Stable isotopes and calcium carbonate at DSDP Holes 85-574 and 85-574A

Detailed stable isotopic and calcium carbonate records (with a sampling resolution of 3000 yr.) from the middle Miocene section of hydraulic piston corer (HPC) Hole 574A provide a sequence that records the major shift in the oxygen isotopic composition of the world's oceans that occurred at about 14 Ma. The data suggest that this transition was rapid and spans about 30,000 yr. of sediment deposition. In intervals before and after the shift, the mean d18O values are characterized by a constant mean with a high degree of variability. The degree of variability in both the d18O and d13C records is comparable to that observed for the Pliocene and earliest Pleistocene and does not show a significant change before or after the major shift in the d18O record. Whereas the oxygen isotopic record is characterized by relatively stable mean values before and after the middle Miocene event, the d13C record shows a number of significant offsets in the mean value separated by intervals of high-frequency variations. Time and frequency domain analysis of all records from Hole 574A indicate that the frequency components shown to be related to orbital changes in the Pleistocene record are also present in the middle Miocene. The high variability observed in the Site 574 isotopic records places important constraints on models describing the role of formation of the Antarctic ice sheet during the middle Miocene climatic transitions. Thus, HPC Hole 574A provides a valuable sequence for detailed study of climatic variability during an important time in the Earth's history, although we cannot provide a definitive explanation of the major oxygen isotopic event of the middle Miocene.

Geochemistry and Mg-isotopes of carbonate sediments and porefluids of ODP Site 130-807

Deep-sea pore fluids are potential archives of ancient seawater chemistry. However, the primary signal recorded in pore fluids is often overprinted by diagenetic processes. Recent studies have suggested that depth profiles of Mg concentration in deep-sea carbonate pore fluids are best explained by a rapid rise in seawater Mg over the last 10-20 Myr. To explore this possibility we measured the Mg isotopic composition of pore fluids and carbonate sediments from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) site 807. Whereas the concentration of Mg in the pore fluid declines with depth, the isotopic composition of Mg in the pore fluid increases from -0.78 per mil near the sediment-water interface to -0.15 per mil at 778 mbsf. The Mg isotopic composition of the sediment, with few important exceptions, does not change with depth and has an average d26Mg value of -4.72 per mil. We reproduce the observed changes in sediment and pore-fluid Mg isotope values using a numerical model that incorporates Mg, Ca and Sr cycling and satisfies existing pore-fluid Ca isotope and Sr data. Our model shows that the observed trends in magnesium concentrations and isotopes are best explained as a combination of two processes: a secular rise in the seawater Mg over the Neogene and the recrystallization of low-Mg biogenic carbonate to a higher-Mg diagenetic calcite. These results indicate that burial recrystallization will add Mg to pelagic carbonate sediments, leading to an overestimation of paleo-temperatures from measured Mg/Ca ratios. The Mg isotopic composition of foraminiferal calcite appears to be only slightly altered by recrystallization making it possible to reconstruct the Mg isotopic composition of seawater through time.

Grain-size distribution, carbon and calcium carbonate at DSDP Leg 63 Holes

Sand-silt-clay distribution was determined at Scripps on samples collected at the time the cores were split and described. The sediment classification used here is that of Shepard (1954); sand, silt, and clay boundaries are determined on the basis of the Wentworth (1922) scale. Thus the sand, silt, and clay fractions are composed of particles whose diameters range from 2000 to 62.5 µm, 62.5 to 3.91 µm, and less than 3.91 µm, respectively. This classification is applied regardless of sediment type and origin.

Elemental contents, non-carbonate, fatty acids and alcohols analysis from different Holes of IODP Expedition 310

During IODP Expedition 310 (Tahiti Sea Level), drowned Pleistocene-Holocene barrier-reef terraces were drilled on the slope of the volcanic island. The deglacial reef succession typically consists of a coral framework encrusted by coralline algae and later by microbialites; the latter make up < 80% of the rock volume. Lipid biomarkers were analyzed in order to identify organisms involved in reef-microbialite formation at Tahiti, as the genesis of deglacial microbialites and the conditions favoring their formation are not fully understood. Sterols plus saturated and monounsaturated short-chain fatty acids predominantly derived from both marine primary producers (algae) and bacteria comprise 44 wt% of all lipids on average, whereas long-chain fatty acids and long-chain alcohols derived from higher land plants represent an average of only 24 wt%. Bacterially derived mono-O-alkyl glycerol ethers (MAGEs) and branched fatty acids (10-Me-C16:0; iso- and anteiso-C15:0 and -C17:0) are exceptionally abundant in the microbial carbonates (average, 19 wt%) and represent biomarkers of intermediate-to-high specificity for sulfate-reducing bacteria. Both are relatively enriched in 13C compared to eukaryotic lipids. No lipid biomarkers indicative of cyanobacteria were preserved in the microbialites. The abundances of Al, Si, Fe, Mn, Ba, pyroxene, plagioclase, and magnetite reflect strong terrigenous influx with Tahitian basalt as the major source. Chemical weathering of the basalt most likely elevated nutrient levels in the reefs and this fertilization led to an increase in primary production and organic matter formation, boosting heterotrophic sulfate reduction. Based on the observed biomarker patterns, sulfate-reducing bacteria were apparently involved in the formation of microbialites in the coral reefs off Tahiti during the last deglaciation.

Changes in bottom water corrosiveness and carbonate ion concentrations in the sub-Antarctic Atlantic during the last glacial period

The glacial climate system transitioned rapidly between cold (stadial) and warm (interstadial) conditions in the Northern Hemisphere. This variability, referred to as Dansgaard-Oeschger variability, is widely believed to arise from perturbations of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Evidence for such changes during the longer Heinrich stadials has been identified, but direct evidence for overturning circulation changes during Dansgaard-Oeschger events has proven elusive. Here we reconstruct bottom water [CO3]2- variability from B/Ca ratios of benthic foraminifera and indicators of sedimentary dissolution, and use these reconstructions to infer the flow of northern-sourced deep water to the deep central sub-Antarctic Atlantic Ocean. We find that nearly every Dansgaard-Oeschger interstadial is accompanied by a rapid incursion of North Atlantic Deep Water into the deep South Atlantic. Based on these results and transient climate model simulations, we conclude that North Atlantic stadial-interstadial climate variability was associated with significant Atlantic overturning circulation changes that were rapidly transmitted across the Atlantic. However, by demonstrating the persistent role of Atlantic overturning circulation changes in past abrupt climate variability, our reconstructions of carbonate chemistry further indicate that the carbon cycle response to abrupt climate change was not a simple function of North Atlantic overturning.

Grain-size, carbon and calcium carbonate at DSDP Leg 77 Holes

Sand-silt-clay distribution was determined on 10-cm**3 sediment samples collected at the time the cores were split and described.

Spatial compartmentalization of free radical formation and mitochondrial heterogeneity in bivalve gills revealed by live-imaging techniques, supplementary material

Live-imaging techniques (LIT) utilize target-specific fluorescent dyes to visualize biochemical processes using confocal and multiphoton scanning microscopy, which are increasingly employed as non-invasive approach to physiological in-vivo and ex-vivo studies. Here we report application of LIT to bivalve gills for ex-vivo analysis of gill physiology and mapping of reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS) species formation in the living tissue. Our results indicate that H2O2, HOO. and ONOO- radicals (assessed through C-H2DFFDA staining) are mainly formed within the blood sinus of the filaments and are likely to be produced by hemocytes as defense against invading pathogens. The oxidative damage in these areas is controlled by enhanced CAT (catalase) activities recorded within the filaments. The outermost areas of the ciliated epithelial cells composing the filaments, concentrated the highest mitochondrial densities (MTK Deep Red 633 staining) and the most acidic pH values (as observed with ageladine-a). These mitochondria have low (depolarized) membrane potentials (D psi m) (JC-1 staining), suggesting that the high amounts of ATP required for ciliary beating may be in part produced by non-mitochondrial mechanisms, such as the enzymatic activity of an ATP-regenerating kinase. Nitric oxide (NO, DAF-2DA staining) produced in the region of the peripheral mitochondria may have an effect on mitochondrial electron transport and possibly cause the low membrane potential. High DAF-2DA staining was moreover observed in the muscle cells composing the wall of the blood vessels where NO may be involved in regulating blood vessel diameter. On the ventral bend of the gills, subepithelial mucus glands (SMG) contain large mucous vacuoles showing higher fluorescence intensities for O2.- (DHE staining) than the rest of the tissue. Given the antimicrobial properties of superoxide, release of O2.- into the mucus may help to avoid the development of microbial biofilms on the gill surface. However, cells of the ventral bends are paying a price for this antimicrobial protection, since they show significantly higher oxidative damage, according to the antioxidant enzyme activities and the carbonyl levels, than the rest of the gill tissue. This study provides the first evidence that one single epithelial cell may contain mitochondria with significantly different membrane potentials. Furthermore, we provide new insight into ROS and RNS formation in ex-vivo gill tissues which opens new perspectives for unraveling the different ecophysiological roles of ROS and RNS in multifunctional organs such as gills.

Calcium carbonate, organic carbon, d13C and C/N composition of ODP Sites 186-1150 and 186-1151

Past changes in sea-surface productivity in the Oyashio Current are evaluated on the basis of abundances of biological constituents in sediments from Leg 186 sites. Organic carbon contents at Sites 1150 and 1151 are moderate (0.5 to 1.5 wt%) and have an algal origin as indicated by low C/N ratios (<10) and by carbon isotopic compositions ranging from -23.4 to -21.3. A decreasing trend in organic carbon contents, carbon isotope ratios, and C/N ratios occurs with depth at both sites, probably as a consequence of diagenetic degradation of organic matter. Mass accumulation rates (MARs) determined for organic carbon and carbonates at Sites 1150 and 1151 show an abrupt increase between ~5 and 7 Ma. Similar results have been reported for sites in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean for the same time interval. As it has been previously suggested, the observed increase in MAR for both carbonate and organic carbon at Leg 186 sites probably resulted from augmented nutrient supply either from continental sources or from a more vigorous ocean circulation.

Seawater carbonate chemistry and nutrients measured on water bottle samples during the International Siberian Shelf Study 2008 (ISSS-08) in the Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi Seas

The motivation for ISSS-08 was to alleviate the scarcity of observational data on transport and processing of water, sediment and carbon on the East Siberian Arctic Shelves (ESAS). The region is of particular interest from the perspective of carbon-climate couplings as it has witnessed a 4°C springtime positive temperature anomaly for 2000-2005 compared with preceding decades. A complex sampling program was accomplished during the 50-days ISSS-08 cruise August - September 2008 by participants from 12 organizations in Russia, Sweden, UK and USA.