A. Min, David M. Needham, Sebastian Sudek, Nathan Kobun Truelove, Kathleen J. Pitz, Gabriela M. Chavez, Camille Poirier, Bente Gardeler, Elisabeth von der Esch, Andrea Ludwig, Ulf Riebesell, Alexandra Z. Worden, and Francisco P. Chavez
Biogeosciences, 20, 1277–1298, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1277-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1277-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Emerging molecular methods provide new ways of understanding how marine communities respond to changes in ocean conditions. Here, environmental DNA was used to track the temporal evolution of biological communities in the Peruvian coastal upwelling system and in an adjacent enclosure where upwelling was simulated. We found that the two communities quickly diverged, with the open ocean being one found during upwelling and the enclosure evolving to one found under stratified conditions.
Wojciech Majewski, Witold Szczuciński, and Andrew J. Gooday
Biogeosciences, 20, 523–544, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-523-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-523-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We studied foraminifera living in the fjords of South Georgia, a sub-Antarctic island sensitive to climate change. As conditions in water and on the seafloor vary, different associations of these microorganisms dominate far inside, in the middle, and near fjord openings. Assemblages in inner and middle parts of fjords are specific to South Georgia, but they may become widespread with anticipated warming. These results are important for interpretating fossil records and monitoring future change.
Allanah Joy Paul, Lennart Thomas Bach, Javier Arístegui, Elisabeth von der Esch, Nauzet Hernández-Hernández, Jonna Piiparinen, Laura Ramajo, Kristian Spilling, and Ulf Riebesell
Biogeosciences, 19, 5911–5926, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5911-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5911-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated how different deep water chemistry and biology modulate the response of surface phytoplankton communities to upwelling in the Peruvian coastal zone. Our results show that the most influential drivers were the ratio of inorganic nutrients (N : P) and the microbial community present in upwelling source water. These led to unexpected and variable development in the phytoplankton assemblage that could not be predicted by the amount of inorganic nutrients alone.
Hanna M. Kauko, Philipp Assmy, Ilka Peeken, Magdalena Różańska-Pluta, Józef M. Wiktor, Gunnar Bratbak, Asmita Singh, Thomas J. Ryan-Keogh, and Sebastien Moreau
Biogeosciences, 19, 5449–5482, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5449-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5449-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This article studies phytoplankton (microscopic
plantsin the ocean capable of photosynthesis) in Kong Håkon VII Hav in the Southern Ocean. Different species play different roles in the ecosystem, and it is therefore important to assess the species composition. We observed that phytoplankton blooms in this area are formed by large diatoms with strong silica armors, which can lead to high silica (and sometimes carbon) export to depth and be important prey for krill.
Chloe Carbonne, Steeve Comeau, Phoebe T. W. Chan, Keyla Plichon, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, and Núria Teixidó
Biogeosciences, 19, 4767–4777, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4767-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4767-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
For the first time, our study highlights the synergistic effects of a 9-month warming and acidification combined stress on the early life stages of a Mediterranean azooxanthellate coral, Astroides calycularis. Our results predict a decrease in dispersion, settlement, post-settlement linear extention, budding and survival under future global change and that larvae and recruits of A. calycularis are stages of interest for this Mediterranean coral resistance, resilience and conservation.
Iris E. Hendriks, Anna Escolano-Moltó, Susana Flecha, Raquel Vaquer-Sunyer, Marlene Wesselmann, and Núria Marbà
Biogeosciences, 19, 4619–4637, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4619-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4619-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Seagrasses are marine plants with the capacity to act as carbon sinks due to their high primary productivity, using carbon for growth. This capacity can play a key role in climate change mitigation. We compiled and published data showing that two Mediterranean seagrass species have different metabolic rates, while the study method influences the rates of the measurements. Most communities act as carbon sinks, while the western basin might be more productive than the eastern Mediterranean.
Raúl Tapia, Sze Ling Ho, Hui-Yu Wang, Jeroen Groeneveld, and Mahyar Mohtadi
Biogeosciences, 19, 3185–3208, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3185-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3185-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We report census counts of planktic foraminifera in depth-stratified plankton net samples off Indonesia. Our results show that the vertical distribution of foraminifera species routinely used in paleoceanographic reconstructions varies in hydrographically distinct regions, likely in response to food availability. Consequently, the thermal gradient based on mixed layer and thermocline dwellers also differs for these regions, suggesting potential implications for paleoceanographic reconstructions.
Ricardo González-Gil, Neil S. Banas, Eileen Bresnan, and Michael R. Heath
Biogeosciences, 19, 2417–2426, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2417-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2417-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
In oceanic waters, the accumulation of phytoplankton biomass in winter, when light still limits growth, is attributed to a decrease in grazing as the mixed layer deepens. However, in coastal areas, it is not clear whether winter biomass can accumulate without this deepening. Using 21 years of weekly data, we found that in the Scottish coastal North Sea, the seasonal increase in light availability triggers the accumulation of phytoplankton biomass in winter, when light limitation is strongest.
Birgit Koehler, Mårten Erlandsson, Martin Karlsson, and Lena Bergström
Biogeosciences, 19, 2295–2312, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2295-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2295-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding species richness patterns remains a challenge for biodiversity management. We estimated fish species richness over a coastal salinity gradient (3–32) with a method that allowed comparing data from various sources. Species richness was 3-fold higher at high vs. low salinity, and salinity influenced species’ habitat preference, mobility and feeding type. If climate change causes upper-layer freshening of the Baltic Sea, further shifts along the identified patterns may be expected.
Uri Obolski, Thomas Wichard, Alvaro Israel, Alexander Golberg, and Alexander Liberzon
Biogeosciences, 19, 2263–2271, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2263-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2263-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The algal genus Ulva plays a major role in coastal ecosystems worldwide and is a promising prospect as an seagriculture crop. A substantial hindrance to cultivating Ulva arises from sudden sporulation, leading to biomass loss. This process is not yet well understood. Here, we characterize the dynamics of Ulva growth, considering the potential impact of sporulation inhibitors, using a mathematical model. Our findings are an essential step towards understanding the dynamics of Ulva growth.
Emanuela Fanelli, Samuele Menicucci, Sara Malavolti, Andrea De Felice, and Iole Leonori
Biogeosciences, 19, 1833–1851, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1833-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1833-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Zooplankton play a key role in marine ecosystems, forming the base of the marine food web and a link between primary producers and higher-order consumers, such as fish. This aspect is crucial in the Adriatic basin, one of the most productive and overexploited areas of the Mediterranean Sea. A better understanding of community and food web structure and their response to water mass changes is essential under a global warming scenario, as zooplankton are sensitive to climate change.
Masaya Yoshikai, Takashi Nakamura, Rempei Suwa, Sahadev Sharma, Rene Rollon, Jun Yasuoka, Ryohei Egawa, and Kazuo Nadaoka
Biogeosciences, 19, 1813–1832, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1813-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1813-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a new individual-based vegetation model to investigate salinity control on mangrove productivity. The model incorporates plant hydraulics and tree competition and predicts unique and complex patterns of mangrove forest structures that vary across soil salinity gradients. The presented model does not hold an empirical expression of salinity influence on productivity and thus may provide a better understanding of mangrove forest dynamics in future climate change.
Coulson A. Lantz, William Leggat, Jessica L. Bergman, Alexander Fordyce, Charlotte Page, Thomas Mesaglio, and Tracy D. Ainsworth
Biogeosciences, 19, 891–906, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-891-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-891-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Coral bleaching events continue to drive the degradation of coral reefs worldwide. In this study we measured rates of daytime coral reef community calcification and photosynthesis during a reef-wide bleaching event. Despite a measured decline in coral health across several taxa, there was no change in overall daytime community calcification and photosynthesis. These findings highlight potential limitations of these community-level metrics to reflect actual changes in coral health.
Hyewon Heather Kim, Jeff S. Bowman, Ya-Wei Luo, Hugh W. Ducklow, Oscar M. Schofield, Deborah K. Steinberg, and Scott C. Doney
Biogeosciences, 19, 117–136, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-117-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-117-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Heterotrophic marine bacteria are tiny organisms responsible for taking up organic matter in the ocean. Using a modeling approach, this study shows that characteristics (taxonomy and physiology) of bacteria are associated with a subset of ecological processes in the coastal West Antarctic Peninsula region, a system susceptible to global climate change. This study also suggests that bacteria will become more active, in particular large-sized cells, in response to changing climates in the region.
Alice E. Webb, Didier M. de Bakker, Karline Soetaert, Tamara da Costa, Steven M. A. C. van Heuven, Fleur C. van Duyl, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Lennart J. de Nooijer
Biogeosciences, 18, 6501–6516, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6501-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6501-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The biogeochemical behaviour of shallow reef communities is quantified to better understand the impact of habitat degradation and species composition shifts on reef functioning. The reef communities investigated barely support reef functions that are usually ascribed to conventional coral reefs, and the overall biogeochemical behaviour is found to be similar regardless of substrate type. This suggests a decrease in functional diversity which may therefore limit services provided by this reef.
Emmanuel Devred, Andrea Hilborn, and Cornelia Elizabeth den Heyer
Biogeosciences, 18, 6115–6132, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6115-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6115-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A theoretical model of grey seal seasonal abundance on Sable Island (SI) coupled with chlorophyll-a concentration [chl-a] measured by satellite revealed the impact of seal nitrogen fertilization on the surrounding waters of SI, Canada. The increase in seals from about 100 000 in 2003 to about 360 000 in 2018 during the breeding season is consistent with an increase in [chl-a] leeward of SI. The increase in seal abundance explains 8 % of the [chl-a] increase.
Cited articles
Boutton, T. W.: Stable carbon isotope ratios of natural materials: II.
Atmospheric, terrestrial, marine, and freshwater environments, Carbon
Isotope Techniques, 1, 173–186, 1991.
Breitburg, D., Levin, L. A., Oschlies, A., Grégoire, M., Chavez, F. P.,
Conley, D. J., Garçon, V., Gilbert, D., Gutiérrez, D., and Isensee,
K.: Declining oxygen in the global ocean and coastal waters, Science, 359, 1–11, 2018.
Brooke, S. and Ross, S. W.: First observations of the cold-water coral
Lophelia pertusa in mid-Atlantic canyons of the USA, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 104, 245–251, 2014.
Buhl-Mortensen, L., Vanreusel, A., Gooday, A. J., Levin, L. A., Priede, I.
G., Buhl-Mortensen, P., Gheerardyn, H., King, N. J., and Raes, M.:
Biological structures as a source of habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity
on the deep ocean margins, Mar. Ecol., 31, 21–50, 2010.
Cairns, S. D.: Deep-water corals: an overview with special reference to
diversity and distribution of deep-water scleractinian corals, B.
Mar. Sci., 81, 311–322, 2007.
Carr, M.-E. and Kearns, E. J.: Production regimes in four Eastern Boundary
Current systems, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II,
50, 3199–3221, 2003.
Cathalot, C., Van Oevelen, D., Cox, T. J., Kutti, T., Lavaleye, M.,
Duineveld, G., and Meysman, F. J.: Cold-water coral reefs and adjacent
sponge grounds: Hotspots of benthic respiration and organic carbon cycling
in the deep sea, Front. Mar. Sci., 2, 2–37, 2015.
Chapman, P. and Shannon, L.: The Benguela ecosystem, Part II, Chemistry and
related processes, Oceanogr. Mar. Biol., 23,
183–251, 1985.
Chapman, P. and Shannon, L.: Seasonality in the oxygen minimum layers at
the extremities of the Benguela system, S. Afr. J. Marine
Sci., 5, 85–94, 1987.
Coma, R.: Seasonality of in situ respiration rate in three temperate benthic
suspension feeders, Limnol. Oceanogr., 47, 324–331, 2002.
Costello, M. J., McCrea, M., Freiwald, A., Lundälv, T., Jonsson, L.,
Bett, B. J., van Weering, T. C., de Haas, H., Roberts, J. M., and Allen, D.:
Role of cold-water Lophelia pertusa coral reefs as fish habitat in the NE Atlantic, in:
Cold-water corals and ecosystems, Springer, Heidelberg, 771–805, 2005.
Davies, A. J. and Guinotte, J. M.: Global habitat suitability for
framework-forming cold-water corals, PloS one, 6, e18483, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0018483, 2011.
Davies, A. J., Wisshak, M., Orr, J. C., and Roberts, J. M.: Predicting
suitable habitat for the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa (Scleractinia), Deep-Sea Res.
Pt. I, 55, 1048–1062, 2008.
Davies, A. J., Duineveld, G. C., Lavaleye, M. S., Bergman, M. J., van Haren,
H., and Roberts, J. M.: Downwelling and deep-water bottom currents as food
supply mechanisms to the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa (Scleractinia) at the Mingulay
Reef Complex, Limnol. Oceanogr., 54, 620–629, 2009.
Davies, A. J., Duineveld, G. C., van Weering, T. C., Mienis, F., Quattrini,
A. M., Seim, H. E., Bane, J. M., and Ross, S. W.: Short-term environmental
variability in cold-water coral habitat at Viosca Knoll, Gulf of Mexico,
Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 57, 199–212, 2010.
De Haas, H., Mienis, F., Frank, N., Richter, T. O., Steinacher, R., De
Stigter, H., Van der Land, C., and Van Weering, T. C.: Morphology and
sedimentology of (clustered) cold-water coral mounds at the south Rockall
Trough margins, NE Atlantic Ocean, Facies, 55, 1–26, 2009.
Diaz, R. J. and Rosenberg, R.: Marine benthic hypoxia: a review of its
ecological effects and the behavioural responses of benthic macrofauna,
Oceanography and Marine Biology, Ann. Rev., 33, 245–203, 1995.
Dickson, R. and McCave, I.: Nepheloid layers on the continental slope west
of Porcupine Bank, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. A,
33, 791–818, 1986.
Dodds, L., Roberts, J., Taylor, A., and Marubini, F.: Metabolic tolerance of
the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa (Scleractinia) to temperature and
dissolved oxygen change, J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.,
349, 205–214, 2007.
Dodds, L., Black, K., Orr, H., and Roberts, J.: Lipid biomarkers reveal
geographical differences in food supply to the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa
(Scleractinia), Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 397, 113–124, 2009.
Duineveld, G. C., Lavaleye, M. S., Bergman, M. J., De Stigter, H., and
Mienis, F.: Trophic structure of a cold-water coral mound community (Rockall
Bank, NE Atlantic) in relation to the near-bottom particle supply and
current regime, B. Mar. Sci., 81, 449–467, 2007.
Dullo, W.-C., Flögel, S., and Rüggeberg, A.: Cold-water coral growth
in relation to the hydrography of the Celtic and Nordic European continental
margin, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 371, 165–176, 2008.
Eisele, M., Frank, N., Wienberg, C., Hebbeln, D., Correa, M. L., Douville,
E., and Freiwald, A.: Productivity controlled cold-water coral growth
periods during the last glacial off Mauritania, Mar. Geol., 280,
143–149, 2011.
Fink, H. G., Wienberg, C., Hebbeln, D., McGregor, H. V., Schmiedl, G.,
Taviani, M., and Freiwald, A.: Oxygen control on Holocene cold-water coral
development in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 62, 89–96, 2012.
Flögel, S., Dullo, W.-C., Pfannkuche, O., Kiriakoulakis, K., and
Rüggeberg, A.: Geochemical and physical constraints for the occurrence
of living cold-water corals, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 99, 19–26, 2014.
Frederiksen, R., Jensen, A., and Westerberg, H.: The distribution of the
scleractinian coral Lophelia pertusa around the Faroe Islands and the
relation to internal tidal mixing, Sarsia, 77, 157–171, 1992.
Freiwald, A.: Reef-forming cold-water corals, in: Ocean margin systems,
Springer, 365–385, 2002.
Freiwald, A., Fossa, J. H., Grehan, A., Koslow, T., and Roberts, J. M.: Cold
water coral reefs: out of sight-no longer out of mind, No.22 in Biodiversity Series, UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge, UK, 1–86, 2004.
Freiwald, A., Beuck, L., Rüggeberg, A., Taviani, M., Hebbeln, D., and
Participants, R. V. M. C. M.: The white coral community in the central
Mediterranean Sea revealed by ROV surveys, Oceanography, 22, 58–74, 2009.
Geissler, W., Schwenk, T., and Wintersteller, P.: Walvis Ridge
Passive-Source Seismic Experiment (WALPASS), Cruise No. MSM20/1, 6–15 January 2012, Cape Town (South Africa), Walvis Bay (Namibia),
DFG-Senatskommission für Ozeanographie, MARIA S. MERIAN-Berichte,
MSM20/1, 54 pp., 2013.
Gibson, R. N. and Atkinson, R. J. A.: Oxygen minimum zone benthos: adaptation and community response to hypoxia, Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Annu. Rev., 41, 1–45, 2003.
Gori, A., Grover, R., Orejas, C., Sikorski, S., and Ferrier-Pagès, C.:
Uptake of dissolved free amino acids by four cold-water coral species from
the Mediterranean Sea, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 99, 42–50, 2014.
Grasmueck, M., Eberli, G. P., Viggiano, D. A., Correa, T., Rathwell, G., and
Luo, J.: Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) mapping reveals coral mound
distribution, morphology, and oceanography in deep water of the Straits of
Florida, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L23616, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL027734, 2006.
Hanz, U.: Lander data ALBEX, available at: https://doi.org/10.25850/nioz/7b.b.q, last access: 24 October 2019.
Hebbeln, D.: CTD-data from RV Meteor cruise M122 in 2016 off Angola, PANGAEA, available at: https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.904176, last access: 24 October 2019.
Hebbeln, D., Wienberg, C., Wintersteller, P., Freiwald, A., Becker, M., Beuck, L., Dullo, C., Eberli, G. P., Glogowski, S., Matos, L., Forster, N., Reyes-Bonilla, H., and Taviani, M.: Environmental forcing of the Campeche cold-water coral province, southern Gulf of Mexico, Biogeosciences, 11, 1799–1815, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1799-2014, 2014.
Hebbeln, D., Wienberg, C., Bender, M., Bergmann, F., Dehning, K., Dullo,
W.-C., Eichstädter, R., Flöter, S., Freiwald, A., Gori, A.,
Haberkern, J., Hoffmann, L., João, F., Lavaleye, M., Leymann, T.,
Matsuyama, K., Meyer-Schack, B., Mienis, F., Moçambique, I., Nowald, N.,
Orejas, C., Ramos Cordova, C., Saturov, D., Seiter, C., Titschack, J.,
Vittori, V., Wefing, A.-M., Wilsenack, M., and Wintersteller, P.: ANNA
Cold-Water Coral Ecosystems off Angola and Namibia, Cruise No. M122,
30 December 2015–31 January 2016, Walvis Bay (Namibia), Walvis Bay
(Namibia), METEOR-Berichte, M122, https://doi.org/10.2312/cr_m122, 2017.
Hebbeln, D., Wienberg, C., Dullo, W. C., Freiwald, A., Mienis, F., Orejas, C., and Titschack, J.: Cold-water corals thriving in hypoxia, Nat. Commun., submitted, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.904176, 2019.
Hedges, J. and Oades, J.: Comparative organic geochemistries of soils and
marine sediments, Org. Geochem., 27, 319–361, 1997.
Henry, L.-A. and Roberts, J. M.: Biodiversity and ecological composition of
macrobenthos on cold-water coral mounds and adjacent off-mound habitat in
the bathyal Porcupine Seabight, NE Atlantic, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 54, 654–672, 2007.
Henry, L.-A. and Roberts, J. M.: Global Biodiversity in Cold-Water Coral
Reef Ecosystems, in: Marine Animal Forests, Springer, 235–256, 2017.
Holmes, M. E., Schneider, R. R., Müller, P. J., Segl, M., and Wefer, G.: Reconstruction of past nutrient utilization in the eastern Angola Basin based on sedimentary 15N∕14N ratios, Paleoceanography, 12, 604–614, 1997.
Hutchings, L., Van der Lingen, C., Shannon, L., Crawford, R., Verheye, H.,
Bartholomae, C., Van der Plas, A., Louw, D., Kreiner, A., and Ostrowski, M.:
The Benguela Current: An ecosystem of four components, Prog.
Oceanogr., 83, 15–32, 2009.
Junker, T., Mohrholz, V., Siegfried, L., and van der Plas, A.: Seasonal to
interannual variability of water mass characteristics and currents on the
Namibian shelf, J. Mar. Syst., 165, 36–46, 2017.
Karstensen, J., Stramma, L., and Visbeck, M.: Oxygen minimum zones in the
eastern tropical Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Prog. Oceanogr., 77,
331–350, 2008.
Kiriakoulakis, K., Fisher, E., Wolff, G. A., Freiwald, A., Grehan, A., and
Roberts, J. M.: Lipids and nitrogen isotopes of two deep-water corals from
the North-East Atlantic: initial results and implications for their
nutrition, in: Cold-water corals and ecosystems, edited by: Freiwald, A. A. and
Roberts, J. M., Springer, Heidelberg, 715–729, 2005.
Kiriakoulakis, K., Freiwald, A., Fisher, E., and Wolff, G.: Organic matter
quality and supply to deep-water coral/mound systems of the NW European
Continental Margin, Int. J. Earth Sci., 96, 159–170,
2007.
Kopte, R., Brandt, P., Dengler, M., Tchipalanga, P., Macuéria, M., and
Ostrowski, M.: The Angola Current: Flow and hydrographic characteristics as
observed at 11∘ S, J. Geophys. Res.-Ocean., 122,
1177–1189, 2017.
Kostianoy, A. and Lutjeharms, J.: Atmospheric effects in the
Angola-Benguela frontal zone, J. Geophys. Res.-Ocean., 104,
20963–20970, 1999.
Kraay, G. W., Zapata, M., and Veldhuis, M. J.: Separation of Chlorophylls
c1c2, and c3 of marine Phytoplankton by Reverse Phase C18 high Performance
liquid Chromatography 1, J. Phycol., 28, 708–712, 1992.
Le Guilloux, E., Olu, K., Bourillet, J.-F., Savoye, B., Iglésias, S.,
and Sibuet, M.: First observations of deep-sea coral reefs along the Angola
margin, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 56,
2394–2403, 2009.
Levin, L. A., Huggett, C. L., and Wishner, K. F.: Control of deep-sea
benthic community structure by oxygen and organic-matter gradients in the
eastern Pacific Ocean, J. Mar. Res., 49, 763–800, 1991.
Lutjeharms, J. and Stockton, P.: Kinematics of the upwelling front off
southern Africa, South Afr. J. Mar. Sci., 5, 35–49, 1987.
Mariotti, A., Gadel, F., and Giresse, P.: Carbon isotope composition and
geochemistry of particulate organic matter in the Congo River (Central
Africa): application to the study of Quaternary sediments off the mouth of
the river, Chem. Geol., 86, 345–357, 1991.
Meisel, S., Struck, U., and Emeis, K.-C.: Nutrient dynamics and oceanographic features in the central Namibian upwelling region as reflected in δ15N-signals of suspended matter and surface sediments, Foss. Rec., 14, 153–169, https://doi.org/10.1002/mmng.201100005, 2011.
Mienis, F., De Stigter, H., White, M., Duineveld, G., De Haas, H., and Van
Weering, T.: Hydrodynamic controls on cold-water coral growth and
carbonate-mound development at the SW and SE Rockall Trough Margin, NE
Atlantic Ocean, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 54,
1655–1674, 2007.
Mienis, F., De Stigter, H., De Haas, H., and Van Weering, T.: Near-bed
particle deposition and resuspension in a cold-water coral mound area at the
Southwest Rockall Trough margin, NE Atlantic, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 56, 1026–1038, 2009.
Mienis, F., Duineveld, G., Davies, A., Ross, S., Seim, H., Bane, J., and Van
Weering, T.: The influence of near-bed hydrodynamic conditions on cold-water
corals in the Viosca Knoll area, Gulf of Mexico, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 60, 32–45, 2012.
Mienis, F., Duineveld, G. C. A., Davies, A. J., Lavaleye, M. M. S., Ross, S. W., Seim, H., Bane, J., van Haren, H., Bergman, M. J. N., de Haas, H., Brooke, S., and van Weering, T. C. E.: Cold-water coral growth under extreme environmental conditions, the Cape Lookout area, NW Atlantic, Biogeosciences, 11, 2543–2560, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-2543-2014, 2014.
Miller, R. J., Hocevar, J., Stone, R. P., and Fedorov, D. V.:
Structure-forming corals and sponges and their use as fish habitat in Bering
Sea submarine canyons, PLoS One, 7, e33885, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0033885, 2012.
Mills, D. B., Francis, W. R., Vargas, S., Larsen, M., Elemans, C. P.,
Canfield, D. E., and Wörheide, G.: The last common ancestor of animals
lacked the HIF pathway and respired in low-oxygen environments, eLife, 7,
e31176, https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.31176, 2018.
Mohrholz, V., Bartholomae, C., Van der Plas, A., and Lass, H.: The seasonal
variability of the northern Benguela undercurrent and its relation to the
oxygen budget on the shelf, Cont. Shelf Res., 28, 424–441, 2008.
Mohrholz, V., Eggert, A., Junker, T., Nausch, G., Ohde, T., and Schmidt, M.:
Cross shelf hydrographic and hydrochemical conditions and their short term
variability at the northern Benguela during a normal upwelling season,
J. Mar. Syst., 140, 92–110, 2014.
Montoya, J. P.: Natural abundance of 15N in marine planktonic ecosystems,
in: Stable isotopes in ecology and environmental science, edited by: Michener, R. and Lajtha, K., 2nd Edn., Blackwell, Malden, MA, 176–202, 2007.
Mortensen, P. B., Hovland, T., Fosså, J. H., and Furevik, D. M.:
Distribution, abundance and size of Lophelia pertusa coral reefs in
mid-Norway in relation to seabed characteristics, J. Mar.
Biol. Assoc. UK, 81, 581–597, 2001.
Mosch, T., Sommer, S., Dengler, M., Noffke, A., Bohlen, L., Pfannkuche, O.,
Liebetrau, V., and Wallmann, K.: Factors influencing the distribution of
epibenthic megafauna across the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone, Deep-Sea
Res. Pt. I, 68, 123–135, 2012.
Mueller, C. E., Larsson, A. I., Veuger, B., Middelburg, J. J., and van Oevelen, D.: Opportunistic feeding on various organic food sources by the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa, Biogeosciences, 11, 123–133, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-123-2014, 2014.
Mullins, H. T., Thompson, J. B., McDougall, K., and Vercoutere, T. L.:
Oxygen-minimum zone edge effects: evidence from the central California
coastal upwelling system, Geology, 13, 491–494, 1985.
Odum, H. T.: Environment, power and society, New York, USA,
Wiley-Interscience, 1–131, 1971.
Oevelen, D. v., Duineveld, G., Lavaleye, M., Mienis, F., Soetaert, K., and
Heip, C. H.: The cold-water coral community as hotspot of carbon cycling on
continental margins: A food-web analysis from Rockall Bank (northeast
Atlantic), Limnol. Oceanogr., 54, 1829–1844, 2009.
Pawlowicz, R., Beardsley, B., and Lentz, S.: Classical tidal harmonic analysis including error estimates in MATLAB using T_TIDE, Comput. Geosci., 28, 929–937, 2002.
Perdue, E. M. and Koprivnjak, J.-F.: Using the C∕N ratio to estimate
terrigenous inputs of organic matter to aquatic environments, Estuarine,
Coast. Shelf Sci., 73, 65–72, 2007.
Poole, R. and Tomczak, M.: Optimum multiparameter analysis of the water
mass structure in the Atlantic Ocean thermocline, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 46, 1895–1921, 1999.
Rae, C. D.: A demonstration of the hydrographic partition of the Benguela
upwelling ecosystem at 26∘40′ S, Afr. J. Mar.
Sci., 27, 617–628, 2005.
R Core Team, R. C.: R: A language and environment for statistical computing, Vienna, Austria, 2017.
Ramos, A., Sanz, J. L., Ramil, F., Agudo, L. M., and Presas-Navarro, C.: The
Giant Cold-Water Coral Mounds Barrier Off Mauritania, in: Deep-Sea
Ecosystems Off Mauritania, edited by: Ramos, A., Ramil, F., and Sanz, J. L.,
Springer, 481–525, 2017.
Roberts, J. M., Wheeler, A. J., and Freiwald, A.: Reefs of the deep: the
biology and geology of cold-water coral ecosystems, Science, 312, 543–547,
2006.
Ruhl, H. A.: Community change in the variable resource habitat of the
abyssal northeast Pacific, Ecology, 89, 991–1000, 2008.
Sanders, H.: Benthic marine diversity and the stability-time hypothesis,
Brookhaven Sym. Biol., 1969, 71–81, 1969.
Schlitzer, R.: Ocean Data View, available at: http://odv.awi.de (last access: 12 February 2016), 2011.
Schroeder, W.: Observations of Lophelia pertusa and the surficial geology at a deep-water
site in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, Hydrobiologia, 471, 29–33, 2002.
Shannon, L.: Benguela Current, Ocean Currents: A Derivative of Encyclopedia
of Ocean Sciences, 23–34, 2001.
Shannon, L. and Nelson, G.: The Benguela: large scale features and
processes and system variability, in: The South Atlantic, Springer, Berlin,
Heidelberg, 163–210, 1996.
Shannon, L., Boyd, A., Brundrit, G., and Taunton-Clark, J.: On the existence
of an El Niño-type phenomenon in the Benguela system, J. Mar.
Res., 44, 495–520, 1986.
Shannon, L., Agenbag, J., and Buys, M.: Large-and mesoscale features of the
Angola-Benguela front, South Afr. J. Mar. Sci., 5, 11–34,
1987.
Sigman, D. M., DiFiore, P. J., Hain, M. P., Deutsch, C., and Karl, D. M.: Sinking organic matter spreads the nitrogen isotope signal of pelagic denitrification in the North Pacific, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L08605, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL035784, 2009.
Sokolova, I. M., Frederich, M., Bagwe, R., Lannig, G., and Sukhotin, A. A.:
Energy homeostasis as an integrative tool for assessing limits of
environmental stress tolerance in aquatic invertebrates, Mar.
Environ. Res., 79, 1–15, 2012.
Tahey, T., Duineveld, G., Berghuis, E., and Helder, W.: Relation between
sediment-water fluxes of oxygen and silicate and faunal abundance at
continental shelf, slope and deep-water stations in the northwest
Mediterranean, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 104, 119–130, 1994.
Tamborrino, L., Wienberg, C., Titschack, J., Wintersteller, P., Mienis, F.,
Freiwald, A., Orejas, C., Dullo, W.-C., Haberkern, J., and Hebbeln, D.:
Mid-Holocene extinction of cold-water corals on the Namibian shelf steered
by the Benguela oxygen minimum zone, Geology, 47, 14, https://doi.org/10.1130/646672.1, 2019., 2019.
Taviani, M., Remia, A., Corselli, C., Freiwald, A., Malinverno, E.,
Mastrototaro, F., Savini, A., and Tursi, A.: First geo-marine survey of
living cold-water Lophelia reefs in the Ionian Sea (Mediterranean basin), Facies,
50, 409–417, 2005.
Thiem, Ø., Ravagnan, E., Fosså, J. H., and Berntsen, J.: Food supply
mechanisms for cold-water corals along a continental shelf edge, J.
Marine Syst., 60, 207–219, 2006.
Titschack, J., Baum, D., De Pol-Holz, R., Lopez Correa, M., Forster, N.,
Flögel, S., Hebbeln, D., and Freiwald, A.: Aggradation and carbonate
accumulation of Holocene Norwegian cold-water coral reefs, Sedimentology,
62, 1873–1898, 2015.
Tyrrell, T. and Lucas, M. I.: Geochemical evidence of denitrification in
the Benguela upwelling system, Cont. Shelf Res., 22, 2497–2511,
2002.
van Haren, H., Mienis, F., Duineveld, G. C., and Lavaleye, M. S.:
High-resolution temperature observations of a trapped nonlinear diurnal tide
influencing cold-water corals on the Logachev mounds, Prog.
Oceanogr., 125, 16–25, 2014.
van Soest, R. W., Cleary, D. F., de Kluijver, M. J., Lavaleye, M. S., Maier,
C., and van Duyl, F. C.: Sponge diversity and community composition in Irish
bathyal coral reefs, Contrib. Zool., 76, 121–142, 2007.
Wefing, A. M., Arps, J., Blaser, P., Wienberg, C., Hebbeln, D., and Frank, N.: High precision U-series dating of scleractinian cold-water corals using an automated chromatographic U and Th extraction, Chem. Geol., 475, 140–148, 2017.
Welschmeyer, N. A. and Lorenzen, C. J.: Chlorophyll budgets: Zooplankton
grazing and phytoplankton growth in a temperate fjord and the Central
Pacific Gyres1, Limnol. Oceanogr., 30, 1–21, 1985.
Wheeler, A. J., Beyer, A., Freiwald, A., De Haas, H., Huvenne, V.,
Kozachenko, M., Olu-Le Roy, K., and Opderbecke, J.: Morphology and
environment of cold-water coral carbonate mounds on the NW European margin,
Int. J. Earth Sci., 96, 37–56, 2007.
White, M., Mohn, C., de Stigter, H., and Mottram, G.: Deep-water coral
development as a function of hydrodynamics and surface productivity around
the submarine banks of the Rockall Trough, NE Atlantic, in: Cold-water
corals and ecosystems, edited by: Freiwald, A. and Roberts, J. M., Springer, Heidelberg,
503–514, 2005.
White, M., Wolff, G. A., Lundälv, T., Guihen, D., Kiriakoulakis, K.,
Lavaleye, M., and Duineveld, G.: A Freiwald, JM Roberts, Cold-water coral
ecosystem (Tisler Reef, Norwegian Shelf) may be a hotspot for carbon
cycling, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 465, 11–23, 2012.
Wienberg, C. and Titschack, J.: Framework-forming scleractinian cold-water
corals through space and time: a late Quaternary North Atlantic perspective, in: Marine Animal Forests: the Ecology
of Benthic Biodiversity Hotspots,
edited by: Rossi, S., Bramanti, L., Gori, A., and Orejas, C., Springer, 699–732, 2017.
Wienberg, C., Titschack, J., Freiwald, A., Frank, N., Lundälv, T.,
Taviani, M., Beuck, L., Schröder-Ritzrau, A., Krengel, T., and Hebbeln,
D.: The giant Mauritanian cold-water coral mound province: Oxygen control on
coral mound formation, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 185, 135–152, 2018.
Wilson, J.: “Patch” development of the deep-water coral Lophelia pertusa (L.) on Rockall
Bank, J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK,
59, 165–177, 1979.
Zabel, M., Boetius, A., Emeis, K.-C., Ferdelman, T. G., and Spieß, V.:
PROSA Process Studies in the Eastern South Atlantic, Cruise No. M76,
12–24 August 2008, Cape Town (South Africa), Walvis Bay
(Namibia), DFG Senatskommission für Ozeanographie, METEOR-Berichte,
M76, 180 pp., 2012.
Short summary
Along the Namibian and Angolan margins, low oxygen conditions do not meet environmental ranges for cold–water corals and hence are expected to be unsuitable habitats. Environmental conditions show that tidal movements deliver water with more oxygen and high–quality organic matter, suggesting that corals compensate unfavorable conditions with availability of food. With the expected expansion of oxygen minimum zones in the future, this study provides an example how ecosystems cope with extremes.
Along the Namibian and Angolan margins, low oxygen conditions do not meet environmental ranges...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint