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OBIS 2.0: Real-time integration, quality control and analysis of rich marine data streams
Full text linkFor almost two decades, the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) has played a key role in the mobilisation and sharing of marine biodiversity data. The increasing demand for near real-time rich datasets to support conservation, human health, and the blue economy, as well as rapidly increasing data volumes due to technological advancements in observing systems, have triggered improvements in the data model and a reengineering of the OBIS platform. The new data platform can now handle complex high-volume datasets and make them available to users with very little delay
Counteracting anthropogenic CO<sub>2</sub> emissions by microbial stimulation of silicate weathering
Full text linkTracing mercury pollution along the Norwegian coast via elemental, speciation, and isotopic analysis of liver and muscle tissue of deep-water marine fish (<i>Brosme brosme</i>)
Full text linkLiver and muscle tissue of tusks (Brosme brosme) have been analyzed for their THg and MeHg concentrations and Hg isotopic signatures for tracing Hg pollution along the Norwegian coast. Clear differences between tissue types and locations were established. At five of the eight locations, the Hg concentration in muscle exceeded the maximum allowable level of 0.5 mg kg–1 wet weight. δ202Hg values in both tissue types indicated that Hg speciation affects the bulk Hg isotopic signature. Tusk liver seems to be more sensitive to immediate changes and to anthropogenic inorganic Hg, while the muscle rather reflects the Hg accumulated over a longer period of exposure. The δ202Hg values of liver and muscle also enabled different sources of Hg and exposure pathways to be distinguished. δ202Hgmuscle–δ202Hgliver showed a clear correlation with the % MeHg in tusk liver for the coastal waters, but not for the fjords. The absence of significant differences in Δ199Hg values between both tissues of tusk from the same location suggests that in vivo metabolic processes are the underlying reason for the differences in Hg speciation and in δ202Hg values. This work highlights the importance of selecting different tissues of marine fish in future Hg monitoring programs
Penaeid shrimp genome provides insights into benthic adaptation and frequent molting
Full text linkCrustacea, the subphylum of Arthropoda which dominates the aquatic environment, is of major importance in ecology and fisheries. Here we report the genome sequence of the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei, covering ~1.66 Gb (scaffold N50 605.56 Kb) with 25,596 protein-coding genes and a high proportion of simple sequence repeats (>23.93%). The expansion of genes related to vision and locomotion is probably central to its benthic adaptation. Frequent molting of the shrimp may be explained by an intensified ecdysone signal pathway through gene expansion and positive selection. As an important aquaculture organism, L. vannamei has been subjected to high selection pressure during the past 30 years of breeding, and this has had a considerable impact on its genome. Decoding the L. vannamei genome not only provides an insight into the genetic underpinnings of specific biological processes, but also provides valuable information for enhancing crustacean aquaculture
Revisiting the distribution of oceanic N<sub>2</sub> fixation and estimating diazotrophic contribution to marine production
Full text linkMarine N2 fixation supports a significant portion of oceanic primary production by making N2 bioavailable to planktonic communities, in the process influencing atmosphere-ocean carbon fluxes and our global climate. However, the geographical distribution and controlling factors of marine N2 fixation remain elusive largely due to sparse observations. Here we present unprecedented high-resolution underway N2 fixation estimates across over 6000 kilometers of the western North Atlantic. Unexpectedly, we find increasing N2 fixation rates from the oligotrophic Sargasso Sea to North America coastal waters, driven primarily by cyanobacterial diazotrophs. N2 fixation is best correlated to phosphorus availability and chlorophyll-a concentration. Globally, intense N2 fixation activity in the coastal oceans is validated by a meta-analysis of published observations and we estimate the annual coastal N2 fixation flux to be 16.7 Tg N. This study broadens the biogeography of N2 fixation, highlights the interplay of regulating factors, and reveals thriving diazotrophic communities in coastal waters with potential significance to the global nitrogen and carbon cycles
The European Landing Obligation. Reducing Discards in Complex, Multi-Species and Multi-Jurisdictional Fisheries
Full text linkThis open access book provides a comprehensive examination of the European Landing Obligation policy from many relevant perspectives. It includes evaluations of its impacts at economical, socio-cultural, ecological and institutional levels. It also discusses the feasibility and benefits of several potential mitigation strategies. The book was timely published, exactly at the time where the Landing Obligation was planned to be fully implemented. This book is of significant interest to all stakeholders involved, but also to the general public of Europe and to other jurisdictions throughout the world that are also searching for ways to deal with by-catch and discard issues
