Atmospheric dust stimulated marine primary productivity during Earth’s penultimate icehouse

Geology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrdad Sardar Abadi ◽  
Jeremy D. Owens ◽  
Xiaolei Liu ◽  
Theodore R. Them ◽  
Xingqian Cui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Carbonate Precipitation ◽  
Fine Dust ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Lipid Biomarker ◽  
Dust Fraction ◽  
Marine Primary Productivity

The importance of dust as a source of iron (Fe) for primary production in modern oceans is well studied but remains poorly explored for deep time. Vast dust deposits are well recognized from the late Paleozoic and provisionally implicated in primary production through Fe fertilization. Here, we document dust impacts on marine primary productivity in Moscovian (Pennsylvanian, ca. 307 Ma) and Asselian (Permian, ca. 295 Ma) carbonate strata from peri-Gondwanan terranes of Iran. Autotrophic contents of samples, detected by both point-count and lipid-biomarker analyses, track concentrations of highly reactive Fe, consistent with the hypothesis that dust stimulated primary productivity, also promoting carbonate precipitation. Additionally, highly reactive Fe tracks the fine-dust fraction. Dust-borne Fe fertilization increased organic and inorganic carbon cycling in low- and mid-latitude regions of Pangaea, maintaining low pCO2.

Seafood through time revisited: the Phanerozoic increase in marine trophic resources and its macroevolutionary consequences

Paleobiology ◽  
10.1666/13065 ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 256-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Warren D. Allmon ◽  
Ronald E. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Food Quality ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
General Model ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Trophic Resources ◽  
Marine Primary Productivity

We review and synthesize multiple biotic and abiotic proxies for marine nutrient and food availability, primary productivity, and food quality (stoichiometry) and propose what their relationships may have been to macroevolutionary processes, especially speciation. This review confirms earlier suggestions that there has been an overall increase in marine primary productivity over the Phanerozoic, but indicates that the increase has been irregular and that present levels may not be the peak. We integrate these indicators into a new estimate of relative primary productivity in the global ocean through the Phanerozoic. We then combine multiple, frequently conflicting ecological-evolutionary hypotheses into a general model for how primary production may affect speciation over geological time scales. This model, an elaboration and extension of the “speciation cycle” previously proposed by Grant and Grant, attempts to explain why an increase in food supply sometimes is associated with decreased diversity, and at other times with increased diversification. We propose some simple tests for the application of this model to the fossil record.

LATE PALEOZOIC IRON FERTILIZATION FROM DUST ENHANCED SHALLOW MARINE PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrdad Sardar Abadi ◽  
◽  
Jeremy D. Owens ◽  
Xiaolei Liu ◽  
Theodore R. Them ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Late Paleozoic ◽  
Shallow Marine ◽  
Iron Fertilization ◽  
Marine Primary Productivity

scholarly journals Primary production sensitivity to phytoplankton light attenuation parameter increases with transient forcing

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 4767-4780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin F. Kvale ◽  
Katrin J. Meissner
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Light Attenuation ◽  
Climate Scenario ◽  
Sensitivity Study ◽  
Climate Forcing ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
Underwater Light Field ◽  
Attenuation Parameter ◽  
Biogeochemical Models

Abstract. Treatment of the underwater light field in ocean biogeochemical models has been attracting increasing interest, with some models moving towards more complex parameterisations. We conduct a simple sensitivity study of a typical, highly simplified parameterisation. In our study, we vary the phytoplankton light attenuation parameter over a range constrained by data during both pre-industrial equilibrated and future climate scenario RCP8.5. In equilibrium, lower light attenuation parameters (weaker self-shading) shift net primary production (NPP) towards the high latitudes, while higher values of light attenuation (stronger shelf-shading) shift NPP towards the low latitudes. Climate forcing magnifies this relationship through changes in the distribution of nutrients both within and between ocean regions. Where and how NPP responds to climate forcing can determine the magnitude and sign of global NPP trends in this high CO2 future scenario. Ocean oxygen is particularly sensitive to parameter choice. Under higher CO2 concentrations, two simulations establish a strong biogeochemical feedback between the Southern Ocean and low-latitude Pacific that highlights the potential for regional teleconnection. Our simulations serve as a reminder that shifts in fundamental properties (e.g. light attenuation by phytoplankton) over deep time have the potential to alter global biogeochemistry.

scholarly journals Global constraints on net primary production and inorganic carbon supply during glacial and interglacial cycles

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 713-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josep L. Pelegrí ◽  
Patricia De La Fuente ◽  
Roger Olivella ◽  
Antonio García-Olivares
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Global Constraints ◽  
Carbon Supply

Primary Productivity of Southern Indian Lake before, during, and after Impoundment and Churchill River Diversion

1984 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 591-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Hecky ◽  
S. J. Guildford
Keyword(s):  
Light Intensity ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Phosphorus Deficiency ◽  
Light Environment ◽  
Phytoplankton Production ◽  
Light Penetration ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Chlorophyll Concentrations

The primary productivity of seven regions of Southern Indian Lake and neighboring Wood Lake was measured during open-water seasons from 1974 to 1978. The lake had regional differences in chlorophyll concentrations and daily rates of integral primary production in 1974 and 1975 prior to impoundment of the lake. Regions receiving Churchill River flow tended to have higher chlorophyll concentrations and production rates than those regions marginal to the flow. Impoundment of the lake resulted in higher efficiencies of primary production in all regions, as indicated by higher light-saturated rates of carbon uptake per unit chlorophyll and by higher initial slopes of the hyperbolic light response relation of the phytoplankton. Many large basins of the lake had light penetration reduced by high concentrations of suspended sediment from eroding shorelines, while other areas had relatively unchanged light penetration. The increased efficiency of carbon fixation per unit chlorophyll resulted in higher rates of integral production in those regions where light penetration was not greatly affected. Daily rates of integral primary production in lake regions where light penetration had decreased markedly were not significantly different after impoundment because efficiencies of light utilization were higher. Comparison of the mean water column light intensities for those turbid regions with the values of Ik (light intensity at the onset of light saturation) for phytoplankton indicated that these turbid regions are now light deficient on average. Phosphorus deficiency, as indicated by alkaline phosphatase activity per unit ATP, which was present before impoundment, has been eliminated as the mean water column light intensity declined below 5 mEinsteins∙m−2∙min−1. The light environment of a new reservoir can be a significant determinant of integral production, and predicting the consequences of impoundment on phytoplankton production requires accurate prediction of the light environment.

scholarly journals Hidden biosphere in an oxygen-deficient Atlantic open-ocean eddy: future implications of ocean deoxygenation on primary production in the eastern tropical North Atlantic

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 7467-7482 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Löscher ◽  
M. A. Fischer ◽  
S. C. Neulinger ◽  
B. Fiedler ◽  
M. Philippi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Open Ocean ◽  
Carbon Uptake ◽  
Biogeochemical Processes ◽  
Tropical North Atlantic ◽  
Uptake Rates

Abstract. The eastern tropical North Atlantic (ETNA) is characterized by a highly productive coastal upwelling system and a moderate oxygen minimum zone with lowest open-ocean oxygen (O2) concentrations of approximately 40 μmol kg−1. The recent discovery of re-occurring mesoscale eddies with close to anoxic O2 concentrations (< 1 μmol kg−1) located just below the mixed layer has challenged our understanding of O2 distribution and biogeochemical processes in this area. Here, we present the first microbial community study from a deoxygenated anticyclonic modewater eddy in the open waters of the ETNA. In the eddy, we observed significantly lower bacterial diversity compared to surrounding waters, along with a significant community shift. We detected enhanced primary productivity in the surface layer of the eddy indicated by elevated chlorophyll concentrations and carbon uptake rates of up to three times as high as in surrounding waters. Carbon uptake rates below the euphotic zone correlated to the presence of a specific high-light ecotype of Prochlorococcus, which is usually underrepresented in the ETNA. Our data indicate that high primary production in the eddy fuels export production and supports enhanced respiration in a specific microbial community at shallow depths, below the mixed-layer base. The transcription of the key functional marker gene for dentrification, nirS, further indicated a potential for nitrogen loss processes in O2-depleted core waters of the eddy. Dentrification is usually absent from the open ETNA waters. In light of future projected ocean deoxygenation, our results show that even distinct events of anoxia have the potential to alter microbial community structure with critical impacts on primary productivity and biogeochemical processes of oceanic water bodies.

scholarly journals A new design of measuring marine primary productivity to support eco-geological survey

China Geology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shao-feng Pei ◽  
◽  
Ya-xuan Zhu ◽  
Si-yuan Ye ◽  
Hong-ming Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Geological Survey ◽  
Marine Primary Productivity

scholarly journals Factors affecting the abundance of age-0 Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) in Chesapeake Bay

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (9) ◽  
pp. 2238-2251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward D. Houde ◽  
Eric R. Annis ◽  
Lawrence W. Harding ◽  
Michael E. Mallonee ◽  
Michael J. Wilberg
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Chesapeake Bay ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Atlantic Menhaden ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Brevoortia Tyrannus ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Chl A ◽  
Low Levels

Abstract The abundance of prerecruit, age-0 Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), declined to low levels in Chesapeake Bay in the 1990s, after two decades of high abundances in the 1970s–1980s. Environmental factors and trophodynamics were hypothesized to control age-0 menhaden abundance. Data on age-0 menhaden abundance from seine and trawl surveys were analysed with respect to primary productivity, chlorophyll a (Chl a), and environmental variables. Abundance from 1989 to 2004 was strongly correlated with metrics of primary production and euphotic-layer Chl a, especially during spring months when larval menhaden transform into filter-feeding, phytoplanktivorous juveniles. Correlation, principal components, and multiple regression analyses were conducted that identified factors associated with age-0 menhaden abundance. Primary production, Chl a, and variables associated with freshwater flow, e.g. Secchi disk depth and zooplankton assemblages, were correlated with age-0 menhaden abundance. Lengths of age-0 menhaden were positively related to mean levels of annual primary production. However, lengths were negatively related to age-0 menhaden abundance, indicating that growth may be density-dependent. The identified relationships suggest that numbers of menhaden larvae ingressing to Chesapeake Bay and environmental factors that subsequently control primary productivity and food for juveniles within the Bay may control recruitment levels of Atlantic menhaden.

Optimizing models for remotely estimating primary production in Antarctic coastal waters

2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.M. Dierssen ◽  
M. Vernet ◽  
R.C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Water System ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Day Length ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Phytoplankton Productivity

Primary productivity and associated biogeochemical fluxes within the Southern Ocean are globally significant, sensitive to change and poorly known compared to temperate marine ecosystems. We present seasonal time series data of chlorophyll a, primary productivity and in-water irradiance measured in the coastal waters of the Western Antarctica Peninsula and build upon existing models to provide a more optimum parameterization for the estimation of primary productivity in Antarctic coastal waters. These and other data provide strong evidence that bio-optical characteristics and phytoplankton productivity in Antarctic waters are different from temperate waters. For these waters we show that over 60% of the variability in primary production can be explained by the surface chlorophyll a concentration alone, a characteristic, which lends itself to remote sensing models. If chlorophyll a concentrations are accurately determined, then the largest source of error (13–18%) results from estimates of the photoadaptive variable (PBopt). Further, the overall magnitude of PBopt is low (median 1.09 mg C mg chl−1 h−1) for these data compared to other regions and generally fits that expected for a cold water system. However, the variability of PBopt over the course of a season (0.4 to 3 mg C mg chl−1 h−1) is not consistently correlated with other possible environmental parameters, such as chlorophyll, sea surface temperature, incident irradiance, day length, salinity, or taxonomic composition. Nonetheless, by tuning a standard depth-integrated primary productivity model to fit representative PBopt values and the relatively uniform chlorophyll-normalized production profile found in these waters, we can improve the model to account for approximately 72–73% variability in primary production both for our data as well as for independent historic Antarctic data.

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