General descriptions, organic contents and ratios of geolipid components at DSDP Holes 75-530B and 75-532

Distributions of free and bound n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids, and n-alkanols were determined in order to compare the character of organic matter contained in organic-carbon-rich sediments from two sites sampled by the hydraulic piston corer. Two diatomaceous debris-flow samples of Pleistocene age were obtained from Hole 530B in the Angola Basin. A sample of bioturbated Pleistocene diatomaceous clay and another of bioturbated late Miocene nannofossil clay were collected from Hole 532 on the Walvis Ridge. Geolipid distributions of all samples contain large terrigenous contributions and lesser amounts of marine components. Similarities in organic matter contents of Hole 530B and Hole 532 sediments suggest that a common depositional setting, probably on the Walvis Ridge, was the original source of these sediments through Quaternary, and possibly late Neogene, times and that downslope relocation of these biogenic deposits has frequently occurred.

Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon and particulate organic nitrogen in the Eastern North Pacific

Data are presented on concentration of dissolved organic carbon and particulate organic nitrogen in sea water at four stations, and also of dissolved and particulate amino acids at a deep-sea station above the Japan Trench. Concentration of Corg ranged from 0.79 to 2.00 mg/l, reaching maximum in the upper productive layers, while that of particulate Norg varied from 0.0018 to 0.037 mg/l, the maximum being in the upper layer (0-100 m). Water and particulate matter contained 18 amino acids in concentrations varying from 0.150 to 0.177 mg/l in the former and from 0.010 to 0.048 mg/l in the latter. Amino acid composition is variable. Vertical distribution of dissolved Corg and particulate Norg, as well as of dissolved and particulate amino acids is greatly dependent on water dynamics.

Organic geochemistry of Lower Cretaceous sediments from the northwetsern Pacific guyits

Organic geochemical data of Lower Cretaceous shallow water sediments from two sites (865 and 866) drilled during ODP leg 143 are presented. The organic matter is mainly terrestrial at the bottom of the sedimentary column at site 865, whereas algal and/or bacterial organic matter is dominant at site 866. This is the first evidence of shallow water deposition of organic matter during the Early Cretaceous in the Northwestern Pacific. The lower Aptian organic carbon-rich layers from the shallow water sediments of site 866 are geochemically similar to coeval mid-water sediments of site 463.

(Table 1) Sapropel analysis from ODP Sites 160-964, 160-966, 160-967 and 160-969

Seventeen eastern Mediterranean Pliocene sapropels from ODP Sites 964, 966, 967 and 969, some of which are coeval, have been analysed for their geochemistry. The sapropels are characterized by very high organic carbon contents (up to 30%) which are reported to be the result of both increased productivity and improved preservation. Although the organic matter in the sapropels is mainly of marine origin, the d13Corg values and C/N ratios appear "terrestrial". This is the result of anaerobic organic matter degradation which preferentially removed nitrogen- and 13C-rich organic components. A comparison with Ti/Al profiles, which mimic the precession index, and a calculation of organic carbon accumulation rates indicate that sedimentation rates were at most 30% lower or at most 50% higher during sapropel formation. Thus, sapropel formation lasted from between 2000 and 10,000 years at Site 964 to between 4500 and 12,000 years at Site 967. A synthesis of new data and a comparison with existing models indicates that productivity, which increased due to extra nutrients supplied as a result of winter mixing and as a result of enhanced input by the Nile, was the driving mechanism behind sapropel formation. The resulting sapropel formation was simultaneous at different depths, but lasted longer in the part of the basin closest to the Nile.

Part of the global DOC versus AOU (dissolved organic carbon/apparent oxygen utilization) data compilation, Azores-I

Temperate, transitional and subtropical waters of the remote Azores Front region east of Azores (24-40°N, 22-32°W) were sampled during three cruises conducted under increasing stratification conditions (April 1999, May 1997 and August 1998). Despite the temporal increase of surface temperature (by 5 °C) and stratification (by 2.1 1/min**2), as well as the thermocline shoaling (by ~15 m), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in the surface layer were not significantly different for the early spring, late spring and summer periods, with average concentrations of 69±2 µM-C and 5.2±0.4 µM-N, respectively. The surface excess of semi-labile DOC, compared with the baseline DOC concentration in the deep ocean (47±2 µM-C), represents 33% of the bulk DOC concentration and as much as 85% of the TOC (=POC+DOC) excess. When compared with the winter baseline (56±2 µM-C), the seasonal surface DOC excess is 20% of the bulk DOC concentration and 87% of the seasonal TOC excess. These results confirm the major role played by DOC in the carbon cycle of surface waters of the Azores Front region. The total amount of bioreactive DOC transported from the temperate to the subtropical North Atlantic by the Ekman flux between March and December represents only ~15% of the average annual primary production, and ~15% and ~30% of the measured sinking POC flux+vertical DOC eddy diffusion during early spring and summer, respectively. Vertical eddy diffusion is 35% and 2% of the spring and summer sinking POC flux, respectively. On the other hand, DOC only contributes 13% to the local oxidation of organic matter in subsurface waters (between the pycnocline and 500 m) of the study region.

Pollen record and age determination of a sediment core from the Kara Sea

AMS-14C dated sediment cores from the Ob and Yenisei estuaries and the adjacent inner Kara Sea were investigated to determine the siliclastic and organic carbon fluxes and their relationship to paleoenvironmental changes. The variability of sediment fluxes during Holocene times is related to the post-glacial sea-level rise and changes in river discharge and coastal erosion input. Whereas during the late/middle Holocene most of the terrigenous sediments were deposited in the estuaries and the areas directly off the estuaries, huge amounts of sediments accumulated on the Kara Sea shelf farther north during the early Holocene before about 9 Cal. kyrs. BP. The maximum accumulation at that time is related to the lowered sea level, increased coastal erosion, and increased river discharge due to the final stage of mountain deglaciation of the Putoran Massif. Increased supply of Yenisei-derived material indicated by peak magnetic susceptibility values probably occurred in climate-related pulses culminating near 11, 10, and 9 Cal. kyrs. BP. As sea level rose, the main Holocene depocenter migrated southward. Based on hydrogen index values and n-alkanes, the organic matter is predominantly of terrigenous origin. Maximum accumulation rates of 1.5 to more than 6 g/cm2/y occurred in the early Holocene sediments, suggesting more humid climatic conditions with an increased vegetation cover in the source area at that time. In general, high organic carbon accumulation rates characterize the estuaries and the inner Kara Sea as important sink for terrigenous organic carbon. A high-resolution record of Holocene variability of magnetic susceptibility (MS) in an AMS14C-dated sediment core from the northern Yenisei estuary may indicate natural variability of Arctic climate change and river discharge on a centennial to millenial time scale. Short-term maxima in MS probably related to warmer climate, enhanced precipitation, intensified weathering/erosion and increased river discharge, display a frequency of about 300 to 700 years.

Fatty acid composition, and bacteria and meiofauna abundance in sediment cores PS71/013 and PS71/085 during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XXIV/2

During the RV Polarstern ANT XXIV-2 cruise to the Southern Ocean and the Weddell Sea in 2007/2008, sediment samples were taken during and after a phytoplankton bloom at 52°S 0°E. The station, located at 2960 m water depth, was sampled for the first time at the beginning of December 2007 and revisited at the end of January 2008. Fresh phytodetritus originating from the phytoplankton bloom first observed in the water column had reached the sea floor by the time of the second visit. Absolute abundances of bacteria and most major meiofauna taxa did not change between the two sampling dates. In the copepods, the second most abundant meiofauna taxon after the nematodes, the enhanced input of organic material did not lead to an observable increase of reproductive effort. However, significantly higher relative abundances of meiofauna could be observed at the sediment surface after the remains of the phytoplankton bloom reached the sea floor. Vertical shifts in meiofauna distribution between December and January may be related to changing pore-water oxygen concentration, total sediment fatty acid content, and pigment profiles measured during our study. Higher oxygen consumption after the phytoplankton bloom may have resulted from an enhanced respiratory activity of the living benthic component, as neither meiofauna nor bacteria reacted with an increase in individual numbers to the food input from the water column. Based on our results, we infer that low temperatures and ecological strategies are the underlying factors for the delayed response of benthic deep-sea copepods, in terms of egg and larval production, to the modified environmental situation.

Concentration of total organic carbon in waters of the Atlantic Ocean

In pursuance of previous studies water samples were taken in the Atlantic and Mediterranean during the 12th, 14th and 15th cruises of RV Mikhail Lomonosov in 1962-1964 to determine total and particulate organic carbon and permanganate oxidizability. Preliminary processing of the water samples was carried out in the normal manner in the on-board laboratory immediately after they had been taken: destruction of bicarbonates and carbonates by precise addition of acid (by alkalinity) and evaporation to dryness at 50-60°C. It is quite probable that the corresponding volatile fraction of organic matter is lost under these conditions. In discussion it was demonstrated that it may now be assumed that the carbon of the volatile fraction averages approximately 15% of total carbon, i.e., 15% of the sum of organic carbon of the volatile and nonvolatile fractions. Oxidizability was determined in all samples in the on-board laboratory.