Interactive effects of light, nitrogen source, and carbon dioxide on energy metabolism in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana

Due to the ongoing effects of climate change, phytoplankton are likely to experience enhanced irradiance, more reduced nitrogen, and increased water acidity in the future ocean. Here, we used Thalassiosira pseudonana as a model organism to examine how phytoplankton adjust energy production and expenditure to cope with these multiple, interrelated environmental factors. Following acclimation to a matrix of irradiance, nitrogen source, and CO2 levels, the diatom's energy production and expenditures were quantified and incorporated into an energetic budget to predict how photosynthesis was affected by growth conditions. Increased light intensity and a shift from inline image to inline image led to increased energy generation, through higher rates of light capture at high light and greater investment in photosynthetic proteins when grown on inline image. Secondary energetic expenditures were adjusted modestly at different culture conditions, except that inline image utilization was systematically reduced by increasing pCO2. The subsequent changes in element stoichiometry, biochemical composition, and release of dissolved organic compounds may have important implications for marine biogeochemical cycles. The predicted effects of changing environmental conditions on photosynthesis, made using an energetic budget, were in good agreement with observations at low light, when energy is clearly limiting, but the energetic budget over-predicts the response to inline image at high light, which might be due to relief of energetic limitations and/or increased percentage of inactive photosystem II at high light. Taken together, our study demonstrates that energetic budgets offered significant insight into the response of phytoplankton energy metabolism to the changing environment and did a reasonable job predicting them.

Spectral analysis of seabed elevation from the Danish Wadden Sea

Bedforms both reflect and influence shallow water hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics. A correct characterization of their spatial distribution and dimensions is required for the understanding, assessment and prediction of numerous coastal processes. A method to parameterize geometrical characteristics using two-dimensional (2D) spectral analysis is presented and tested on seabed elevation data from the Knudedyb tidal inlet in the Danish Wadden Sea, where large compound bedforms are found. The bathymetric data were divided into 20x20 m areas on which a 2D spectral analysis was applied. The most energetic peak of the 2D spectrum was found and its energy, frequency and direction were calculated. A power-law was fitted to the average of slices taken through the 2D spectrum; its slope and y-intercept were calculated. Using these results the test area was morphologically classified into 4 distinct morphological regions. The most energetic peak and the slope and intercept of the power-law showed high values above the crest of the primary bedforms and scour holes, low values in areas without bedforms, and intermediate values in areas with secondary bedforms. The secondary bedform dimensions and orientations were calculated. An area of 700x700 m was used to determine the characteristics of the primary bedforms. However, they were less distinctively characterized compared to the secondary bedforms due to relatively large variations in their orientations and wavelengths. The method is thus appropriate for morphological classification of the seabed and for bedform characterization, being most efficient in areas characterized by bedforms with regular dimensions and directions.

Abundance, biomass and secondary production of benthic megafauna on the Barents Sea shelf in 2008 and 2009

Megabenthos plays a major role in the overall energy flow on Arctic shelves, but information on megabenthic secondary production on large spatial scales is scarce. Here, we estimated for the first time megabenthic secondary production for the entire Barents Sea shelf by applying a species-based empirical model to an extensive dataset from the joint Norwegian? Russian ecosystem survey. Spatial patterns and relationships were analyzed within a GIS. The environmental drivers behind the observed production pattern were identified by applying an ordinary least squares regression model. Geographically weighted regression (GWR) was used to examine the varying relationship of secondary production and the environment on a shelfwide scale. Significantly higher megabenthic secondary production was found in the northeastern, seasonally ice-covered regions of the Barents Sea than in the permanently ice-free southwest. The environmental parameters that significantly relate to the observed pattern are bottom temperature and salinity, sea ice cover, new primary production, trawling pressure, and bottom current speed. The GWR proved to be a versatile tool for analyzing the regionally varying relationships of benthic secondary production and its environmental drivers (R² = 0.73). The observed pattern indicates tight pelagic? benthic coupling in the realm of the productive marginal ice zone. Ongoing decrease of winter sea ice extent and the associated poleward movement of the seasonal ice edge point towards a distinct decline of benthic secondary production in the northeastern Barents Sea in the future.