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Century-scale carbon sequestration flux throughout the ocean by the biological pump
The century-scale marine sequestration flux of biogenic inorganic carbon driven by the biological pump over the whole water column may be several times higher than previous estimates.
- Florian Ricour
- , Lionel Guidi
- & Louis Legendre
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Article
| Open Access
Frequent marine heatwaves hidden below the surface of the global ocean
Substantial numbers of marine heatwaves are hidden globally below the sea surface, according to analyses of ocean temperature data.
- Di Sun
- , Furong Li
- & Bohai Zhang
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Perspective |
Biogeochemistry of Earth before exoenzymes
Exoenzymes produced by heterotrophic microorganisms early in Earth history helped unlock previously unavailable organic matter and transformed ocean geochemistry.
- Nagissa Mahmoudi
- , Andrew D. Steen
- & Kurt O. Konhauser
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Article |
Recent trends in the chemistry of major northern rivers signal widespread Arctic change
Divergent trends in biogeochemical constituents of the six largest rivers in the Arctic from 2003 to 2019 support multi-faceted changes on the Arctic landscape under global environmental change.
- Suzanne E. Tank
- , James W. McClelland
- & Robert M. Holmes
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Brief Communication
| Open Access
Glacier retreat alters downstream fjord ecosystem structure and function in Greenland
Glacier retreat in Greenland not only changes the primary productivity of downstream fjord ecosystems but also the ecosystem structure and functioning, according to seasonal sampling of two downstream fjords.
- Lorenz Meire
- , Maria Lund Paulsen
- & John Mortensen
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Brief Communication
| Open Access
Recovery from microplastic-induced marine deoxygenation may take centuries
Regional recovery from microplastic pollution-induced marine deoxygenation may take hundreds of years, according to a combination of biogeochemical and microplastic modelling.
- Karin Kvale
- & Andreas Oschlies
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Article
| Open Access
Carbon dioxide sink in the Arctic Ocean from cross-shelf transport of dense Barents Sea water
Accounting for deep, cross-shelf carbon export into the Nansen Basin increases the carbon sequestration of the Barents Sea region of the Arctic Ocean by some 30%, according to numerical modelling supported by observational data.
- Andreas Rogge
- , Markus Janout
- & Anya M. Waite
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Article
| Open Access
Declining metal availability in the Mesozoic seawater reflected in phytoplankton succession
The rise of secondary-endosymbiont-bearing algal groups—better adapted to low nutrient conditions than the green algae they supplanted—was tied to a fall in marine trace metal concentrations during the Mesozoic, according to a comparative genomic analysis.
- Qiong Zhang
- , El Mahdi Bendif
- & Rosalind E. M. Rickaby
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Article |
Basin-scale biogeochemical and ecological impacts of islands in the tropical Pacific Ocean
Tropical Pacific islands enhance phytoplankton biomass, productivity and biodiversity at both local and basin scales, according to ocean colour satellite observations used to identify island-enriched waters.
- Monique Messié
- , Anne Petrenko
- & Séverine Alvain
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Perspective |
Uncertain response of ocean biological carbon export in a changing world
A synthesis of recent work on marine carbon export fluxes finds that many processes that are key to understanding the effects of a warming climate on ocean carbon cycling are missing from current climate models.
- Stephanie A. Henson
- , Charlotte Laufkötter
- & Emma L. Cavan
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Article |
Intense upper ocean mixing due to large aggregations of spawning fish
Large groups of spawning fish can induce upper ocean mixing on the same scale as geophysical processes, according to observations of small-scale turbulence caused by anchovy spawning aggregations in a coastal upwelling area.
- Bieito Fernández Castro
- , Marian Peña
- & Beatriz Mouriño-Carballido
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Matters Arising |
Questioning High Nitrogen Fixation Rate Measurements in the Southern Ocean
- Angelicque E. White
- , Julie Granger
- & Kendra Turk-Kubo
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Article |
End-Permian marine extinction due to temperature-driven nutrient recycling and euxinia
Warming-enhanced microbial respiration can explain marine anoxia patterns across depth, a key driver of the end-Permian mass extinction, according to biogeochemical modelling and geochemical proxy records.
- Dominik Hülse
- , Kimberly V. Lau
- & Andy Ridgwell
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Article |
Sinking enhances the degradation of organic particles by marine bacteria
Faster sinking rates can enhance bacterial degradation of organic particles in the ocean due to flow-induced removal of waste products, according to laboratory experiments and modelling of the marine carbon pump.
- Uria Alcolombri
- , François J. Peaudecerf
- & Roman Stocker
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Article |
Constraint on net primary productivity of the global ocean by Argo oxygen measurements
Argo measurements provide a constrained estimate of net primary productivity of the global ocean of 53 Pg C y–1, according to a global analysis of diel oxygen variations.
- Kenneth S. Johnson
- & Mariana B. Bif
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News & Views |
Shunt or shuttle
Nutrient availability influences the susceptibility of marine primary producers to viral infection. For diatoms in iron-limited waters, reduced infection rates impact marine biogeochemical cycles by enhancing the flux of material to depth.
- Alex J. Poulton
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Article |
Impaired viral infection and reduced mortality of diatoms in iron-limited oceanic regions
Diatoms are less susceptible to viral infection in iron-limited oceans, according to metatranscriptomic analyses of diatoms and viruses in nutrient-replete and limited regions.
- Chana F. Kranzler
- , Mark A. Brzezinski
- & Kimberlee Thamatrakoln
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Article |
Glacial deep ocean deoxygenation driven by biologically mediated air–sea disequilibrium
Lower than modern dissolved oxygen levels in the deep ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum were the result of greater disequilibrium between the atmosphere and ocean, according to proxy record-constrained Earth system modelling.
- Ellen Cliff
- , Samar Khatiwala
- & Andreas Schmittner
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Article |
The role of environmental factors in the long-term evolution of the marine biological pump
Ocean temperature and atmospheric oxygen concentration are key factors in the long-term efficiency of the marine biological carbon pump, according to a mechanistic model of carbon transfer from surface waters to the deep ocean interior.
- Mojtaba Fakhraee
- , Noah J. Planavsky
- & Christopher T. Reinhard
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Article |
Abundant nitrite-oxidizing metalloenzymes in the mesopelagic zone of the tropical Pacific Ocean
Continued deoxygenation of the oceans will probably lead to enhanced demand for iron, as implied by the abundance of an iron-rich enzyme in the mesopelagic waters of the Pacific.
- Mak A. Saito
- , Matthew R. McIlvin
- & John B. Waterbury
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Article |
No state change in pelagic fish production and biodiversity during the Eocene–Oligocene transition
Marine fish biomass and diversity did not change during the Eocene–Oligocene transition despite widespread cooling and Antarctic ice sheet expansion, according to microfossil fish teeth records from a set of deep-sea cores.
- Elizabeth C. Sibert
- , Michelle E. Zill
- & Richard D. Norris
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Article |
Global picophytoplankton niche partitioning predicts overall positive response to ocean warming
Picophytoplankton are partitioned into niches, globally, and their abundance may increase as ocean temperatures rise, suggest analyses of a global abundance dataset with a neural-network-based niche model.
- Pedro Flombaum
- , Wei-Lei Wang
- & Adam C. Martiny
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Article |
Extinction intensity during Ordovician and Cenozoic glaciations explained by cooling and palaeogeography
High extinction intensity during Late Ordovician but not Cenozoic transitions to glacial conditions can be attributed to both temperature and palaeogeography, according to analysis combining climate models and simulations of virtual species.
- Erin E. Saupe
- , Huijie Qiao
- & Seth Finnegan
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Perspective |
Global-change controls on soil-carbon accumulation and loss in coastal vegetated ecosystems
Coastal vegetated ecosystems have experienced rapid changes in climate and environmental conditions. These changes have caused disturbances to the amount of carbon they store in soils by altering the decomposition process of organic carbon.
- Amanda C. Spivak
- , Jonathan Sanderman
- & Charles S. Hopkinson
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Perspective |
The role of calcification in carbonate compensation
Changes in calcification of marine organisms must be considered to explain the deepening of carbonate accumulation during ocean recovery from acidification events. According to a literature synthesis and modelling, dissolution of sedimentary carbonate is not sufficient to explain observations.
- Bernard P. Boudreau
- , Jack J. Middelburg
- & Yiming Luo
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Article |
Reduced air–sea CO2 exchange in the Atlantic Ocean due to biological surfactants
Biologically produced surfactants in the sea surface microlayer reduce air–sea exchange of CO2 in the North Atlantic Ocean, according to tank and ocean measurements.
- Ryan Pereira
- , Ian Ashton
- & Robert C. Upstill-Goddard
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Article |
Microbial decomposition of marine dissolved organic matter in cool oceanic crust
Microbe-mediated oxidation may account for at least 5% of the global dissolved organic carbon loss from the deep ocean, according to carbon isotope analyses on cool crustal fluids circulating through the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
- Sunita R. Shah Walter
- , Ulrike Jaekel
- & Peter R. Girguis
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Review Article |
Influence of diatom diversity on the ocean biological carbon pump
Size, morphology, silica content and life cycle of diatoms affect their contribution to the export of carbon to the deep ocean, suggests a literature review.
- Paul Tréguer
- , Chris Bowler
- & Philippe Pondaven
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Article |
Biological and physical influences on marine snowfall at the equator
Vertical migration of organisms and deep currents control the transport and characteristics of particles at the equator, according to an analysis of current and particle measurements. Particles fluxes are an important part of the ocean carbon cycle.
- R. Kiko
- , A. Biastoch
- & L. Stemmann
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Correspondence |
Biodiversity loss from deep-sea mining
- C. L. Van Dover
- , J. A. Ardron
- & P. P. E. Weaver
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Article |
Carbon sequestration in the deep Atlantic enhanced by Saharan dust
Dust-borne nutrients can enhance productivity in the surface ocean. Two years of sediment trap data reveal that dust enhances carbon export to depth by increasing surface nitrogen fixation, productivity and carbon sinking rates in the North Atlantic.
- Katsiaryna Pabortsava
- , Richard S. Lampitt
- & E. Malcolm S. Woodward
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News & Views |
Polar merry-go-round
The dynamics of polar marine ecosystems are poorly understood. A laser-based space-borne sensor captures annual cycles of phytoplankton biomass in seasonally ice-free polar waters, and provides clues on how growth drives these cycles.
- Marcel Babin
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Article |
Annual boom–bust cycles of polar phytoplankton biomass revealed by space-based lidar
Phytoplankton productivity is high in the polar oceans. Lidar observations from 2006–2015 reveal that phytoplankton biomass was characterized by annual cycles influenced by sea-ice extent in the Antarctic and ecological processes in the Arctic.
- Michael J. Behrenfeld
- , Yongxiang Hu
- & Amy Jo Scarino
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Article |
Competitive fitness of a predominant pelagic calcifier impaired by ocean acidification
Ocean acidification can affect growth and calcification rates of calcifying phytoplankton. Mesocosm experiments reveal that acidification can also cause declines in population size and inhibit bloom formation.
- Ulf Riebesell
- , Lennart T. Bach
- & Kai G. Schulz
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Progress Article |
Substantial role of macroalgae in marine carbon sequestration
Marine macroalgae are dominant primary producers in coastal zones. A review of the published literature suggests that macroalgae may play an important role in carbon sequestration.
- Dorte Krause-Jensen
- & Carlos M. Duarte
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Letter |
Partial decoupling of primary productivity from upwelling in the California Current system
Eastern boundary coastal upwelling systems are locations of high ocean productivity. Numerical simulations reveal that wind alters current- and eddy-driven nutrient supply, which affects net primary productivity in the California Current system.
- Lionel Renault
- , Curtis Deutsch
- & François Colas
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Letter |
Acceleration of oxygen decline in the tropical Pacific over the past decades by aerosol pollutants
Dissolved oxygen in the mid-depth tropical Pacific Ocean has declined. Simulations with a combination of atmosphere and ocean models suggest that anthropogenic pollution can interact and amplify climate-driven impacts on ocean biogeochemistry.
- T. Ito
- , A. Nenes
- & C. Deutsch
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News & Views |
Phytoplankton in a witch's brew
Natural seafloor hydrocarbon seeps are responsible for roughly half of the oil released into the ocean. As these oils and gases rise to the surface, they transport nutrients upwards, benefiting phytoplankton in the upper sunlit layer.
- Michael Behrenfeld
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Letter |
Enhanced Southern Ocean marine productivity due to fertilization by giant icebergs
Nutrient input from icebergs can fertilize productivity in the ocean. Ten years of satellite measurements reveal that giant icebergs could be responsible for up to 20% of carbon export to depth in the Southern Ocean.
- Luis P. A. M. Duprat
- , Grant R. Bigg
- & David J. Wilton
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News & Views |
Life in the deepest depths
Deep abyssal clay sediments in organic-poor regions of the ocean present challenging conditions for life. Techniques for identifying cells at extremely low concentrations demonstrate that aerobic microbes are found throughout these deep clays in as much of 37% of the global ocean.
- Beth N. Orcutt
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Letter |
Carbonate counter pump stimulated by natural iron fertilization in the Polar Frontal Zone
The release of carbon dioxide during biological carbonate production counters carbon uptake by phytoplankton. The carbon chemistry of sinking particles in the Southern Ocean suggests that iron availability stimulates this carbonate counter pump.
- Ian Salter
- , Ralf Schiebel
- & George A. Wolff
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Letter |
The rise and fall of methanotrophy following a deepwater oil-well blowout
The blowout of the Macondo oil well in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 injected up to 500,000 tonnes of natural gas, mainly methane, into the deep sea. Spatially extensive measurements of methane dynamics in the months following the spill reveal a rapid rise and fall in the microbial consumption of methane.
- M. Crespo-Medina
- , C. D. Meile
- & S. B. Joye
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Article |
Contribution of sea surface carbon pool to organic matter enrichment in sea spray aerosol
Breaking waves on the ocean surface generate air bubbles that yield sea spray aerosols when released to the atmosphere. Measurements of sea spray aerosols in the North Atlantic Ocean and the coastal waters of California suggest that the surface water organic carbon reservoir is responsible for the organic carbon enrichment of freshly emitted sea spray aerosol.
- Patricia K. Quinn
- , Timothy S. Bates
- & D. J. Kieber
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News & Views |
Methylmercury manufacture
The neurotoxin methylmercury can accumulate in marine food webs, contaminating seafood. An analysis of the isotopic composition of fish in the North Pacific suggests that much of the mercury that enters the marine food web originates from low-oxygen subsurface waters.
- Daniel Cossa
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Review Article |
Impact of Arctic meltdown on the microbial cycling of sulphur
The Arctic is warming faster than any other region in the world. The resultant large-scale shift in sea ice cover could increase oceanic emissions of dimethylsulphide, a climate-relevant trace gas generated by ice algae and phytoplankton.
- M. Levasseur
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Review Article |
Microbial control of the dark end of the biological pump
The flux of carbon out of the ocean surface is not sufficient to meet the energy demands of microbes in the dark ocean. A review of the literature suggests that non-sinking particles and microbes that convert inorganic carbon into organic matter could help to meet this deep-ocean energy demand.
- Gerhard J. Herndl
- & Thomas Reinthaler
Globally limited but severe shallow-shelf euxinia during the end-Triassic extinction
Twilight budget in balance
Ice loss and ocean life