We quantify the emissions and uptake of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane from the coastal seas of the UK over 1 year using the state-of-the-art eddy covariance technique. Our measurements show how these air–sea fluxes vary twice a day (tidal), diurnally (circadian) and seasonally. We also estimate the air–sea gas transfer velocity, which is essential for modelling and predicting coastal air-sea exchange.

Physical and biogeochemical observations from an autonomous underwater vehicle in combination with ship-based measurements are used to investigate remote and local drivers of the oxygen and nutrient variability off Mauritania. Beside the transport of oxygen and nutrients characteristics from remote areas towards Mauritania also local remineralization of organic material close to the seabed seems to be important for the distribution of oxygen and nutrients.

Dinitrogen fixation and primary production were investigated using stable isotope incubation experiments along two transects off the Western Iberian Margin in May 2014 close to the end of the phytoplankton spring bloom. We observed substantial N₂ fixation activities (up to 1533 µmol N m^-2 d^-1) associated with a predominance of unicellular cyanobacteria and non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs, which seemed to be promoted by the presence of bloom-derived organic matter and excess phosphorus.

Drivers motivating the evolution of calcifying phytoplankton are poorly understood. We explore differences in global ocean chemistry with and without calcifiers during rapid climate changes. We find the presence of phytoplankton calcifiers stabilizes the volume of low oxygen regions and consequently stabilizes the concentration of nitrate, which is an important nutrient required for photosynthesis. By stabilizing nitrate concentrations, calcifiers improve their growth conditions.

Understanding the mechanisms of OC stabilization within Mediterranean river systems could have important implications for the stability of soil carbon stocks affected by erosion. These results underline the importance of studying soil erosion, soil formation, and geomorphological processes together in semiarid and subhumid catchments, where intermittent fluvial courses are predominant. Good management of these environments will be a powerful tool for climate change mitigation.

This study explores the drivers of variation in the water colour of rivers, and hence organic carbon export, in a blanket peatland catchment. We used 6 years of weekly river water colour data (2011 to 2016) from three proximate river sub-catchments in western Ireland. in tandem with a range of topographical, hydrological and climate data, to discover the principle environmental drivers controlling changes in colour concentration in the rivers.

Organic molecules dissolved in the waters of coastal seas (DOM) are a potentially important vector for carbon transport and storage in the open ocean. DOM carbon and nitrogen concentrations from two consecutive summers in the North Sea show a strong pattern of concentrations decreasing away from land. We also observe significant differences between the years in both the DOM concentration and C : N ratios, suggesting that carbon export from shelf seas might be mediated by organic matter cycling.