Results of a preliminary satellite monitoring survey of marine debris in European seas (July-August 2023) by Sentinel-2.

The monitoring capability of marine debris detection of Sentinel-2 was tested over the European seas in July-August 2023, supported by spectral discrimination criteria derived from river-debris samples. The detected aggregates of floating materials were investigated focusing on the natural aggregation processes occurring at the sea surface and on the probability to find marine debris. Limits of the current monitoring ability of Sentinel-2 have been critically reviewed suggesting which improvements can be expected from the next-generation of satellite sensors of this class.

Winter thermohaline evolution along and below the Ross Ice Shelf.

The Ross Ice Shelf floats above the southern sector of the Ross Sea and creates a cavity where critical ocean-ice interactions take place. Crucial processes occurring in this cavity include the formation of Ice Shelf Water, the coldest ocean water, and the intrusion of Antarctic Surface Water, the main driver of frontal and basal melting. During the winter, a polynya forms along the Ross Ice Shelf edge, producing a precursor to Antarctic Bottom Water known as High Salinity Shelf Water.

Life strategy of Antarctic silverfish promote large carbon export in Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea.

Antarctic silverfish Pleuragramma antarcticum is the most abundant pelagic fish in the High Antarctic shelf waters of the Southern Ocean, where it plays a pivotal role in the trophic web as the major link between lower and higher trophic levels. Despite the ecological importance of this species, knowledge about its role in the biogeochemical cycle is poor. We determine the seasonal contribution of Antarctic silverfish to carbon flux in terms of faeces and eggs, from samples collected in the Ross Sea.