Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David Belanger, Patrick Gagnon
Summary: The study quantified the variability in structural complexity and biodiversity of a subarctic Lithothamnion glaciale rhodolith bed over 9 months and at two sites. The research showed that the unconsolidated rhodolith framework is spatially heterogeneous but provides a temporally stable habitat for abundant and highly diverse macrofauna. Specific habitat components, such as large bivalve shells, affect rhodolith morphology and resident macrofauna, with non-nucleated rhodoliths hosting higher macrofaunal density, biomass, and diversity than shell-nucleated rhodoliths.
Article
Ecology
Valentina Alice Bracchi, Giulia Piazza, Daniela Basso
Summary: Recent research on the mechanism and pattern of calcification in coralline algae has led to contradictory conclusions. While some evidence suggests a biologically controlled calcification process, others interpret it as biologically induced by environmental variables.
Article
Ecology
David Belanger, Patrick Gagnon
Summary: The study showed that growth of subarctic rhodoliths is mainly controlled by irradiance, with temperature effects possibly overriding irradiance during the coldest months of the year. Rhodoliths at 25 m appeared to utilize light nearly twice as efficiently as rhodoliths at 15 m, enabling similar growth at both depths despite the lower irradiance at 25 m. Subarctic L. glaciale rhodoliths are resilient to changes in sea temperature over a relatively broad range, showing sustained growth even at temperatures above those normally observed during most of the year in Newfoundland coastal waters.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Irina V. Beregovaya, Irina S. Tretyakova, Vsevolod I. Borovkov
Summary: The primary radical cations in irradiated carbonates are rapidly deprotonated, while solvent-related radical cationic species with a longer lifetime are also formed. A quantum chemical model of carbonate ionization reconciles these conflicting data. The loss of an electron from dimeric associates in solution is shown to explain these processes, suggesting a revision of the traditional conceptualization of ionization events for polar aprotic liquids.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Joel P. Younger, Iain M. Reid, Chris L. Adami, Chris M. Hall, Masaki Tsutsumi
Summary: In the summer of 2020, a 31 MHz meteor radar in Svalbard was used to observe polar mesospheric echoes (PMSEs), with a focus on characterizing the atmosphere in the PMSE region. The radar's all-sky functionality enabled the detection of PMSE layers across a wide field of view. Comparison with a 53.5 MHz narrow-beam MST radar showed good agreement in layer morphology and Doppler spectra of PMSE layers revealed fine structure and movement patterns.
ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Max Wisshak, Neele Meyer, Piotr Kuklinski, Andres Ruggeberg, Andre Freiwald
Summary: The study found that calcifier diversity and bioerosion activity are higher in the rhodolith bed compared to adjacent aphotic waters, but these differences are not statistically significant. Despite some differences in depth and substrate structure, sediment coverage, carbonate formation rate, and bioerosion rate are significantly higher in the rhodolith bed.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Jianjun Xue, David H. Bromwich, Ziniu Xiao, Lesheng Bai
Summary: The study investigated the impacts of initial conditions and model configuration on the simulations of polar lows near Svalbard, finding that high-resolution initial conditions are crucial for successful simulations. Assimilating both satellite radiance and synoptic data yielded the best performance in simulating polar lows.
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Sajjad A. Akam, Elizabeth D. Swanner, Hongming Yao, Wei-Li Hong, Jorn Peckmann
Summary: Precipitation of methane-derived authigenic carbonates (MDAC) is an important part of marine methane production and consumption. MDAC formation is the result of carbon-sulfur (C-S) coupling in shallow sulfatic zones and carbon-silicon (C-Si) coupling in deeper methanic sediments. MDAC plays a significant role in carbon sequestration and benthic alkalinity sink, contributing to the global biogeochemical cycles.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Oceanography
Frank Nilsen, Eli Anne Ersdal, Ragnheid Skogseth
Summary: The study reveals that the variability in the Spitsbergen Polar Current and Svalbard Branch is influenced by sea surface pressure gradients and wind stress, resulting in peak transport variability and positive heat transport anomalies. An increase in winter cyclones is likely to bring more pulses of warm water into the shelf areas north of Svalbard.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rodrigo Tomazetto de Carvalho, Gustavo Miranda Rocha, Claudia Santiago Karez, Ricardo da Gama Bahia, Renato Crespo Pereira, Alex Cardoso Bastos, Leonardo Tavares Salgado
Summary: Coralline algae in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean are mainly composed of high-Mg calcite, with a higher mean Mg-substitution rate compared to global averages, making them more susceptible to dissolution caused by ocean acidification. Additionally, there were no similarities in skeletal mineralogy between different taxonomic groups and sampling regions.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Siddarthan Venkatachalam, Vatharamattathil Mohanan Kannan, Vadakke Neelamanakesavan Saritha, Dinesh Sanka Loganathachetti, Mahesh Mohan, Kottekkatu Padinchati Krishnan
Summary: The study investigated the bacterial diversity and community structure of the Midtre Love?nbreen glacier foreland ecosystem, revealing significant differences in bacterial diversity and distribution between samples from different deglaciation periods. 121 Operational Taxonomic Units were identified as contributing to the differences in community diversity between groups. Environmental variables such as pH, Cr, Cd, and Ca significantly influenced the differences in bacterial community structure.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Geology
Ian J. Fairchild, Huiming Bao, Richard J. Windmill, Ian Boomer
Summary: Two cap carbonates overlying Cryogenian panglacial deposits are found in North-East Svalbard, providing insights into the sedimentation process and the O-17 depletion event as well as the presence of ultra-high pCO(2) during the deposition of the cap carbonates.
DEPOSITIONAL RECORD
(2023)
Article
Geology
Marco Brandano, Laura Tomassetti, Stefania Puce
Summary: This study focuses on carbonate factories in the Pietra di Finale Fm in the Ligurian Alps. The carbonate factories in the coastal wedge of Pietra di Finale differ from those in coastal mixed systems and carbonate platforms elsewhere in the Mediterranean. Some features, such as seagrass meadows and coral bioconstructions, are absent in the euphotic carbonate factory. Stylasterids are abundant but their deep-water interpretation contradicts the absence of low-energy textures and other skeletal components, suggesting a shallow-water origin.
Article
Geology
V. Paul Wright
Summary: During the Aptian (Cretaceous) period, a vast hyper-alkaline lake system developed in what is now the South Atlantic, forming the largest chemogenic carbonate factory in the Phanerozoic geological record. Current evidence suggests that almost all of the carbonate in this system was chemically precipitated from hyper-alkaline, shallow lake waters, possibly through evaporation. The carbonate components are mainly crystal shrubs and spherulites, associated with Mg silicates (clays) that significantly influenced their texture and diagenesis. The source of the carbonate was likely from alteration of mafic rocks and older continental basement. The dissolution of clays contributed to the porosity of these carbonates, hosting multi-billion barrel oil fields.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
E. Shamrikova, O. G. Shevchenko, E. Zhangurov, M. A. Korolev
Summary: The increase in global air temperatures and climate aridization, related to climate change, have contributed to the degradation of soil organic matter essential for ecosystems in cold and humid environments. Mountain systems in high-latitude areas may be more vulnerable to temperature increases compared to plains due to higher soil drainage and solar irradiation. Studying the biochemical processes that preserve biomolecules of organic residues in these environments is crucial, as there is currently no established theory on sources of soil antioxidant activity and its mechanisms.
Article
Biology
Max Wisshak, Neele Meyer, Piotr Kuklinski, Andres Ruggeberg, Andre Freiwald
Summary: The study found that calcifier diversity and bioerosion activity are higher in the rhodolith bed compared to adjacent aphotic waters, but these differences are not statistically significant. Despite some differences in depth and substrate structure, sediment coverage, carbonate formation rate, and bioerosion rate are significantly higher in the rhodolith bed.
Biographical-Item
Paleontology
Max Wisshak, Dirk Knaust, Lothar H. Vallon, Andrew K. Rindsberg
ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Leon Hoffman, Andre Freiwald
Summary: This article reviews the species of the genus Talassia in the upper bathyal depth range of the Atlantic Ocean, proposing four new species and comparing them with other related species. The study shows regional differences in the shape and sculpture of the protoconch among the Talassia species.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF TAXONOMY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katharina Teschke, Casper Kraan, Paul Kloss, Henrike Andresen, Jan Beermann, Dario Fiorentino, Manuela Gusky, Miriam L. S. Hansen, Rebecca Konijnenberg, Roland Koppe, Hendrik Pehlke, Dieter Piepenburg, Tawfik Sabbagh, Alexa Wrede, Thomas Brey, Jennifer Dannheim
Summary: CRITTERBASE is a publicly accessible data warehouse and interactive portal that hosts marine biota data in various formats and sources. It aims to facilitate scientific analysis and long-term utilization through quality control and taxonomic standardization.
Article
Zoology
Michael L. Zettler, Ed A. Hendrycks, Andre Freiwald
Summary: A new species of pontogeneiid amphipod, Dautzenbergia concavipalma sp. nov., was discovered from cold-water corals off Angola. This study provides a detailed description and comparison with known species of the genus, as well as a key to Dautzenbergia species.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Matthias Cazorla Correa, Sebastian Teichert, Federica Ragazzola, Salvador Cazorla Vazquez, Felix B. Engel, Katrin Hurle, Claudio Mazzoli, Piotr Kuklinski, Giancarlo Raiteri, Chiara Lombardi
Summary: This study investigates the characteristics of CCA (Crustose Coralline Algae) in Terra Nova, Ross Sea, Antarctica. The red alga Tethysphytum antarticum is examined for its skeletal architecture, mineralogical and geochemical composition, and taxonomic classification. Molecular genetics analysis confirms that T. antarcticum is a perfect match. The study also provides new diagnostic details for the reproductive organs of the alga and reveals a high-Mg calcite composition in the skeletal parts.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Soeren Brandt, Paul Wassmann, Dieter Piepenburg
Summary: This study assesses the changes in climate-driven impacts on Arctic marine ecosystems from 2011 to 2021. The majority of impacts reported in 2011 have been confirmed as continuing trends, and new footprints such as behavioral changes and altered competition have been described. The observed footprints suggest that Arctic seas will likely experience increasing species richness in the future, but also a decline in Arctic-endemic species due to ocean warming and acidification.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Giovanni Sanna, Janina V. V. Buescher, Andre Freiwald
Summary: This study compares the structural differences between cold-water corals and offshore corals using 3D scanning technology and finds that cold-water corals have higher volume compactness and surface complexity. The study also reveals that the structure of cold-water corals is influenced by current speed, while surface complexity is not significantly affected by current speed.
Article
Biology
Alexmar Cordova-Gonzalez, Daniel Birgel, Max Wisshak, Tim Urich, Florian Brinkmann, Yann Marcon, Gerhard Bohrmann, Joern Peckmann
Summary: Methane seeps lead to the formation of carbonate corrosion surfaces and secondary porosity, likely caused by microbial carbonate dissolution. This study conducted a carbonate corrosion experiment in the REGAB Pockmark, Gabon-Congo-Angola passive margin, and found a new type of microbioerosion on marble cubes exposed to active seepage. The biofilms on the bioeroded marble were mainly composed of aerobic methanotrophic bacteria, specifically the uncultured Hyd24-01 clade, suggesting that they are the main drivers of carbonate dissolution.
Article
Paleontology
Max Wisshak, Simon Schneider, Radek Mikulas, Sebastian Richiano, Fran Ramil, Mark A. Wilson
Summary: The fossil record reveals the existence of bioclaustration structures formed around (epi)symbionts during growth of molluscan shells. Four morphologies, previously considered bioerosion traces, are united under the revised cecidogenus Rodocanalis. These structures include simple linear grooves, distally ramifying grooves, irregular networks of grooves, and regular reticulate networks. The symbiotic relationship between the molluscan host and the hydrozoan symbiont is considered mutualistic, with the hydrozoan benefiting from the host's feeding current or food debris and the molluscan host benefiting from the defensive capability of the hydrozoan's cnidocysts.
PAPERS IN PALAEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geology
Phyllis Mono, Rene Hoffmann, Max Wisshak, Stephen W. Lokier, Chelsea L. Pederson, Dominik Hennhoefer, Mara R. Diaz, Peter K. Swart, Gernot Nehrke, Adrian Immenhauser
Summary: This study presents an in-depth examination of microbial bioerosion features of Holocene ooids from two locations, the Schooner Cays ooid shoals and the Shalil al Ud ooid shoals. The study finds no significant differences in ooid characteristics between the two locations and identifies the presence of various microendolithic borings. The study also proposes a four-stage model for ooid formation and highlights the importance of understanding the role of bioerosion in ooid degradation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jose Antonio Caballero Herrera, Leon Hoffman, Andre Freiwald, Serge Gofas
Summary: This study examines the molluscan fauna of the South Azorean Seamount Chain (SASC) and finds a high level of endemism within the area, with 22.5% of species being unique to the SASC. The study also reveals different larval development types among the species, including planktotrophic larvae and direct developers. The findings suggest a strong relationship between the SASC and the temperate Eastern Atlantic.
MARINE BIODIVERSITY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Robin Fentimen, Eline Feenstra, Andres Ruggeberg, Efraim Hall, Valentin Rime, Torsten Vennemann, Irka Hajdas, Antonietta Rosso, David Van Rooij, Thierry Adatte, Hendrik Vogel, Norbert Frank, Anneleen Foubert
Summary: This study provides a detailed reconstruction of cold-water coral mound build-up within the East Melilla Coral Province (southeastern Alboran Sea) over the last 300 kyr. The investigation reveals that mound build-up occurred during both interglacial and glacial periods, with average aggradation rates ranging between 1 and 10 cm kyr(-1). Coral growth during this time period was influenced by stressful environmental conditions.
CLIMATE OF THE PAST
(2022)
