• Energy Research
• 14. Life underwater close
• SDSN Greece close

Nets are towed obliquely at approx. 1 knot, from the surface to approx. 175 m. Towing time is approx. 20 minutes. Zooplankton (weak swimmers >200µm) are collected using oblique tows of a 1 m**2 net (3m length) with 202µm mesh Nitex netting.

Barnacles are dominant members of marine intertidal communities. Their success depends on firm attachment provided by their proteinaceous adhesive and protection imparted by their calcified shell plates. Little is known about how variations in the environment affect adhesion and shell formation processes in barnacles. Increased levels of atmospheric CO2 have led to a reduction in the pH of ocean waters (i.e., ocean acidification), a trend that is expected to continue into the future. Here, we assessed if a reduction in seawater pH, at levels predicted within the next 200 years, would alter physiology, adhesion, and shell formation in the cosmopolitan barnacle Amphibalanus (=Balanus) amphitrite. Juvenile barnacles, settled on silicone substrates, were exposed to one of three static levels of pHT, 8.01, 7.78, or 7.50, for 13 weeks. We found that barnacles were robust to reduced pH, with no effect of pH on physiological metrics (mortality, tissue mass, and presence of eggs). Likewise, adhesive properties (adhesion strength and adhesive plaque gross morphology) were not affected by reduced pH. Shell formation, however, was affected by seawater pH. Shell mass and base plate area were higher in barnacles exposed to reduced pH; barnacles grown at pHT 8.01 exhibited approximately 30% lower shell mass and 20% smaller base plate area as compared to those at pHT 7.50 or 7.78. Enhanced growth at reduced pH appears to be driven by the increased size of the calcite crystals that comprise the shell. Despite enhanced growth, mechanical properties of the base plate (but not the parietal plates) were compromised at the lowest pH level. Barnacle base plates at pHT 7.50 broke more easily and crack propagation, measured through microhardness testing, was significantly affected by seawater pH. Other shell metrics (plate thickness, relative crystallinity, and atomic disorder) were not affected by seawater pH. Hence, a reduction in pH resulted in larger barnacles but with base plates that would crack more readily. It is yet to be determined if such changes would alter the survival of A. amphitrite in the field, but changes in the abundance of this ecologically dominant species would undoubtedly affect the composition of biofouling communities. In order to allow full comparability with other ocean acidification data sets, the R package seacarb (Gattuso et al, 2019) was used to compute a complete and consistent set of carbonate system variables, as described by Nisumaa et al. (2010). In this dataset the original values were archived in addition with the recalculated parameters (see related PI). The date of carbonate chemistry calculation by seacarb is 2020-09-18.

Patterns of movement of marine species can reflect strategies of reproduction and dispersal, species’ interactions, trophodynamics, and susceptibility to change, and thus critically inform how we manage populations and ecosystems. On coral reefs, the density and diversity of metazoan taxa is greatest in dead coral and rubble, which is suggested to fuel food webs from the bottom-up. Yet, biomass and secondary productivity in rubble is predominantly available in some of the smallest individuals, limiting how accessible this energy is to higher trophic levels. We address the bioavailability of motile coral reef cryptofauna based on small-scale patterns of emigration in rubble. We deployed modified RUbble Biodiversity Samplers (RUBS) and emergence traps in a shallow rubble patch at Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, to detect community-level differences in the directional influx of motile cryptofauna under five habitat accessibility regimes. The mean density (0.13–4.5 ind.cm-3) and biomass (0.14–5.2 mg.cm-3) of cryptofauna were high and varied depending on microhabitat accessibility. Emergent zooplankton represented a distinct community (dominated by the Appendicularia and Calanoida) with the lowest density and biomass, indicating constraints on nocturnal resource availability. Mean cryptofauna density and biomass were greatest when interstitial access within rubble was blocked, driven by the rapid proliferation of small harpacticoid copepods from the rubble surface, leading to trophic simplification. Individuals with high biomass (e.g., decapods, gobies, and echinoderms) were greatest when interstitial access within rubble was unrestricted. Treatments with a closed rubble surface did not differ from those completely open, suggesting that top-down predation does not diminish rubble-derived resources. Our results show that conspecific cues and species’ interactions (e.g., competition and predation) within rubble are most critical in shaping ecological outcomes within the cryptobiome. These findings have implications for prey accessibility through trophic and community size structuring in rubble, which may become increasingly relevant as benthic reef complexity shifts in the Anthropocene. We address the bioavailability of coral reef cryptofauna in rubble based on small-scale patterns of emigration. We adapted the accessibility of Rubble Biodiversity Samplers (RUBS), models used to standardise biodiversity sampling in rubble (Wolfe and Mumby 2020), to explore the local movement patterns of rubble-dwelling fauna, with inference to predation processes within and beyond the cryptobenthos. Five treatments were developed to detect community-level differences in the directional influx of motile cryptofauna under various habitat accessibility regimes. Four of these treatments were developed by modifying accessibility into RUBS (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4176644/files) to understand limitations on the directional influx and movement of cryptofauna within coral rubble patches using four treatments; (1) open (completely accessible), (2) interstitial access (top closed), (3) surficial access (sides and bottom closed), and (4) raised (above rubble substratum). The fifth treatment involved a series of emergence plankton traps, designed to target demersal cryptofauna that vertically migrate from within the rubble benthos at night, given emergent zooplankton biomass and diversity are greatest at night. Fieldwork was conducted over several weeks (11th September to 5th October 2021) in a shallow (~3–5 m depth) reef slope site on the southern margin of Heron Island (-23˚26.845’ S, 151˚54.732’ E), Great Barrier Reef, Australia (Fig. 1). All collections were conducted under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority permit G20/44613.1.

This dataset contains the data used in the manuscript "Physiological adaptation of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima under copper starvation" accepted for publication in April 2023 in Marine Environmental Research. In the open ocean and particularly in iron (Fe)-limited environment, copper (Cu) deficiency might limit the growth of phytoplankton species. Cu is an essential trace metal used in electron-transfer reactions, such as respiration and photosynthesis, when bound to specific enzymes. Some phytoplankton species, such as the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia spp. can cope with Cu starvation through adaptative strategies. This dataset contains the data collected during the experimental starvation of a strain of the diatom P. delicatissima under laboratory controlled conditions.

We studied if functional traits related to resource preemption (light and inorganic nutrients) exert control on space preemption of tropical seagrass meadows. Additionally, we studied if space preemption changed under different eutrophication scenarios. We took seagrass abundance data to study space preemption, seagrass traits data to study their effect on space preemption and eutrophication indicators to evaluate the level of eutrophication at each site/sampling event. The data was collected in Unguja Island (Zanzibar Archipealgo, Tanzania) in seven sites/sampling events (Harbor, Chapwani, Changuu, Bweleo, Fumba, Mangroves and Marumbi). Each site/sampling event comprised a subtidal seagrass meadow (2-4 meters depth) of around 2500 square meters, delimited by the coastline and a fringing reef. The data was taken between the 26.09.2016 to the 05.10.2016. In each site/sampling event, five 50 meters transects were deployed perpendicular to the coast and paralel to each other, approximately separated by 50 meters. The areas enclosed beweeen the transects were names A, B, C and D. Macroalgae biomass was collected as an indicator of eutrophication. Macroalgae biomass was quantified along five 50-m transects per site/sampling event, set perpendicular to the coast and parallel to each other, separated by ~50 meters. We collected the macroalgae present in three random 0.25x0.25 meters quadrats per transect. The macroalgae samples were cleaned of sediments and rinsed with water. They were then dried at 50°C in a forced air oven until constant dry weight. The macroalgae biomass was calculated as the grams of dry weight divided by the area of the quadrat (grams of dry weight per square meter).

The European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory (EMSO-ERIC, https://emso.eu/) is a research infrastructure distributed throughout Europe for seabed and water column observatories. It aims to further explore the oceans, better understand the phenomena that occur on the seabed, and elucidate the critical role that these phenomena play in global Earth systems. This observatory is based on observation sites (or nodes) that have been deployed in strategic locations in European seas, from the Arctic to the Atlantic, from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. There are currently eleven deepwater nodes plus four shallow water test nodes. EMSO-Western Ligurian Sea Node (https://www.emso-fr.org/fr) is a second generation permanent submarine observatory deployed offshore of Toulon, France, as a follow up of the pioneering ANTARES neutrino telescope. This submarine network, deployed at a depth of 2450m, is part of KM3NeT (https://www.km3net.org/) which has a modular topology designed to connect up to 120 neutrino detection units, i.e. ten times more than ANTARES. The Earth and Sea Science (ESS) instrumentation connected to KM3NeT is based on two complementary components: an Instrumented Interface Module (MII) and an autonomous mooring line (ALBATROSS). The ALBATROSS line is an inductive instrumented mooring line (2000 m) composed of an acoustic communication system, two inductive cables equipped with CTD-O2 sensors, current meters and two instrumented buoys. The MII and the ALMBATROSS mooring line communicate through an acoustic link. The MII is connected to an electro-optical cable via the KM3NeT node allowing the data transfer from and to the land based controlled room.

As part of global efforts to reduce dependence on carbon-based energy sources there has been a rapid increase in the installation of renewable energy devices. The installation and operation of these devices can result in conflicts with wildlife. In the marine environment, mammals may avoid wind farms that are under construction or operating. Such avoidance may lead to more time spent travelling or displacement from key habitats. A paucity of data on at-sea movements of marine mammals around wind farms limits our understanding of the nature of their potential impacts. Here, we present the results of a telemetry study on harbour seals Phoca vitulina in The Wash, south-east England, an area where wind farms are being constructed using impact pile driving. We investigated whether seals avoid wind farms during operation, construction in its entirety, or during piling activity. The study was carried out using historical telemetry data collected prior to any wind farm development and telemetry data collected in 2012 during the construction of one wind farm and the operation of another. Within an operational wind farm, there was a close-to-significant increase in seal usage compared to prior to wind farm development. However, the wind farm was at the edge of a large area of increased usage, so the presence of the wind farm was unlikely to be the cause. There was no significant displacement during construction as a whole. However, during piling, seal usage (abundance) was significantly reduced up to 25 km from the piling activity; within 25 km of the centre of the wind farm, there was a 19 to 83% (95% confidence intervals) decrease in usage compared to during breaks in piling, equating to a mean estimated displacement of 440 individuals. This amounts to significant displacement starting from predicted received levels of between 166 and 178 dB re 1 μPa(p-p). Displacement was limited to piling activity; within 2 h of cessation of pile driving, seals were distributed as per the non-piling scenario. Synthesis and applications. Our spatial and temporal quantification of avoidance of wind farms by harbour seals is critical to reduce uncertainty and increase robustness in environmental impact assessments of future developments. Specifically, the results will allow policymakers to produce industry guidance on the likelihood of displacement of seals in response to pile driving; the relationship between sound levels and avoidance rates; and the duration of any avoidance, thus allowing far more accurate environmental assessments to be carried out during the consenting process. Further, our results can be used to inform mitigation strategies in terms of both the sound levels likely to cause displacement and what temporal patterns of piling would minimize the magnitude of the energetic impacts of displacement. Wash_diagWash_diag.xlsx is the historic location data (pre windfarm construction) for the 19 individuals used in the analysis described in Russell et al.

During the summer field season in 2012, Benthic GeoScience Inc. (Benthic) mobilized under contract with Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) in order to conduct precise geospatial measurements of the seafloor accomplishing a preliminary Site Characterization Study for the ORPC East Forelands Tidal Energy Power Project. This study included a high-density bathymetric survey, acoustic reflective intensity imagery, and an assessment of the physical character of the ORPC East Forelands Tidal Energy Power Project environment. The Multibeam Echosounder (MBES) survey included a large area surrounding the East Forelands of Cook Inlet in the vicinity of Nikiski, Alaska. Included in this submission are the report for the East Forelands Site Characterization Study and the accompanying data from the survey as described below. The digital deliverables from this effort include: - Comprehensive Site Characterization Report (Format: PDF, Ver. 1.1, March 2013) - Comprehensive 3D Fledermaus Presentation (Format: SCENE, Ver. 1.1, March 2013) - Bathymetric Surface (Format: ASCVer. 1, March 2013) - Slope Gradient Surface (Format: ASCVer. 1, March 2013) - Comprehensive Acoustic Intensity Image (Format: TIF/TWFVer. 1, March 2013) - Geologic Seafloor Interpretation Surface (Format: ASCVer. 1.0, March 2013) - Comprehensive Google Earth Presentation (Format: KMZVer. 1.1, March 2013)