Article
Environmental Sciences
Imants G. Priede, Frank E. Muller-Karger, Tomasz Niedzielski, Andrey V. Gebruk, Daniel O. B. Jones, Ana Colaco
Summary: This study examines the main drivers that may increase biomass and biodiversity of non-chemosynthetic benthic megafauna in the lower bathyal of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The findings suggest that primary production in surface waters is not significantly different between the MAR and abyssal regions, but the quantity of organic matter reaching the sea floor is higher on the MAR due to shorter vertical transport distance. Depth variation, substrate heterogeneity, and the presence of a biogeographic overlap zone also contribute to increased biodiversity. However, more intensive biological sampling is urgently needed in the proposed mining areas south of the Azores.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Luis M. D. Barcelos, Joao Pedro Barreiros
Summary: This article discusses the last update on Pinniped species in 2010, which was part of the list of terrestrial and marine biota from the Azores. The list includes a dedicated chapter on marine mammals based on previously published bibliography. While no new species were added, there have been new occurrences since the last update.
BIODIVERSITY DATA JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Regis Santos, Wendell Medeiros-Leal, Ana Novoa-Pabon, Helder Silva, Mario Pinho
Summary: Seamount fish communities in the Azores, an oceanic seamount ecosystem area in the NE Atlantic, show taxonomic diversity and are influenced primarily by spatial factors such as depth. With increasing fishing pressure, certain demersal fish species have shown a decline in abundance and size, emphasizing the vulnerability of these populations to overexploitation.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Munawar Khalil, Steve S. Doo, Marleen Stuhr, Hildegard Westphal
Summary: Ocean acidification and ocean warming affect the mineralogy and microstructure of starfish skeleton, with temperature being the major factor for magnesium content and pCO(2) having a more significant impact on skeletal microstructures.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joao Faria, Afonso C. L. Prestes, Ignacio Moreu, Eva Cacabelos, Gustavo M. Martins
Summary: The study on the impact of Rugulopteryx okamurae on the structure of shallow-water marine benthic communities in Sa similar to o Miguel island found that its highly invasive nature led to significant decreases in species richness and natural variability, and caused dramatic reductions in the abundances of corticated algae and corticated foliose algae, among other algae species.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Pingchuan Tan, Asbjorn Johan Breivik
Summary: This study investigates the geological features and volcanic activity of the Logi Ridge, finding that the ridge has a thick crust and the melting process is mainly influenced by enriched mantle rather than high mantle temperature.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2022)
Article
Oceanography
Diya Das, Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Irusta, Telmo Morato, Laurence Fauconnet, Diana Catarino, Pedro Afonso, Claudia Viegas, Luis Rodrigues, Gui Menezes, Alexandra Rosa, Mario Rui Rilho Pinho, Helder Marques da Silva, Eva Giacomello
Summary: Elasmobranchs inhabiting depths beyond 200 m are at high risk of overexploitation, but little information is available for management strategies in the deep sea. This study used over 20 years of data to model the spatial distribution of 15 species of deep-sea elasmobranchs in the Azores Archipelago, and proposed using depth, area, and gear-based tactics to reduce unwanted catches.
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Coleen C. Suckling, Max D. Zavell, Anna L. Byczynski, Brian T. Takeda
Summary: The global demand for sea urchin as seafood is currently unmet. This study examines the market potential of the unexploited Arbacia punctulata, and finds that manipulating the diet can increase gonad mass and alter color. Further research on the market potential of A. punctulata is warranted.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Erik van Sebille, Erik Zettler, Nicolas Wienders, Linda Amaral-Zettler, Shane Elipot, Rick Lumpkin
Summary: An analysis of two types of surface drifters deployed in the Tropical Atlantic Ocean revealed that undrogued drifters separate more slowly than drogued drifters, and are more likely to enter the Caribbean Sea. The study also found that a novel ocean currents product did not clearly simulate the drifters, highlighting the need for further improvements in hydrodynamic models for Sargassum drift forecasting in the region.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
D. S. Dukhovskoy, I. Yashayaev, E. P. Chassignet, P. G. Myers, G. Platov, A. Proshutinsky
Summary: The impact of increasing Greenland freshwater discharge on the subpolar North Atlantic requires decades to adjust, with long-lasting freshwater discharge leading to a non-steady-state response in the region.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Leishan Jiang, Tim Li
Summary: The tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature anomaly is influenced by two dominant modes: basin-warming mode and meridional dipole mode, affecting the following winter's climate. The basin-warming mode induces a La Nina through Kelvin wave response and wind-evaporation-SST-convection feedback, while the dipole mode has little impact. Studies show that the differences in these modes play a role in the development of ENSO events in the Pacific Ocean.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Helena C. Frazao, Ralf D. Prien, Detlef E. Schulz-Bull, Dan Seidov, Joanna J. Waniek
Summary: The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the Gulf Stream have been at their weakest state since the last millennium. The consequences of this weakness in the Northeast Atlantic are still unknown. However, the slowdown of the Gulf Stream in previous decades and in recent years may have led to a delayed weakening of the Azores Current. The migration of the Azores Front in response to changes in the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and ocean heat content also plays a role in this phenomenon. The dynamics of the Gulf Stream, AMOC, and Azores Current are closely connected on decadal and longer time scales.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Neus Campanya-Llovet, Amanda E. Bates, Daphne Cuvelier, Eva Giacomello, Diana Catarino, Andrew J. Gooday, Bjorn Berning, Blanca Figuerola, Manuel A. E. Malaquias, Carlos J. Moura, Joana R. Xavier, Tracey T. Sutton, Laurence Fauconnet, Sofia P. Ramalho, Barbara De Moura Neves, Gui M. Machado, Tammy Horton, Andrey V. Gebruk, Kirill Minin, Joel Bried, Tina Molodtsova, Monica A. Silva, Anna Dilman, Antonina Kremenetskaia, Eudriano F. S. Costa, Jameson Clarke, Helen R. Martins, Christopher K. Pham, Marina Carreiro-Silva, Ana Colaco
Summary: Trait-based approaches have become increasingly popular in the scientific community, providing insights into species vulnerability and ecosystem functioning. The FUN Azores trait database, developed collaboratively by 30 researchers, represents a comprehensive assessment of diverse fauna in the Azores Marine Park. The database covers 14 traits for 1,210 species, highlighting gaps in knowledge related to species behavior and life history. The functional maps generated from the database reveal different distribution patterns among size classes and provide a basis for ecological understanding of the marine park.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Franz Philip Tuchen, Renellys C. Perez, Gregory R. Foltz, Peter Brandt, Rick Lumpkin
Summary: Tropical Instability Waves (TIWs) are the dominant source of intraseasonal variability in the central equatorial Atlantic and play a crucial role in redistributing heat in the upper ocean. A study using multidecadal records of various oceanic variables has shown a long-term intensification of intraseasonal variability, particularly due to increased TIW activity. This pattern is driven by enhanced barotropic energy conversion from the covariance of horizontal current fluctuations.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Vittorio Zanon, Rita Silva, Catarina Goulart
Summary: The Azores region is made up of volcanic islands and seamounts located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The deepest magma accumulation zone has been identified using CO2-rich fluid inclusions barometry and seismicity analysis. This zone represents the boundary between magma systems and the lithospheric mantle. Repeated mafic magma injections have resulted in thickening of the crust over time.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY
(2023)