Decoding drivers of carbon flux attenuation in the oceanic biological pump.

The biological pump supplies carbon to the oceans' interior, driving long-term carbon sequestration and providing energy for deep-sea ecosystems. Its efficiency is set by transformations of newly formed particles in the euphotic zone, followed by vertical flux attenuation via mesopelagic processes. Depth attenuation of the particulate organic carbon (POC) flux is modulated by multiple processes involving zooplankton and/or microbes.

Natural iron fertilization by shallow hydrothermal sources fuels diazotroph blooms in the ocean.

Iron is an essential nutrient that regulates productivity in ~30% of the ocean. Compared with deep (>2000 meter) hydrothermal activity at mid-ocean ridges that provide iron to the ocean's interior, shallow (<500 meter) hydrothermal fluids are likely to influence the surface's ecosystem. However, their effect is unknown.

Phytoplankton Responses to Bacterially Regenerated Iron in a Southern Ocean Eddy.

In the Subantarctic sector of the Southern Ocean, vertical entrainment of iron (Fe) triggers the seasonal productivity cycle but diminishing physical supply during the spring to summer transition forces microbial assemblages to rapidly acclimate. Here, we tested how phytoplankton and bacteria within an isolated eddy respond to different dissolved Fe (DFe)/ligand inputs. We used three treatments: one that mimicked the entrainment of new DFe (Fe-NEW), another in which DFe was supplied from bacterial regeneration of particles (Fe-REG), and a control with no addition of DFe (Fe-NO).

Developing a test-bed for robust research governance of geoengineering: the contribution of ocean iron biogeochemistry.

Geoengineering to mitigate climate change has long been proposed, but remains nebulous. Exploration of the feasibility of geoengineering first requires the development of research governance to move beyond the conceptual towards scientifically designed pilot studies. Fortuitously, 12 mesoscale (approx.

Temporal evolution of Cs, Np, and Pu and estimated vertical Pu export in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea.

The evolution of Cs, Np and Pu at the DYFAMED station (NW Mediterranean) is discussed in relation to physical processes, downward fluxes of particles, and changes in the main input sources. The data set presented in this study represents the first complete Np vertical profiles (0.12-0.

Correction to 'Developing a test-bed for robust research governance of geoengineering: the contribution of ocean iron biogeochemistry'.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2015.

Excess of (236)U in the northwest Mediterranean Sea.

In this work, we present first (236)U results in the northwestern Mediterranean. (236)U is studied in a seawater column sampled at DYFAMED (Dynamics of Atmospheric Fluxes in the Mediterranean Sea) station (Ligurian Sea, 43°25'N, 07°52'E). The obtained (236)U/(238)U atom ratios in the dissolved phase, ranging from about 2×10(-9) at 100m depth to about 1.

Role of ultra-violet radiation, mercury and copper on the stability of dissolved glutathione in natural and artificial freshwater and saltwater.

The behavior and stability of dissolved reduced glutathione (GSH), an environmental antioxidant and metal transporter, is poorly known in natural waters. Glutathione oxidation rates were determined in both fresh- and brackish waters artificially submitted to different radiation wavebands. Photo-oxidation of GSH followed pseudo-first order kinetics, with half-lives ranging from 4 to 30h in natural freshwater, and from 1.