Widespread Anthropogenic Nitrogen in Northwestern Pacific Ocean Sediment.

Sediment samples from the East China and Yellow seas collected adjacent to continental China were found to have lower δ15N values (expressed as δ15N = [15N:14Nsample/15N:14Nair - 1] × 1000‰; the sediment 15N:14N ratio relative to the air nitrogen 15N:14N ratio). In contrast, the Arctic sediments from the Chukchi Sea, the sampling region furthest from China, showed higher δ15N values (2-3‰ higher than those representing the East China and the Yellow sea sediments). Across the sites sampled, the levels of sediment δ15N increased with increasing distance from China, which is broadly consistent with the decreasing influence of anthropogenic nitrogen (NANTH) resulting from fossil fuel combustion and fertilizer use. We concluded that, of several processes, the input of NANTH appears to be emerging as a new driver of change in the sediment δ15N value in marginal seas adjacent to China. The present results indicate that the effect of NANTH has extended beyond the ocean water column into the deep sedimentary environment, presumably via biological assimilation of NANTH followed by deposition. Further, the findings indicate that NANTH is taking over from the conventional paradigm of nitrate flux from nitrate-rich deep water as the primary driver of biological export production in this region of the Pacific Ocean.

Interaction between phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria in Arctic fjords during the glacial melting season as revealed by eDNA metabarcoding.

The hydrographic variability in the fjords of Svalbard significantly influences water mass properties, causing distinct patterns of microbial diversity and community composition between surface and subsurface layers. However, surveys on the phytoplankton-associated bacterial communities, pivotal to ecosystem functioning in Arctic fjords, are limited. This study investigated the interactions between phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacterial communities in Svalbard fjord waters through comprehensive eDNA metabarcoding with 16S and 18S rRNA genes. The 16S rRNA sequencing results revealed a homogenous community composition including a few dominant heterotrophic bacteria across fjord waters, whereas 18S rRNA results suggested a spatially diverse eukaryotic plankton distribution. The relative abundances of heterotrophic bacteria showed a depth-wise distribution. By contrast, the dominant phytoplankton populations exhibited variable distributions in surface waters. In the network model, the linkage of phytoplankton (Prasinophytae and Dinophyceae) to heterotrophic bacteria, particularly Actinobacteria, suggested the direct or indirect influence of bacterial contributions on the fate of phytoplankton-derived organic matter. Our prediction of the metabolic pathways for bacterial activity related to phytoplankton-derived organic matter suggested competitive advantages and symbiotic relationships between phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria. Our findings provide valuable insights into the response of phytoplankton-bacterial interactions to environmental changes in Arctic fjords.

Comparison of inorganic nitrogen concentrations in airborne particles at inshore and offshore sites in the Yellow Sea (2017-2019): Long-range transport and potential impact on marine productivity.

Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen is one of the most important external nutrient sources. We investigated the concentrations of NO3- and NH4+ in airborne particles at both an offshore and an inshore site in the Yellow Sea. At the offshore site, devoid of local sources and located downwind from the highly developed areas of Korea and China, the concentrations of atmospheric particulate NO3- and NH4+ were ∼88 ± 101 nmol m-3 and ∼102 ± 102 nmol m-3, respectively, likely due to the transboundary long-range transport of pollutants. The inshore site showed a concentration ∼2 times higher than the offshore site. Considering not only dry inorganic nitrogen deposition but also wet and organic material deposition, the total atmospheric nitrogen deposition was estimated to contribute roughly 10 % to the new production in the Yellow Sea.

Identifying the external N and Hg inputs to the estuary ecosystem based on the triple isotopic information (δ15NNO3, Δ17ONO3 and δ18ONO3).

The supply and sources of N and Hg in the Geum estuary of the western coast of Korea were evaluated. Triple isotope proxies (δ15NNO3, Δ17ONO3 and δ18ONO3) of NO3- combined with conservative mixing between river and ocean waters were used to improve isotope finger-printing methods. The N pool in the Geum estuary was primarily influenced by the Yellow Sea water, followed by riverine discharge (821 × 106 mol yr-1) and atmospheric deposition (51 × 106 mol yr-1). The influence of the river was found to be greater for Hg than that of the atmosphere. The triple isotope proxies revealed that the riverine and atmospheric inputs of N have been affected by septic wastes and fossil fuel burning, respectively. From the inner estuary towards offshore region, the influence of the river diminishes, thus increasing the relative impact of the atmosphere. Moreover, the isotope proxies showed a significant influence of N assimilation in February and nitrification in May.

Acidity in rainwater and airborne suspended particles in the southwestern coast of the East Sea (Sea of Japan): Their potential impact on seawater total alkalinity.

Our understanding of the impact of atmospheric acid deposition on marine carbonate system remains limited, largely due to a lack of data regarding acidity present in atmospheric particles and precipitation. Previous research has relied on the electroneutrality-based ion balance method for indirect estimation of atmospheric acidity. In this study, atmospheric samples collected at a coastal site of South Korea were mixed with seawater to measure the change in seawater total alkalinity (ΔTAAPL) associated with atmospheric proton loading. For the precipitation samples, the measured ΔTAAPL and electroneutrality-based estimates showed a significant correlation. However, we did not observe similar results for the atmospheric particle samples. Furthermore, the decrease in oceanic TA due to ΔTAAPL was substantially smaller than that in dissolved inorganic carbon from concurrent nitrogen fertilization. Consequently, the adverse impact of acid deposition on ocean acidification or air-sea exchange of CO2 appears to be insignificant on a short-term scale.

Atmospheric deposition of inorganic nutrients to the Western North Pacific Ocean.

We evaluated the potential impacts of atmospheric deposition on marine productivity and inorganic carbon chemistry in the northwestern Pacific Ocean (8-39°N, 125-157°E). The nutrient concentration in atmospheric total suspended particles decreased exponentially with increasing distance from the closest land-mass (Asia), clearly revealing anthropogenic and terrestrial contributions. The predicted mean depositional fluxes of inorganic nitrogen were approximately 34 and 15 µmol m-2 d-1 to the west and east of 140°E, respectively, which were at least two orders of magnitude greater than the inorganic phosphorus flux. On average, atmospheric particulate deposition would support 3-4% of the net primary production along the surveyed tracks, which is equivalent to ~2% of the dissolved carbon increment caused by the penetration of anthropogenic CO2. Our observations generally fell within the ranges observed over the past 18 years, despite an increasing trend of atmospheric pollution in the source regions during the same period, which implies high temporal and spatial variabilities of atmospheric nutrient concentration in the study area. Continued atmospheric anthropogenic nitrogen deposition may alter the relative abundances of nitrogen and phosphorus.

Mercury proxy for hydrothermal and submarine volcanic activities in the sediment cores of Central Indian Ridge.

Hydrothermal vent is the one of the main natural Hg sources to the deep ocean. Thus, we investigated which Hg speciation in the sediment core can be the past records for geothermal activities in mid-ocean ridges of the Central Indian Ocean. The result showed that the hydrothermal Hg in the core sediments was mainly associated with Fe-Mn oxides with the elevated concentrations of other hydrothermal-derived trace metals [Co + Zn + Cu]. In addition, the [Sm]/[Nd] and [Rb]/[Sr] ratios and ɛNdCHUR and 87Sr/86Sr isotopic values supported that the extremely high Hg concentrations were possibly originated from the hydrothermal vent. However, the Hg emitted from submarine volcano was mainly associated with sulfides-organic matters because the volcanos did not release Fe and Mn. Thus, our results showed that the sedimentary Hg is an independent toll for reconstruction of paleodynamics of hydrothermal and/or volcanic activities in deep sea basin of the Central Indian Ocean.

The complete mitochondrial genome of blue-lined octopus Hapalochlaena fasciata (Hoyle, 1886) (Octopodiformes; Octopoda; Octopodidae).

The complete mitochondrial genome of the highly venomous blue-lined octopus, Hapalochlaena fasciata (Hoyle, 1886), was analyzed by the primer walking method. Its mitogenome was 15,479 bp in total length, comprising 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 23 transfer RNA genes. In the phylogenetic tree, the gene content and order were congruent with those of typical octopodiform species. The mitogenomic sequence presented could be very useful as the first record of the complete mitogenome for the genus Hapalochlaena.

Input of terrestrial organic matter linked to deglaciation increased mercury transport to the Svalbard fjords.

Deglaciation has accelerated the transport of minerals as well as modern and ancient organic matter from land to fjord sediments in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, in the European Arctic Ocean. Consequently, such sediments may contain significant levels of total mercury (THg) bound to terrestrial organic matter. The present study compared THg contents in surface sediments from three fjord settings in Spitsbergen: Hornsund in the southern Spitsbergen, which has high annual volume of loss glacier and receives sediment from multiple tidewater glaciers, Dicksonfjorden in the central Spitsbergen, which receives sediment from glacifluvial rivers, and Wijdefjorden in the northern Spitsbergen, which receive sediments from a mixture of tidewater glaciers and glacifluvial rivers. Our results showed that the THg (52 ± 15 ng g-1) bound to organic matter (OM) was the highest in the Hornsund surface sediments, where the glacier loss (0.44 km3 yr-1) and organic carbon accumulation rates (9.3 ~ 49.4 g m-2 yr-1) were elevated compared to other fjords. Furthermore, the δ13C (-27 ~ -24‰) and δ34S values (-10 ~ 15‰) of OM indicated that most of OM were originated from terrestrial sources. Thus, the temperature-driven glacial melting could release more OM originating from the meltwater or terrestrial materials, which are available for THg binding in the European Arctic fjord ecosystems.

Fungi in salterns.

Salterns are hypersaline extreme environments with unique physicochemical properties such as a salinity gradient. Although the investigation of microbiota in salterns has focused on archaea and bacteria, diverse fungi also thrive in the brine and soil of salterns. Fungi isolated from salterns are represented by black yeasts (Hortaea werneckii, Phaeotheca triangularis, Aureobasidium pullulans, and Trimmatostroma salinum), Cladosporium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium species. Most studies on saltern-derived fungi gave attention to black yeasts and their physiological characteristics, including growth under various culture conditions. Since then, biochemical and molecular tools have been employed to explore adaptation of these fungi to salt stress. Genome databases of several fungi in salterns are now publicly available and being used to elucidate salt tolerance mechanisms and discover the target genes for agricultural and industrial applications. Notably, the number of enzymes and novel metabolites known to be produced by diverse saltern-derived fungi has increased significantly. Therefore, fungi in salterns are not only interesting and important subjects to study fungal biodiversity and adaptive mechanisms in extreme environments, but also valuable bioresources with potential for biotechnological applications.

Atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic inorganic nitrogen in airborne particles and precipitation in the East Sea in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

The atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic nitrogen is an increasingly important new source of nitrogen to the ocean. Coastal areas east of the Korean Peninsula are suitable for the investigation of the effects of atmospheric anthropogenic nitrogen on the ocean nutrient system because of the low riverine discharge rates and the prevailing influence of the East Asian outflow. Thus, we measured the concentrations of nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) in airborne particles and in precipitation from March 2014 to February 2016 at a coastal site (37.08°N, 129.41°E) on the east coast of Korea. The dry deposition of NO3- (27-30 mmol N m-2 yr-1) was far greater than that of NH4+ (6-8 mmol N m-2 yr-1). The greater rate of dry NO3- deposition was associated with air masses traveling over northeastern China and central Korea. In contrast, the rates of wet deposition of NO3- (17-24 mmol N m-2 yr-1) and NH4+ (14-27 mmol N m-2 yr-1) were comparable and were probably associated with in-cloud scavenging of these ions. The results indicate that the total deposition of NO3- and NH4+ combined could contribute to ~2.4% and ~1.9% of the primary production in the coastal areas east of the Korean Peninsula and in the East Asian marginal seas, respectively, which would be a lower bound because the dry deposition of reactive nitrogen gas was not included. Our study shows that the atmospheric input of anthropogenic NO3- and NH4+ may substantially increase phytoplankton biomass in the coastal waters of the East Sea near the Korean Peninsula.

Increase in anthropogenic mercury in marginal sea sediments of the Northwest Pacific Ocean.

Over the past century, the addition of anthropogenic mercury (HgANTH) to vast areas of North Pacific marginal seas adjacent to the northeast Asian continent has tripled. Analysis of sediment cores showed that the rate of HgANTH addition (HgANTH flux) was greatest in the East China and Yellow Seas (9.1 µg m-2 yr-1) in the vicinity of China (the source continent), but was small in the Bering and western Arctic Ocean (Chukchi Sea) (0.9 µg m-2 yr-1; the regions furthest from China). Our results show that HgANTH has reached open ocean sedimentary environments over extended areas of the northwestern Pacific Ocean, via the formation of organic-mercury complexes and deposition. The implication of these findings is that the addition of HgANTH (via atmospheric deposition and riverine input) to the ocean environment is responsible for elevated Hg flux into sedimentary environments in the northwest Pacific Ocean.

Distributions, abundances and activities of microbes associated with the nitrogen cycle in riparian and stream sediments of a river tributary.

River tributaries are ecologically important environments that function as sinks of inorganic nitrogen. To gain greater insight into the nitrogen cycle (N-cycle) in these environments, the distributions and activities of microbial populations involved in the N-cycle were studied in riparian and stream sediments of the Santa Fe River (SFR) tributaries located in northern Florida, USA. Riparian sediments were characterized by much higher organic matter content, and extracellular enzyme activities, including cellobiohydrolase, ß-d-glucosidase, and phenol oxidase than stream sediments. Compared with stream sediments, riparian sediments exhibited significantly higher activities of nitrification, denitrification, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (DNRA) and anaerobic ammonia oxidation; correspondingly, with higher copies of amoA (a biomarker for enumerating nitrifiers), nirS and nirK (for denitrifiers), and nrfA (for DNRA bacteria). Among N-cycle processes, denitrification showed the highest activities and the highest concentrations of the corresponding gene (nirK and nirS) copy numbers. In riparian sediments, substantial nitrification activities (6.3 mg-N kg soil-1d-1 average) and numbers of amoA copies (7.3 × 107 copies g soil-1 average) were observed, and nitrification rates correlate with denitrification rates. The guild structures of denitrifiers and nitrifiers in riparian sediments differed significantly from those found in stream sediments, as revealed by analysis of nirS and archaeal amoA sequences. This study shows that riparian sediments serve as sinks for inorganic nitrogen loads from non-point sources of agricultural runoff, with nitrification and denitrification associated with elevated levels of carbon and nitrogen contents and extracellular enzyme activities.

The impacts of excessive nitrogen additions on enzyme activities and nutrient leaching in two contrasting forest soils.

Nitrogen (N) deposition has increased dramatically worldwide, which may affect forest soils in various ways. In this study, we conducted a short-term manipulation experiment of N addition on two types of forest soils (urban and rural soils) found in Korea. N addition significantly decreased phenol oxidase activities in urban soil samples; however, it did not affect those in rural soils. Furthermore, N addition did not change ß-glucosidase and N-acetylglucosaminidase activities, except for ß-glucosidase activities in the O layer of rural soils. Changes in microbial biomass and general activity (dehydrogenase activity) were not induced by N addition, except for dehydrogenase in the A layer of urban soils. Although N addition did not change the extractable soil nutrients, organic matter, and water contents significantly, it enhanced nutrient leaching and resulted in lower pH leachate. These results suggest that excessive N addition to forest soils may induce nutrient leaching in the long-term. Overall results of our study also suggest that N addition may induce retardation of organic matter decomposition in soils; however, such a response may depend on the intensity of previous exposure to N deposition.