Halogen deposition in polar snow and ice

The atmospheric chemistry of iodine and bromine in polar regions is of interest due to the key role of halogens in many atmospheric processes, particularly tropospheric ozone destruction. Bromine is emitted from the open ocean but is enriched above first-year sea ice during springtime bromine explosion events, whereas iodine is emitted from biological communities hosted by sea ice. It has been previously demonstrated that bromine and iodine are present in Antarctic ice over glacial-interglacial cycles. Here we investigate seasonal variability of bromine and iodine in polar snow and ice, to evaluate their emission, transport and deposition in Antarctica and the Arctic and better understand potential links to sea ice. We find that bromine enrichment (relative to sea salt content) and iodine concentrations in polar ice do vary seasonally in Arctic snow and Antarctic ice and we relate such variability to satellite-based observations of tropospheric halogen concentrations. Peaks of bromine enrichment in Arctic snow and Antarctic ice occur in spring and summer, when sunlight is present. Iodine concentrations are largest in winter Antarctic ice strata, contrary to contemporary observations of summer maxima in iodine emissions.

Stickleback F2 generation transgenerational plasticity experiment: egg and body size data

Nongenetic inheritance mechanisms such as transgenerational plasticity (TGP) can buffer populations against rapid environmental change such as ocean warming. Yet, little is known about how long these effects persist and whether they are cumulative over generations. Here, we tested for adaptive TGP in response to simulated ocean warming across parental and grandparental generations of marine sticklebacks. Grandparents were acclimated for two months during reproductive conditioning, whereas parents experienced developmental acclimation, allowing us to compare the fitness consequences of short-term vs. prolonged exposure to elevated temperature across multiple generations. We found that reproductive output of F1 adults was primarily determined by maternal developmental temperature, but carry-over effects from grandparental acclimation environments resulted in cumulative negative effects of elevated temperature on hatching success. In very early stages of growth, F2 offspring reached larger sizes in their respective paternal and grandparental environment down the paternal line, suggesting that other factors than just the paternal genome may be transferred between generations. In later growth stages, maternal and maternal granddam environments strongly influenced offspring body size, but in opposing directions, indicating that the mechanism(s) underlying the transfer of environmental information may have differed between acute and developmental acclimation experienced by the two generations. Taken together, our results suggest that the fitness consequences of parental and grandparental TGP are highly context dependent, but will play an important role in mediating some of the impacts of rapid climate change in this system.

Gasterosteus aculeatus egg traits and fish lengths vs. experiment setup

1) Our study addresses the role of non-genetic and genetic inheritance in shaping the adaptive potential of populations under a warming ocean scenario. We used a combined experimental approach (transgenerational plasticity and quantitative genetics) to partition the relative contribution of maternal vs. paternal (additive genetic) effects to offspring body size (a key component of fitness), and investigated a potential physiological mechanism (mitochondrial respiration capacities) underlying whole organism growth/size responses. 2) In very early stages of growth (up to 30 days), offspring body size of marine sticklebacks benefited from maternal transgenerational plasticity (TGP): offspring of mothers acclimated to17°C were larger when reared at 17°C, and offspring of mothers acclimated to 21°C were larger when reared at 21°C. The benefits of maternal TGP on body size were stronger and persisted longer (up to 60 days) for offspring reared in the warmer (21°C) environment, suggesting that maternal effects will be highly relevant for climate change scenarios in this system. 3) Mitochondrial respiration capacities measured on mature offspring (F1 adults) matched the pattern of TGP for juvenile body size, providing an intuitive mechanistic basis for the maternal acclimation persisting into adulthood. Size differences between temperatures seen at early growth stages remained in the F1 adults, linking offspring body size to maternal inheritance of mitochondria. 4) Lower maternal variance components in the warmer environment were mostly driven by mothers acclimated to ambient (colder) conditions, further supporting our tenet that maternal effects were stronger at elevated temperature. Importantly, all parent-offspring temperature combination groups showed genotype x environment (GxE) interactions, suggesting that reaction norms have the potential to evolve. 5) To summarise, transgenerational plasticity and genotype x environment interactions work in concert to mediate impacts of ocean warming on metabolic capacity and early growth of marine sticklebacks. TGP can buffer short-term detrimental effects of climate warming and may buy time for genetic adaptation to catch up, therefore markedly contributing to the evolutionary potential and persistence of populations under climate change.

Organic matter deposition along the Kara and Laptev Seas continental margin (eastern Arctic Ocean) during last deglaciation and Holocene

Organic petrologic (maceral analysis) and bulk organic-geochemical studies were performed on five sediment cores from the Eurasian continental margin to reconstruct the environmental changes during the last not, vert, similar13 000 yr. The core stratigraphy is based on AMS-14C dating, and correlation by magnetic susceptibility and lithostratigraphic characteristics. Variations in terrigenous, freshwater, and marine organic matter deposition document paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic changes during the transition from the last deglaciation to the Holocene. Glacigenic diamictons deposited in the St. Anna Trough (northern Kara Sea) during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) are characterized by reworked terrigenous organic matter. In contrast, the Laptev Sea shelf was not covered by an ice-sheet, but was exposed by the lowered sea level. Increased deposition of marine organic matter (MOM) during deglaciation indicates enhanced surface-water productivity, possibly related to influence of Atlantic waters. The occurrence of freshwater alginite gives evidence for river discharge to the Kara and Laptev Seas after the LGM. At the eastern Laptev Sea slope, the first influence of Atlantic water masses is indicated by an increase in the contents of MOM and dinoflagellate cysts, with Operculodinium centrocarpum prior to not, vert, similar10 000 yr BP. High sedimentation rates in the Kara and the Laptev Seas with the adjacent slope at the beginning of the Holocene are presumably related to increased freshwater and sediment discharge from the Siberian rivers. Evidence for elevated Holocene freshwater discharge to the Laptev Sea has been found between not, vert, similar9.8 and 9 kyr BP, at not, vert, similar5 kyr BP and at not, vert, similar2.5 kyr BP. In the Kara Sea, an increased freshwater signal is obvious at not, vert, similar8.5 kyr BP and at not, vert, similar5 kyr BP. Higher portions of MOM were accumulated in the St. Anna Trough and at the Eurasian continental margin at several intervals during the Holocene. Increased primary productivity during these intervals is explained by seasonally ice-free conditions possibly associated with increased inflow of Atlantic waters.