Absolute abundances of benthic foraminifers and stable isotopes from the Alvin dives 3709-3712

The presence of gas hydrates on the Blake Ridge diapir, northeastern Atlantic Ocean, offers an opportunity to study the impact of methane seepage on the ecology and geochemistry of benthic foraminifera in the late Holocene. Three push cores, covering a time span of ~ 1000 yrs, were retrieved from three distinct microhabitats at the top of the diapir at a water depth of ~ 2150 m: (i) sediments away from seepage (control core), (ii) sediments overlain by clusters of methanotrophic and thiotrophic bivalves, and (iii) chemoautotrophic microbial mats. The foraminiferal assemblages at the two seep sites are marked by a reduction in benthic foraminiferal species diversity, coupled with a near-absence of agglutinated species. However, an opportunistic population rise in CH4- or H2S-tolerant calcareous species (e.g., Globocassidulina subglobosa and Cassidulina laevigata) that utilize the abundant trophic resources at the seeps has led to an increase in the overall assemblage density there. The delta18O and delta13C values of three species of benthic foraminifera - Gyroidinoides laevigatus, Globocassidulina subglobosa, and Uvigerina peregrina - and the planktonic species Globorotalia menardii were acquired from all three cores. The benthic species from methane seeps yield delta13C values of 0.1 to - 4.2 (per mil VPDB), that are distinctly more 13C-depleted relative to the delta13C of 0.4 to - 1.0 (per mil VPDB) at the control (off seep) site. The species from a mussel-bed site exhibit more negative delta13C values than those from microbial mats, possibly reflecting different food sources and higher rate of anaerobic oxidation of methane. The positive delta13C values in the paired planktonic species suggest that authigenic carbonate precipitation did not overprint the observed 13C depletions. Hence the probable cause of negative delta13C of benthic foraminifera is primary calcification from Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) containing mixed carbon fractions from (a) highly 13C-depleted, microbially-oxidized methane and (b) a seawater source.

Nematode absolute densities and genus counts from four stations near the Antarctic Peninsula, collected with a multicorer device during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XXIX/3 in January-March 2013

Marine free-living nematode communities were studied at similar depths (~500m) at two sides of the Antarctic Peninsula, characterised by different environmental and oceanographic conditions. At the Weddell Sea side, benthic communities are influenced by cold deep-water formation and seasonal sea-ice conditions, whereas the Drake Passage side experiences milder oceanic conditions and strong dynamics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Surface primary productivity contrasted with observed benthic pigment patterns and varied according to the area studied: chlorophyll a concentrations (as a proxy for primary production) were high in the Weddell Sea sediments, but low in the surface waters above; this pattern was reversed in the Drake Passage. Differences between areas were largely mirrored by the nematode communities: nematode densities peaked in Weddell stations and showed deeper vertical occurrence in the sediment, associated with deeper penetration of chlorophyll a. Generic composition did not differ markedly between both areas, but rather showed distinct community shifts with depth in the sediment.

dD values of C31 n-alkane (dD wax) from sediment core GeoB9501-4 offshore the Northwest African Sahel

Various studies have demonstrated that the stable hydrogen isotopic composition (dD) of terrestrial leaf waxes tracks that of precipitation (dDprecip) both spatially across climate gradients and over a range of different timescales. Yet, reconstructed estimates of dDprecip and corresponding rainfall typically remain largely qualitative, due mainly to uncertainties in plant ecosystem net fractionation, relative humidity, and the stability of the amount effect through time. Here we present dD values of the C31n-alkane (dDwax) from a marine sediment core offshore the Northwest (NW) African Sahel covering the past 100 years and overlapping with the instrumental record of rainfall. We use this record to investigate whether accurate, quantitative estimates of past rainfall can be derived from our dDwax time series. We infer the composition of vegetation (C3/C4) within the continental catchment area by analysis of the stable carbon isotopic composition of the same compounds (d13Cwax), calculated a net ecosystem fractionation factor, and corrected the dDwax time series accordingly to derive dDprecip. Using the present-day relationship between dDprecip and the amount of precipitation in the tropics, we derive quantitative estimates of past precipitation amounts. Our data show that (a) vegetation composition can be inferred from d13Cwax, (b) the calculated net ecosystem fractionation represents a reasonable estimate, and (c) estimated total amounts of rainfall based on dDwax correspond to instrumental records of rainfall. Our study has important implications for future studies aiming to reconstruct rainfall based on dDwax; the combined data presented here demonstrate that it is feasible to infer absolute rainfall amounts from sedimentary dDwax in tandem with d13Cwax in specific depositional settings.

Geochemical analyses and Delta47 values in shallow water corals

Geochemical variations in shallow water corals provide a valuable archive of paleoclimatic information. However, biological effects can complicate the interpretation of these proxies, forcing their application to rely on empirical calibrations. Carbonate clumped isotope thermometry (Delta47) is a novel paleotemperature proxy based on the temperature dependent "clumping" of 13C-18O bonds. Similar ?47-temperature relationships in inorganically precipitated calcite and a suite of biogenic carbonates provide evidence that carbonate clumped isotope variability may record absolute temperature without a biological influence. However, large departures from expected values in the winter growth of a hermatypic coral provided early evidence for possible Delta47 vital effects. Here, we present the first systematic survey of Delta47 in shallow water corals. Sub-annual Red Sea Delta47 in two Porites corals shows a temperature dependence similar to inorganic precipitation experiments, but with a systematic offset toward higher Delta47 values that consistently underestimate temperature by ~8 °C. Additional analyses of Porites, Siderastrea, Astrangia and Caryophyllia corals argue against a number of potential mechanisms as the leading cause for this apparent Delta47 vital effect including: salinity, organic matter contamination, alteration during sampling, the presence or absence of symbionts, and interlaboratory differences in analytical protocols. However, intra- and inter-coral comparisons suggest that the deviation from expected Delta47 increases with calcification rate. Theoretical calculations suggest this apparent link with calcification rate is inconsistent with pH-dependent changes in dissolved inorganic carbon speciation and with kinetic effects associated with CO2 diffusion into the calcifying space. However, the link with calcification rate may be related to fractionation during the hydration/hydroxylation of CO2 within the calcifying space. Although the vital effects we describe will complicate the interpretation of Delta47 as a paleothermometer in shallow water corals, it may still be a valuable paleoclimate proxy, particularly when applied as part of a multi-proxy approach.