Tab. 1: Major cation content McMurdo Dry Valley soils

Matric effects contribute less to the water potential of soils in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica (informally known as the Ross Desert) than do the mineral salts of these soils. Since soil samples from the same area can exhibit 10-fold differences in mineral content, it is important that water potentials be determined on the same samples used for microbiological unvestigations. The psychrophilic yeast content of fertile soil samples from the arid highlands of the McMurdo Dry valleys indicated that the effective water content of these soils did not exceed ca. 4.5% (v/w).

Paleontological and sedimentological investigations of a sediment profile from northeast Greenland

The Kap Mackenzie area on the outer coast of northeast Greenland was glaciated during the last glacial stage, and pre-Holocene shell material was brought to the area. Dating of marine shells indicates that deglaciation occurred in the earliest Holocene, before 10 800 cal. a BP. The marine limit is around 53 m a.s.l. In the wake of the deglaciation, a glaciomarine fauna characterized the area, but after c. one millennium a more species-rich marine fauna took over. This fauna included Mytilus edulis and Mysella sovaliki, which do not live in the region at present; the latter is new to the Holocene fauna of northeast Greenland. The oldest M. edulis sample is dated to c. 9500 cal. a BP, which is the earliest date for the species from the region and indicates that the Holocene thermal maximum began earlier in the region than previously documented. This is supported by driftwood dated to c. 9650 cal. a BP, which is the earliest driftwood date so far from northeastern Greenland and implies that the coastal area was at least partly free of sea ice in summer. As indicated by former studies, the Storegga tsunami hit the Kap Mackenzie area at c. 8100 cal. a BP. Loon Lake, at 18 m a.s.l., was isolated from the sea at c. 6200 cal. a BP, which is distinctly later than expected from existing relative sea-level curves for the region.

Sedimentology at the continental margin of the southern Weddell Sea

During four expeditions with RV "Polarstern" at the continental margin of the southern Weddell Sea, profiling and geological sampling were carried out. A detailed bathymetric map was constructed from echo-sounding data. Sub-bottom profiles, classified into nine echotypes, have been mapped and interpreted. Sedimentological analyses were carried out on 32 undisturbed box grab surface samples, as well as on sediment cores from 9 sites. Apart from the description of the sediments and the investigation of sedimentary structures on X-radiographs the following characteristics were determined: grain-size distributions; carbonate and Corg content; component distibutions in different grain-size fractions; stable oxygen and carbon isotopes in planktic and, partly, in benthic foraminifers; and physical properties. The stratigraphy is based On 14C-dating, oxygen isotope Stages and, at one site, On paleomagnetic measurements and 230Th-analyses The sediments represent the period of deposition from the last glacial maximum until recent time. They are composed predominantly of terrigenous components. The formation of the sediments was controlled by glaciological, hydrographical and gravitational processes. Variations in the sea-ice coverage influenced biogenic production. The ice sheet and icebergs were important media for sediment transport; their grounding caused compaction and erosion of glacial marine sediments on the outer continental shelf. The circulation and the physical and chemical properties of the water masses controlled the transport of fine-grained material, biogenic production and its preservation. Gravitational transport processes were the inain mode of sediment movements on the continental slope. The continental ice sheet advanced to the shelf edge and grounded On the sea-floor, presumably later than 31,000 y.B.P. This ice movement was linked with erosion of shelf sediments and a very high sediment supply to the upper continental slope from the adiacent southern shelf. The erosional surface On the shelf is documented in the sub-bottom profiles as a regular, acoustically hard reflector. Dense sea-ice coverage above the lower and middle continental slope resulted in the almost total breakdown of biogenic production. Immediately in front of the ice sheet, above the upper continental slope, a <50 km broad coastal polynya existed at least periodically. Biogenic production was much higher in this polynya than elsewhere. Intense sea-ice formation in the polynya probably led to the development of a high salinity and, consequently, dense water mass, which flowed as a stream near bottom across the continental slope into the deep sea, possibly contributing to bottom water formation. The current velocities of this water mass presumably had seasonal variations. The near-bottom flow of the dense water mass, in combination with the gravity transport processes that arose from the high rates of sediment accumulation, probably led to erosion that progressed laterally from east to West along a SW to NE-trending, 200 to 400 m high morphological step at the continental slope. During the period 14,000 to 13,000 y.B.P., during the postglacial temperature and sea-level rise, intense changes in the environmental conditions occured. Primarily, the ice masses on the outer continental shelf started to float. Intense calving processes resulted in a rapid retreat of the ice edge to the south. A consequence of this retreat was, that the source area of the ice-rafted debris changed from the adjacent southern shelf to the eastern Weddell Sea. As the ice retreated, the gravitational transport processes On the continental slope ceased. Soon after the beginning of the ice retreat, the sea-ice coverage in the whole research area decreased. Simultaneously, the formation of the high salinity dense bottom water ceased, and the sediment composition at the continental slope then became influenced by the water masses of the Weddell Gyre. The formation of very cold Ice Shelf Water (ISW) started beneath the southward retreating Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf somewhat later than 12,000 y.B.P. The ISW streamed primarily with lower velocities than those of today across the continental slope, and was conducted along the erosional step on the slope into the deep sea. At 7,500 y.B.P., the grounding line of the ice masses had retreated > 400 km to the south. A progressive retreat by additional 200 to 300 km probably led to the development of an Open water column beneath the ice south of Berkner Island at about 4,000 y.B.P. This in turn may have led to an additional ISW, which had formed beneath the Ronne Ice Shelf, to flow towards the Filcher Ice Shelf. As a result, increased flow of ISW took place over the continental margin, possibly enabling the ISW to spill over the erosional step On the upper continental slope towards the West. Since that time, there is no longer any documentation of the ISW in the sedimentary Parameters on the lower continental slope. There, recent sediments reflect the lower water masses of the Weddell Gyre. The sea-ice coverage in early Holocene time was again so dense that biogenic production was significantly restricted.

Geochemistry of Eocene/Oligocene sediments of ODP Hole 154-925A

Paleoproductivity, nutrient burial, and carbon cycling were investigated across the Eocene/Oligocene (E/O) boundary (begin to end; 36.9-32.7 Ma at ~40 kyr resolution, timescale of Shackleton et al. (1999, doi:10.1098/rsta.1999.0407) at Ocean Drilling Program Site 925 on the Ceara Rise in the western equatorial Atlantic (3040 m present water depth; 748.26-850.70 mbsf). Downcore bulk sediment records of biogenic barium, total reactive phosphorus, biogenic silica, and calcium carbonate are interpreted to represent export production, net nutrient burial, biogenic opal production, and inorganic carbon burial, respectively. The global positive excursion in d13C subsequent to the E/O boundary is recorded at Site 925. Export production appears to have been externally forced by orbital parameters at eccentricity frequencies during the study interval, based on spectral analysis of the biogenic barium and reactive phosphorus records. Biogenic silica production or preservation increased after the Eocene/Oligocene boundary to a higher baseline, although overall productivity and nutrient burial did not increase, based on barium and reactive phosphorus records. Thus, although absolute production did not increase at this site, a shift in relative abundance of siliceous versus carbonate productivity may have resulted in a change in relative organic carbon burial. This may have contributed to the positive excursion in global oceanic d13C subsequent to the Eocene/Oligocene boundary, although the silica maximum persists after the carbon isotope excursion ends.

(Table A1) Uranium and Thorium determination from IODP Site 310-M0007B

The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 310 recovered drill cores from the drowned reefs around the island of Tahiti (17°40'S, 149°30'W), many of which contained samples of massive corals from the genus Porites. Herein we report on one well-preserved fossil coral sample: a 13.6 cm long Porites sp. dated by uranium series techniques at 9523 ± 33 years. Monthly delta18O and Sr/Ca determinations reveal nine clear and robust annual cycles. Coral delta18O and Sr/Ca determinations estimate a mean temperature of ca. 24.3°C (ca. 3.2°C colder than modern) for Tahiti at 9.5 ka; however, this estimate is viewed with caution since potential sources of cold bias in coral geochemistry remain to be resolved. The interannual variability in coral delta18O is similar between the 9.5 ka coral record and a modern record from nearby Moorea. The seasonal cycle in coral Sr/Ca is approximately the same or greater in the 9.5 ka coral record than in modern coral records from Tahiti. Paired analysis of coral delta18O and Sr/Ca indicates cold/wet (warm/dry) interannual anomalies, opposite from those observed in the modern instrumental record.

Late Miocene and Pliocene dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs and terrestrial palynomorphs from ODP Hole 642B, Vøring Plateau, Norwegian Sea

The globally warm climate of the early Pliocene gradually cooled from 4 million years ago, synchronous with decreasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. In contrast, palaeoceanographic records indicate that the Nordic Seas cooled during the earliest Pliocene, before global cooling. However, a lack of knowledge regarding the precise timing of Nordic Seas cooling has limited our understanding of the governing mechanisms. Here, using marine palynology, we show that cooling in the Nordic Seas was coincident with the first trans-Arctic migration of cool-water Pacific mollusks around 4.5 million years ago, and followed by the development of a modern-like Nordic Seas surface circulation. Nordic Seas cooling precedes global cooling by 500,000 years; as such, we propose that reconfiguration of the Bering Strait and Central American Seaway triggered the development of a modern circulation in the Nordic Seas, which is essential for North Atlantic Deep Water formation and a precursor for more widespread Greenland glaciation in the late Pliocene.

Rock magnetic records and geochemical methods of sediment cores off NW Africa

Two gravity cores retrieved off NW Africa at the border of arid and subtropical environments (GeoB 13602-1 and GeoB 13601-4) were analyzed to extract records of Late Quaternary climate change and sediment export. We apply End Member (EM) unmixing to 350 acquisition curves of isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM). Our approach enables to discriminate rock magnetic signatures of aeolian and fluvial material, to determine biomineralization and reductive diagenesis. Based on the occurrence of pedogenically formed magnetic minerals in the fluvial and aeolian EMs, we can infer that goethite formed in favor to hematite in more humid climate zones. The diagenetic EM dominates in the lower parts of the cores and within a thin near-surface layer probably representing the modern Fe**2+/Fe**3+ redox boundary. Up to 60% of the IRM signal is allocated to a biogenic EM underlining the importance of bacterial magnetite even in siliciclastic sediments. Magnetosomes are found well preserved over most of the record, indicating suboxic conditions. Temporal variations of the aeolian and fluvial EMs appear to faithfully reproduce and support trends of dry and humid conditions on the continent. The proportion of aeolian to fluvial material was dramatically higher during Heinrich Stadials, especially during Heinrich Stadial 1. Dust export from the Arabian-Asian corridor appears to vary contemporaneous to increased dust fluxes on the continental margin of NW Africa emphasizing that melt-water discharge in the North Atlantic had an enormous impact on atmospheric dynamics.

Growth, survival, gene expression, microbiota and tryptic activity during feeding of Scophthalmus maximus first feeding larvae with beta-glucan (MacroGard)

Reflecting the natural biology of mass spawning fish aquaculture production of fish larvae is often hampered by high and unpredictable mortality rates. The present study aimed to enhance larval performance and immunity via the oral administration of an immunomodulator, beta-glucan (MacroGard®) in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). Rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) were incubated with or without yeast beta-1,3/1,6-glucan in form of MacroGard® at a concentration of 0.5 g/L. Rotifers were fed to first feeding turbot larvae once a day. From day 13 dph onwards all tanks were additionally fed untreated Artemia sp. nauplii (1 nauplius ml/L). Daily mortality was monitored and larvae were sampled at 11 and 24 dph for expression of 30 genes, trypsin activity and size measurements. Along with the feeding of beta-glucan daily mortality was significantly reduced by ca. 15% and an alteration of the larval microbiota was observed. At 11 dph gene expression of trypsin and chymotrypsin was elevated in the MacroGard® fed fish, which resulted in heightened tryptic enzyme activity. No effect on genes encoding antioxidative proteins was observed, whilst the immune response was clearly modulated by beta-glucan. At 11 dph complement component c3 was elevated whilst cytokines, antimicrobial peptides, toll like receptor 3 and heat shock protein 70 were not affected. At the later time point (24 dph) an anti-inflammatory effect in form of a down-regulation of hsp 70, tnf-alpha and il-1beta was observed. We conclude that the administration of beta-glucan induced an immunomodulatory response and could be used as an effective measure to increase survival in rearing of turbot.

Paleoceanography on sediment core MD01-2416

IMAGES core MD01-2416 (51°N, 168°E) provides the first centennial-scale multiproxy record of Holocene variation in North Pacific sea-surface temperature (SST), salinity, and biogenic productivity. Our results reveal a gradual decrease in subarctic SST by 3-5 °C from 11.1 to 4.2 ka and a stepwise long-term decrease in sea surface salinity (SSS) by 2-3 p.s.u. Early Holocene SSS were as high as in the modern subtropical Pacific. The steep halocline and stratification that is characteristic of the present-day subarctic North Pacific surface ocean is a fairly recent feature, developed as a product of mid-Holocene environmental change. High SSS matched a salient productivity maximum of biogenic opal during Bølling-to-Early Holocene times, reaching levels similar to those observed during preglacial times in the warm mid-Pliocene prior to 2.73 Ma. Similar productivity spikes marked every preceding glacial termination of the last 800 ka, indicating recurrent short-term events of mid-Pliocene-style intense upwelling of nutrient-rich Pacific Deepwater in the Pleistocene. Such events led to a repeated exposure of CO2-rich deepwater at the ocean surface facilitating a transient CO2 release to the atmosphere, but the timing and duration of these events repudiate a long-term influence of the subarctic North Pacific on global atmospheric CO2 concentration.