Developed for the Gulf of Mexico (2006–2020), a 3D hydrodynamic–biogeochemical model validated against in situ data reveals the impact of nutrients and plankton diversity on dissolved oxygen dynamics. It highlights the role of physical processes, sediment oxygen consumption, and nutrient distribution in shaping bottom oxygen levels and hypoxia. The model underscores the importance of complex plankton interactions for understanding primary production and hypoxia evolution.

This paper investigates the water and CO₂ exchange for an alfalfa field with observations and a model with spatial scales ranging from the stomata to the atmospheric boundary layer. To relate the environmental factors to the leaf gas exchange, we developed three equations that quantify how many of the temporal changes of the leaf gas exchange occur due to changes in the environmental variables. The novelty of the research resides in the capacity to dissect the dynamics of the leaf gas exchange.

Gross primary productivity (GPP) describes the photosynthetic carbon assimilation, which plays a vital role in the carbon cycle. We can measure GPP locally, but producing larger and continuous estimates is challenging. Here, we present an approach to extrapolate GPP to a global scale using satellite imagery and automated machine learning. We benchmark different models and predictor variables and achieve an estimate that can capture 75 % of the variation in GPP.

Phytoplankton play a crucial role in marine ecosystems. However, climate change's impact on phytoplankton biomass remains uncertain, particularly in the Southern Ocean. In this region, phytoplankton biomass within the water column is likely to remain stable in response to climate change, as supported by models. This stability arises from a shallower mixed layer, favoring phytoplankton growth but also increasing zooplankton grazing due to phytoplankton concentration near the surface.

The structure of plankton communities is central to global cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and other elements. This study explored the sensitivity of different assumptions about highest-predator mortality in ecosystem models with contrasting food web structures. In the context of environmental data, we find support for models assuming a density-dependent mortality of the highest predator, irrespective of assumed food web structure.

We present coherence and time lags in spectral response of three vegetation types in the European temperate zone to the influencing meteorological factors and teleconnection indices for the period 2002–2022. Vegetation condition in broadleaved forest, coniferous forest and pastures was measured with MODIS NDVI and EVI, and the coherence between NDVI and EVI and meteorological elements was described using the methods of wavelet coherence and Pearson’s linear correlation with time lag.

We report taxon-specific biogeography of N₂-fixing microbes (diazotrophs) driven by Kuroshio intrusion (Kl) into the South China Sea. We show that the composition and distribution of distinct diazotrophic taxa shift with Kl-induced variations in physicochemical parameters of seawater and that Kl shapes diazotrophic community primarily as a stochastic process. This study thus has implications for the distribution of diazotrophs in a future warming ocean, as Kls are projected to intensify.

Seafloor sediments store a large amount of carbon, helping to naturally regulate Earth's climate. If disturbed, some sediment particles can turn into CO₂, but this effect is not well understood. Using computer simulations, we found that bottom-contacting fishing gears release about 1 million tons of CO₂ per year in the North Sea, one of the most heavily fished regions globally. We show how protecting certain areas could reduce these emissions while also benefitting seafloor-living animals.

Water status is an important control factor on sustainability of Arctic permafrost soils, including production and transport of carbon. We compared a drained permafrost ecosystem with a natural control area, investigating water levels, thaw depths, and lateral water flows. We found that shifts in water levels following drainage affected soil water availability and that lateral transport patterns were of major relevance. Understanding these shifts is crucial for future carbon budget studies.

Adsorption/desorption incubations were conducted with tidal marsh soils to understand the differential sorption behavior of colored vs. noncolored dissolved organic carbon. The wetland soils varied in organic content, and a range of salinities of fresh to 35 was used. Soils primarily adsorbed colored organic carbon and desorbed noncolored organic carbon. Sorption capacity increased with salinity, implying that salinity variations may shift composition of dissolved carbon in tidal marsh waters.

Phosphomonoesterase (PME) and phosphodiesterase (PDE) activities over the epipelagic zone are described in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in winter and autumn. The types of concentration kinetics obtained for PDE (saturation at 50 µM, high Km, high turnover times) compared to those of PME (saturation at 1 µM, low Km, low turnover times) are discussed in regard to the possible inequal distribution of PDE and PME in the size continuum of organic material and accessibility to phosphodiesters.

Plant functional traits have been considered as reflecting adaptations to environmental variations, indirectly affecting ecosystem productivity. How soil acidification affects above- and belowground biomass by altering leaf and root traits remains poorly understood. We found divergent trait responses driven by soil environmental conditions in two dominant species, resulting in a decrease in aboveground biomass and an increase in belowground biomass.