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- Friedrich, Jana, et al.
(author)
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Investigating hypoxia in aquatic environments: diverse approaches to addressing a complex phenomenon
- 2014
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In: Biogeosciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 11, s. 1215-1259
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper we provide an overview of new knowledge on oxygen depletion (hypoxia) and related phenomena in aquatic systems resulting from the EU-FP7 project HYPOX (“In situ monitoring of oxygen depletion in hypoxic ecosystems of coastal and open seas, and landlocked water bodies”, www.hypox.net). In view of the anticipated oxygen loss in aquatic systems due to eutrophication and climate change, HYPOX was set up to improve capacities to monitor hypoxia as well as to understand its causes and consequences. Temporal dynamics and spatial patterns of hypoxia were analyzed in field studies in various aquatic environments, including the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, Scottish and Scandinavian fjords, Ionian Sea lagoons and embayments, and Swiss lakes. Examples of episodic and rapid (hours) occurrences of hypoxia, as well as seasonal changes in bottom-water oxygenation in stratified systems, are discussed. Geologically driven hypoxia caused by gas seepage is demonstrated. Using novel technologies, temporal and spatial patterns of watercolumn oxygenation, from basin-scale seasonal patterns to meter-scale sub-micromolar oxygen distributions, were resolved. Existing multidecadal monitoring data were used to demonstrate the imprint of climate change and eutrophication on long-term oxygen distributions. Organic and inorganic proxies were used to extend investigations on past oxygen conditions to centennial and even longer timescales that cannot be resolved by monitoring. The effects of hypoxia on faunal communities and biogeochemical processes were also addressed in the project. An investigation of benthic fauna is presented as an example of hypoxia-devastated benthic communities that slowly recover upon a reduction in eutrophication in a system where naturally occurring hypoxia overlaps with anthropogenic hypoxia. Biogeochemical investigations reveal that oxygen intrusions have a strong effect on the microbially mediated redox cycling of elements. Observations and modeling studies of the sediments demonstrate the effect of seasonally changing oxygen conditions on benthic mineralization pathways and fluxes. Data quality and access are crucial in hypoxia research. Technical issues are therefore also addressed, including the availability of suitable sensor technology to resolve the gradual changes in bottom-water oxygen in marine systems that can be expected as a result of climate change. Using cabled observatories as examples, we show how the benefit of continuous oxygen monitoring can be maximized by adopting proper quality control. Finally, we discuss strategies for state-of-the-art data archiving and dissemination in compliance with global standards, and how ocean observations can contribute to global earth observation attempts.
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- Nilsson, Madeleine, et al.
(author)
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Organic carbon recycling in Baltic Sea sediments – An integrated estimate on the system scale based on in situ measurements
- 2019
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In: Marine Chemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0304-4203. ; 209, s. 81-93
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In situ measured benthic fluxes of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), a proxy for organic carbon (OC) oxidation or recycling rates, are used together with burial rates based on measured sediment accumulation rates (SAR) and vertical distribution of OC in the sediment solid phase to construct a benthic OC budget for the Baltic Sea system. The large variability in recycling rates (4.3 ± 0.87–33 ± 17 mmol C m−2 d−1) and burial rates (1.2 ± 0.8–5.9 ± 1.8 mmol C m−2 d−1) between different sub-basins and between different depositional areas within the basins is accounted for in the budget. Our results indicate that sediments in the Baltic Sea have much higher recycling rates and lower burial rates of OC than previously found. The sediment budget calculations show that 22 ± 7.8 Tg C yr−1 of OC is recycled to the water column due to organic matter oxidation, while long term burial amounts to 1.0 ± 0.3 Tg C yr−1. For the Baltic Sea as a whole, 96% of the particulate OC (POC) deposited on the sea floor (23 ± 7.8 Tg C yr−1; the sum of recycling and burial) is recycled back to the water column. However, the burial efficiency (i.e. the fraction buried of the total deposition) shows large variability between the different basins (2.5–16%). The total benthic POC deposition is approximately 20% higher than the estimated POC source originating from primary production in the water column and riverine input. This difference is likely within the uncertainty range of our budget calculations, however it indicates that the POC sources might be underestimated. The results from this study enhance the understanding of OC delivery, deposition and cycling in the Baltic Sea, and help improving existing Baltic OC budgets.
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- Noffke, A., et al.
(author)
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Benthic nutrient fluxes in the Eastern Gotland Basin (Baltic Sea) with particular focus on microbial mat ecosystems
- 2016
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In: Journal of Marine Systems. - : Elsevier BV. - 0924-7963. ; 158, s. 1-12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Benthic fluxes and water column distributions of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and total dissolved phosphate (PO43 −) were measured in situ at 7 sites across a redox gradient from oxic to anoxic bottom waters in the Eastern Gotland Basin (Baltic Sea). The study area was divided into the oxic zone (60 to ca. 80 m water depth, O2 > 30 μM), the hypoxic transition zone (HTZ, ca. 80 to 120 m, O2 < 30 μM) and the deep anoxic and sulfidic basin (> ca. 120 m). Sediments in the HTZ were covered by mats of vacuolated sulfur bacteria. Ammonium (NH4+) fluxes in the deep basin and the HTZ were elevated at 0.6 mmol m− 2 d− 1 and 1 mmol m− 2 d− 1, respectively. Nitrate (NO3−) fluxes were directed into the sediment at all stations in the HTZ and were zero in the deep basin. PO43 − release was highest in the HTZ at 0.23 mmol m− 2 d− 1, with a further release of 0.2 mmol m− 2 d− 1 in the deep basin. Up-scaling the benthic fluxes to the Baltic Proper equals 109 kt yr− 1 of PO43 − and 266 kt yr− 1 of DIN. This is eight- and two-fold higher than the total external load of P (14 kt yr− 1) and DIN (140 kt yr− 1) in 2006 (HELCOM 2009b). The HTZ makes an important contribution to the internal nutrient loading in the Baltic Proper, releasing 70% of P (76 kt yr− 1) and 75% of DIN (200 kt yr− 1) despite covering only 51% of area.
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