Dust record from the EPICA Dome C ice core, Antarctica, covering 0 to 800 kyr BP

Dust can affect the radiative balance of the atmosphere by absorbing or reflecting incoming solar radiation and it can be a source of micronutrients, such as iron, to the ocean. It has been suggested that production, transport, and deposition of dust is influenced by climatic changes on glacial-interglacial timescales. Here we present a high-resolution aeolian dust record from the EPICA Dome C ice core in East Antarctica, which provides an undisturbed climate sequence over the last eight climatic cycles. We find that there is a significant correlation between dust flux and temperature records during glacial periods that is absent during interglacial periods. Our data suggests that dust flux is increasingly correlated with Antarctic temperature as climate becomes colder. We interpret this as progressive coupling of Antarctic and lower latitudes climate. Limited changes in glacial-interglacial atmospheric transport time Mahowald et al. (1999, doi:10.1029/1999JD900084), Jouzel et al. (2007, doi:10.1126/science.1141038), and Werner et al. (2002, doi:10.1029/2002JD002365) suggest that the sources and lifetime of dust are the major factors controlling the high glacial dust input. We propose that the observed ~25-fold increase in glacial dust flux over all eight glacial periods can be attributed to a strengthening of South American dust sources, together with a longer atmospheric dust particle life-time in the upper troposphere resulting from a reduced hydrological cycle during the ice ages.

Data collection of depth and time integrated Calanus finmarchicus abundances, averaged temperatures, and integrated Chlorophyll concentration in the North Atlantic Ocean

Here we present a new, pan-North-Atlantic compilation of data on key mesozooplankton species, including the most important copepod, Calanus finmarchicus. Distributional data of eight representative zooplankton taxa, from recent (2000-2009) Continuous Plankton Recorder data, are presented, along with basin-scale data of the phytoplankton colour index. Then we present a compilation of data on C. finmarchicus, including observations of abundance, demography, egg production and female size, with accompanying data on temperature and chlorophyll. . This is a contribution by Canadian, European and US scientists and their institutions.

Dominant pelagic amphipods collected as swimmers from a mooring time-series at AWI HAUSGARTEN

Time series length-frequency data are presented for Themisto amphipods collected as swimmers by moored sediment traps since 2000 at the AWI deep-sea observatory HAUSGARTEN (79°N/4°E) in the eastern Fram Strait. Amphipod occurrences increased significantly from 2000 to 2009 at 200-300 m depth, and the North Atlantic species Themisto compressa was continuously present in the samples starting in 2004. We present year-round records of large adult Themisto amphipods, including the appearance of Themisto libellula with a total body length of up to 56.7 mm and juveniles starting from 4.0 mm. The length of Themisto abyssorum ranged from 4.2 to 25.6 mm, whereas it varied for Themisto compressa from 8.8 to 24.4 mm. Length-frequency analysis indicated a life span of 2 years for T. abyssorum and at least 3 years for T. libellula. The absence of juveniles for T. compressa suggested its reproduction in southern subarctic areas and its occasional northward migration with warmer Atlantic water into the eastern Fram Strait. The seasonal and long-term size structures of the three pelagic species were consistent over the course of the study, indicating no changes occurred in cohort development due to increasing abundances or warming water temperatures.

Warming and acidification experiment on early life-stage F. vesiculosus under natural fluctuation and seasonal variations (spring 2013 - 2014)

Genetic diversity of baltic F. vesiculosus is low compared to other populations which might jeopardize their potential for adaptation to climate change. Especially the early life-stage F. vesiculosus may be threaten by ocean warming and acidification. To test this, we exposed F. vesiculosus germlings to warming and acidification in the near-natural scenario in the "Kiel Outdoor Benthocosms" maintaining the natural variation of the Kiel Fjord, Germany (54°27 'N, 10°11 'W) in all seasons (spring 2013 - 2014). Warming was simulated by using a delta treatment adding 5 °C and by increasing pCO2 at 1000 µatm. Warming positively affected germlings' growth in spring and in summer but decreased non-photochemical quenching in spring and survival in summer. Acidified conditions showed much weaker effects than warming. The high genotypic variation in stress sensitivity as well as the enhanced survival at high diversity levels indicate higher potential for adaptation for genetically diverse populations. We conclude that the combination of stressors and season determines the sensitivity to environmental stress and that genetic variation is crucial for the adaptation to climate change stress.

Effects of CO2-driven ocean acidification on early life stages of marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma)

The potential effects of elevated CO2 level and reduced carbonate saturation state in marine environment on fishes and other non-calcified organisms are still poorly known. In present study, we investigated the effects of ocean acidification on embryogenesis and organogenesis of newly hatched larvae of marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) after 21 d exposure of eggs to different artificially acidified seawater (pH 7.6 and 7.2, respectively), and compared with those in control group (pH 8.2). Results showed that CO2-driven seawater acidification (pH 7.6 and 7.2) had no detectable effect on hatching time, hatching rate, and heart rate of embryos. However, the deformity rate of larvae in pH 7.2 treatment was significantly higher than that in control treatment. The left and right sagitta areas did not differ significantly from each other in each treatment. However, the mean sagitta area of larvae in pH 7.6 treatment was significantly smaller than that in the control (p = 0.024). These results suggest that although marine medaka might be more tolerant of elevated CO2 than some other fishes, the effect of elevated CO2 level on the calcification of otolith is likely to be the most susceptibly physiological process of pH regulation in early life stage of marine medaka.

Seawater carbonate chemistry and biological processes during experiments with haploid and diploid life stages of Emiliania huxleyi, Calcidiscus leptoporus and Syracosphaera pulchra

The response of Emiliania huxleyi (Lohmann), Calcidiscus leptoporus (Murray and Blackman), and Syracosphaera pulchra (Lohmann) to elevated partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) was investigated in batch cultures. For the first time, we reported on the response of the non-calcifying (haploid) life stage of these three species. Growth rate, cell size, particulate inorganic (PIC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) of both life stages were measured at two different pCO2 (400 and 760 ppm) and their organic and inorganic carbon production calculated. The two life stages within the same species generally exhibited a similar response to elevated pCO2, the response of the haploid stage being often more pronounced than that of the diploid stage. The growth rate was consistently higher at elevated pCO2 but the response of other processes varied among species. Calcification rate of C. leptoporus and of S. pulchra did not change at elevated pCO2 while it increased in E. huxleyi. Particulate organic carbon production and cell size of both life stages of S. pulchra and of the haploid stage of E. huxleyi markedly decreased at elevated pCO2. It remained unaltered in the diploid stage of E. huxleyi and C. leptoporus and increased in the haploid stage of the latter. The PIC:POC ratio increased in E. huxleyi and was constant in C. leptoporus and S. pulchra. Elevated pCO2 has a significant effect on these three coccolithophores species, the haploid stage being more sensitive. This must be taken into account when predicting the fate of coccolithophores in the future ocean.

(Table 1) Time series of ostracod population density off Bokniseck shore ('Hausgarten'), western Baltic Sea

Seasonal distributions of ostracode species from the Bay of Kiel, western Baltic Sea (Bokniseck, 'Hausgarten') were studied at seven observation stations located between 6 - 23.5 m water depth. During the period from December 1973 to March 1975, 175 samples were taken every two weeks from the sediment surface at each station. Environmental factors were measured simultaneously with sampling. Most of the ostracode species were present in all of the samples throughout the year; four species were found to be seasonal. On the other hand, the population densities of each of the examined ostracode species, as revealed by countings, indicate marked seasonal variations. These variations are attributed to changes in length rate and timing of the reproductive cycles of the different ostracode species, effected mainly by food supply. Maxima in the abundance of the ostracode species with short (1/2 - 1 month) life cycles, occurred simultaneously with peaks of food supply in spring and autumn, whereas the maxima abundance of ostracodes with longer (10 - 12 months) life cycles was delayed.

Early life stages of the Arctic copepod Calanus glacialis are unaffected by increased seawater pCO2

As the world's oceans continue to absorb anthropogenic CO2 from the atmosphere, the carbonate chemistry of seawater will change. This process, termed ocean acidification, may affect the physiology of marine organisms. Arctic seas are expected to experience the greatest decreases in pH in the future, as changing sea ice dynamics and naturally cold, brackish water, will accelerate ocean acidification. In this study, we investigated the effect of increased pCO2 on the early developmental stages of the key Arctic copepod Calanus glacialis. Eggs from wild-caught C. glacialis females from Svalbard, Norway (80°N), were cultured for 2 months to copepodite stage C1 in 2°C seawater under four pCO2 treatments (320, 530, 800, and 1700 ?atm). Developmental rate, dry weight, and carbon and nitrogen mass were measured every other day throughout the experiment, and oxygen consumption rate was measured at stages N3, N6, and C1. All endpoints were unaffected by pCO2 levels projected for the year 2300. These results indicate that naupliar development in wild populations of C. glacialis is unlikely to be detrimentally affected in a future high CO2 ocean.