Observational evidence linking ocean sulfur compounds to atmospheric dimethyl sulfide during Icelandic Sea phytoplankton blooms.

In two Icelandic Sea spring blooms (May 2018 and 2019) in the North Atlantic Ocean (62.9-68.0°N, 9.0-28.0°W), chlorophyll-a and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) concentrations and DMSP lyase activity (the DMSP-to-dimethyl sulfide (DMS) conversion efficiency) were measured at 67 stations, and the hourly atmospheric DMS mixing ratios were concurrently measured only in May 2019 at Storhofdi on Heimaey Island, located south of Iceland (63.4°N, 20.3°W). The ocean parameters for biology (i.e., chlorophyll-a, DMSP, and DMSP lyase activity) were broadly associated in distribution; however, the statistical significance of the association differed among four ocean domains and also between 2018 and 2019. Specifically, the widespread dominance of Phaeocystis, coccolithophores, and dinoflagellates (all rich in DMSP and high in DMSP lyase activity) across the study area is a compelling indication that variations in DMSP-rich phytoplankton were likely a main cause of the variations in statistical significance. For all the ocean domains defined here, we found that the DMS production capacity (calculated using the exposures of air masses to ocean biology prior to their arrivals at Heimaey and the atmospheric DMS mixing ratios of those air masses at Heimaey) was surprisingly consistent with in situ ocean S data (i.e., DMSP and DMSP lyase activity). Our study shows that the proposed computational approach enabled the detection of changes in DMS production and emission in association with changes in ocean primary producers.

Ocean-atmosphere interactions: Different organic components across Pacific and Southern Oceans.

Sea spray aerosol (SSA) particles strongly influence clouds and climate but the potential impact of ocean microbiota on SSA fluxes is still a matter of active research. Here-by means of in situ ship-borne measurements-we explore simultaneously molecular-level chemical properties of organic matter (OM) in oceans, sea ice, and the ambient PM2.5 aerosols along a transect of 15,000 km from the western Pacific Ocean (36°13'N) to the Southern Ocean (75°15'S). By means of orbitrap mass spectrometry and optical characteristics, lignin-like material (24 ± 5 %) and humic material (57 ± 8 %) were found to dominate the pelagic Pacific Ocean surface, while intermediate conditions were observed in the Pacific-Southern Ocean waters. In the marine atmosphere, we found a gradient of features in the aerosol: lignin-like material (31 ± 9 %) dominating coastal areas and the pelagic Pacific Ocean, whereas lipid-like (23 ± 16 %) and protein-like (11 ± 10 %) OM controlled the sympagic Southern Ocean (sea ice-influence). The results of this study showed that the OM composition in the ocean, which changes with latitude, affects the OM in aerosol compositions in the atmosphere. This study highlights the importance of the global-scale OM monitoring of the close interaction between the ocean, sea ice, and the atmosphere. Sympagic primary marine aerosols in polar regions must be treated differently from other pelagic-type oceans.

Microbial metabolic responses and CO2 emissions differentiated by soil water content variation in subarctic tundra soils.

Recent rapid air temperature increases across the northern-latitude tundra have prolonged permafrost thawing and snow melting periods, resulting in increased soil temperature (Ts) and volumetric soil water content (SWC). Under prolonged soil warming at 8°C, Alaskan tundra soils were incubated in a microcosm system and examined for the SWC differential influence on the microbial decomposition activity of large molecular weight (MW) humic substances (HS). When one microcosm soil (AKC1-1) was incubated at a constant SWC of 41% for 90 days (T = 90) and then SWC was gradually decreased from 41% to 29% for another T = 90, the initial HS was partly depolymerized. In contrast, in AKC1-2 incubated at a gradually decreasing SWC from the initial 32% to 10% for T = 90 and then increasing to 27% for another T = 90, HS depolymerization was undetected. Overall, the microbial communities in AKC1-1 could maintain metabolic activity at sufficient and constant SWC during the initial T = 90 incubation. In contrast, AKC1-2 microbes may have been damaged by drought stress during the drying SWC regimen, possibly resulting in the loss of HS decomposition activity, which did not recover even after re-wetting to an optimal SWC range (20-40%). After T = 90, the CO2 production in both treatments was attributed to the increased decomposition of small-MW organic compounds (including aerobic HS-degradative products) within an optimal SWC range. We expect this study to provide new insights into the early effects of warming- and topography-induced SWC variations on the microbial contribution to CO2 emissions via HS decomposition in northern-latitude tundra soil.

Abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial communities in the western Pacific and Southern Oceans.

This study investigated the abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and the composition of bacterial communities along a transect covering the western Pacific Ocean (36°N) to the Southern Ocean (74°S) using the Korean icebreaker R/V Araon (total cruise distance: 14,942 km). The relative abundances of ARGs and bacteria were assessed with quantitative PCR and next generation sequencing, respectively. The absolute abundance of ARGs was 3.0 × 106 ± 1.6 × 106 copies/mL in the western Pacific Ocean, with the highest value (7.8 × 106 copies/mL) recorded at a station in the Tasman Sea (37°S). The absolute abundance of ARGs in the Southern Ocean was 1.8-fold lower than that in the western Pacific Ocean, and slightly increased (0.7-fold) toward Terra Nova Bay in Antarctica, possibly resulting from natural terrestrial sources or human activity. ß-Lactam and tetracycline resistance genes were dominant in all samples (88-99%), indicating that they are likely the key ARGs in the ocean. Correlation and network analysis showed that Bdellovibrionota, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Margulisbacteria, and Proteobacteria were positively correlated with ARGs, suggesting that these bacteria are the most likely ARG carriers. This study highlights the latitudinal profile of ARG distribution in the open ocean system and provides insights that will help in monitoring emerging pollutants on a global scale.

When river water meets seawater: Insights into primary marine aerosol production.

The impact of inorganic salts and organic matter (OM) on the production of primary marine aerosols is still under debate. To constrain their impact, we investigated primary aerosols generated by a sea-spray generator chamber using surface water samples from rivers, estuaries, and seas that were collected along salinity gradients in two temperate Korean coastal systems and one Arctic coastal system. Salinity values showed an increasing trend along the river-estuary-coastal water transition, indicating the lowest amount of inorganic salts in the river but the highest amount in the sea. In river samples, the lowest number concentration of primary aerosol particles (1.01 × 103 cm-3) was observed at the highest OM content, suggesting that low salinity controls aerosol production. Moreover, the number concentration of primary aerosols increased drastically in estuarine (1.13 × 104 cm-3) and seawater (1.35 × 104 cm-3) samples as the OM content decreased. Our results indicate that inorganic salts associated with increasing salinity play a much larger role than OM in aerosol production in river-dominated coastal systems. Laboratory studies using NaCl solution supported the conclusion that inorganic salt is a critical factor in modulating the particles produced from river water and seawater. Accordingly, this study highlights that inorganic salts are a critical factor in modulating the production of primary marine aerosols.

Carbon response of tundra ecosystems to advancing greenup and snowmelt in Alaska.

The ongoing disproportionate increases in temperature and precipitation over the Arctic region may greatly alter the latitudinal gradients in greenup and snowmelt timings as well as associated carbon dynamics of tundra ecosystems. Here we use remotely-sensed and ground-based datasets and model results embedding snowmelt timing in phenology at seven tundra flux tower sites in Alaska during 2001-2018, showing that the carbon response to early greenup or delayed snowmelt varies greatly depending upon local climatic limits. Increases in net ecosystem productivity (NEP) due to early greenup were amplified at the higher latitudes where temperature and water strongly colimit vegetation growth, while NEP decreases due to delayed snowmelt were alleviated by a relief of water stress. Given the high likelihood of more frequent delayed snowmelt at higher latitudes, this study highlights the importance of understanding the role of snowmelt timing in vegetation growth and terrestrial carbon cycles across warming Arctic ecosystems.

The relationships of present vegetation, bacteria, and soil properties with soil organic matter characteristics in moist acidic tundra in Alaska.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is related to vegetation, soil bacteria, and soil properties; however, not many studies link all these parameters simultaneously, particularly in tundra ecosystems vulnerable to climate change. Our aim was to describe the relationships between vegetation, bacteria, soil properties, and SOM composition in moist acidic tundra by integrating physical, chemical, and molecular methods. A total of 70 soil samples were collected at two different depths from 36 spots systematically arranged over an area of about 300 m × 50 m. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene were used to identify the molecular compositions of the SOM and bacterial community, respectively. Vegetation and soil physicochemical properties were also measured. The sampling sites were grouped into three, based on their SOM compositions: Sphagnum moss-derived SOM, lipid-rich materials, and aromatic-rich materials. Our results show that SOM composition is spatially structured and linked to microtopography; however, the vegetation, soil properties, and bacterial community composition did not show overall spatial structuring. Simultaneously, soil properties and bacterial community composition were the main factors explaining SOM compositional variation, while vegetation had a residual effect. Verrucomicrobia and Acidobacteria were related to polysaccharides, and Chloroflexi was linked to aromatic compounds. These relationships were consistent across different hierarchical levels. Our results suggest that SOM composition at a local scale is closely linked with soil factors and the bacterial community. Comprehensive observation of ecosystem components is recommended to understand the in-situ function of bacteria and the fate of SOM in the moist acidic tundra.

Large loss of CO2 in winter observed across the northern permafrost region.

Recent warming in the Arctic, which has been amplified during the winter1-3, greatly enhances microbial decomposition of soil organic matter and subsequent release of carbon dioxide (CO2)4. However, the amount of CO2 released in winter is highly uncertain and has not been well represented by ecosystem models or by empirically-based estimates5,6. Here we synthesize regional in situ observations of CO2 flux from arctic and boreal soils to assess current and future winter carbon losses from the northern permafrost domain. We estimate a contemporary loss of 1662 Tg C yr-1 from the permafrost region during the winter season (October through April). This loss is greater than the average growing season carbon uptake for this region estimated from process models (-1032 Tg C yr-1). Extending model predictions to warmer conditions in 2100 indicates that winter CO2 emissions will increase 17% under a moderate mitigation scenario-Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5-and 41% under business-as-usual emissions scenario-RCP 8.5. Our results provide a new baseline for winter CO2 emissions from northern terrestrial regions and indicate that enhanced soil CO2 loss due to winter warming may offset growing season carbon uptake under future climatic conditions.

Continuous measurement of soil carbon efflux with Forced Diffusion (FD) chambers in a tundra ecosystem of Alaska.

Soil is a significant source of CO2 emission to the atmosphere, and this process is accelerating at high latitudes due to rapidly changing climates. To investigate the sensitivity of soil CO2 emissions to high temporal frequency variations in climate, we performed continuous monitoring of soil CO2 efflux using Forced Diffusion (FD) chambers at half-hour intervals, across three representative Alaskan soil cover types with underlying permafrost. These sites were established during the growing season of 2015, on the Seward Peninsula of western Alaska. Our chamber system is conceptually similar to a dynamic chamber, though FD is more durable and water-resistant and consumes less power, lending itself to remote deployments. We first conducted methodological tests, testing different frequencies of measurement, and did not observe a significant difference between collecting data at 30-min and 10-min measurement intervals (averaged half-hourly) (p<0.001). Temperature and thaw depth, meanwhile, are important parameters in influencing soil carbon emission. At the study sites, we observed cumulative soil CO2 emissions of 62.0, 126.3, and 133.5gCm(-2) for the growing period, in sphagnum, lichen, and tussock, respectively, corresponding to 83.8, 63.7, and 79.6% of annual carbon emissions. Growing season soil carbon emissions extrapolated over the region equated to 0.17±0.06 MgC over the measurement period. This was 47% higher than previous estimates from coarse-resolution manual chamber sampling, presumably because it better captured high efflux events. This finding demonstrates how differences in measurement method and frequency can impact interpretations of seasonal and annual soil carbon budgets. We conclude that annual CO2 efflux-measurements using FD chamber networks would be an effective means for quantifying growing and non-growing season soil carbon budgets, with optimal pairing with time-lapse imagery for tracking local and regional changes in environment and climate in a warming Arctic.

Comparison of Hygroscopicity, Volatility, and Mixing State of Submicrometer Particles between Cruises over the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

Ship-borne measurements of ambient aerosols were conducted during an 11 937 km cruise over the Arctic Ocean (cruise 1) and the Pacific Ocean (cruise 2). A frequent nucleation event was observed during cruise 1 under marine influence, and the abundant organic matter resulting from the strong biological activity in the ocean could contribute to the formation of new particles and their growth to a detectable size. Concentrations of particle mass and black carbon increased with increasing continental influence from polluted areas. During cruise 1, multiple peaks of hygroscopic growth factor (HGF) of 1.1-1.2, 1.4, and 1.6 were found, and higher amounts of volatile organic species existed in the particles compared to that during cruise 2, which is consistent with the greater availability of volatile organic species caused by the strong oceanic biological activity (cruise 1). Internal mixtures of volatile and nonhygroscopic organic species, nonvolatile and less-hygroscopic organic species, and nonvolatile and hygroscopic nss-sulfate with varying fractions can be assumed to constitute the submicrometer particles. On the basis of elemental composition and morphology, the submicrometer particles were classified into C-rich mixture, S-rich mixture, C/S-rich mixture, Na-rich mixture, C/P-rich mixture, and mineral-rich mixture. Consistently, the fraction of biological particles (i.e., P-containing particles) increased when the ship traveled along a strongly biologically active area.

Temporal changes in soil bacterial diversity and humic substances degradation in subarctic tundra soil.

Humic substances (HS), primarily humic acids (HA) and fulvic acids (FA), are the largest constituent of soil organic matter. In microcosm systems with subarctic HS-rich tundra soil (site AK 1-75; approximately 5.6 °C during the thawing period) from Council, Alaska, the HA content significantly decreased to 48% after a 99-day incubation at 5 °C as part of a biologically mediated process. Accordingly, levels of FA, a putative byproduct of HA degradation, consistently increased to 172% during an identical incubation process. Culture-independent microbial community analysis showed that during the microcosm experiments, the relative abundance of phyla Proteobacteria (bacteria) and Euryarchaeota (archaea) largely increased, indicating their involvement in HS degradation. When the indigenous bacteria in AK 1-75 were enriched in an artificial mineral medium spiked with HA, the changes in relative abundance were most conspicuous in Proteobacteria (from 60.2 to 79.0%), specifically Betaproteobacteria-related bacteria. One hundred twenty-two HA-degrading bacterial strains, primarily from the genera Paenibacillus (phylum Firmicutes) and Pseudomonas (class Gammaproteobacteria), were cultivated from AK 1-75 and nearby sites. Through culture-dependent analysis with these bacterial isolates, we observed increasing HS-degradation rates in parallel with rising temperatures in a range of 0 °C to 20 °C, with the most notable increase occurring at 8 °C compared to 6 °C. Our results indicate that, although microbial-mediated HS degradation occurs at temperature as low as 5 °C in tundra ecosystems, increasing soil temperature caused by global climate change could enhance HS degradation rates. Extending the thawing period could also increase degradation activity, thereby directly affecting nearby microbial communities and rhizosphere environments.

Bacterial communities of surface mixed layer in the Pacific sector of the western Arctic Ocean during sea-ice melting.

From July to August 2010, the IBRV ARAON journeyed to the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean to monitor bacterial variation in Arctic summer surface-waters, and temperature, salinity, fluorescence, and nutrient concentrations were determined during the ice-melting season. Among the measured physicochemical parameters, we observed a strong negative correlation between temperature and salinity, and consequently hypothesized that the melting ice decreased water salinity. The bacterial community compositions of 15 samples, includicng seawater, sea-ice, and melting pond water, were determined using a pyrosequencing approach and were categorized into three habitats: (1) surface seawater, (2) ice core, and (3) melting pond. Analysis of these samples indicated the presence of local bacterial communities; a deduction that was further corroborated by the discovery of seawater- and ice-specific bacterial phylotypes. In all samples, the Alphaproteobacteria, Flavobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria taxa composed the majority of the bacterial communities. Among these, Alphaproteobacteria was the most abundant and present in all samples, and its variation differed among the habitats studied. Linear regression analysis suggested that changes in salinity could affect the relative proportion of Alphaproteobacteria in the surface water. In addition, the species-sorting model was applied to evaluate the population dynamics and environmental heterogeneity in the bacterial communities of surface mixed layer in the Arctic Ocean during sea-ice melting.

Anti-inflammatory activity of Crinum asiaticum Linne var. japonicum extract and its application as a cosmeceutical ingredient.

Crinum asiaticum Linne var. japonicum has long been used as a rheumatic remedy, as an anti-pyretic and as an anti-ulcer treatment, and for the alleviation of local pain and fever in Korea and Malaysia. In order to investigate the possibility of Crinum asiaticum Linne var. japonicum extract as a cosmetic ingredient, we measured its anti-inflammatory effect by its inhibition of iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) and the release of PGE2, IL-6, and IL-8. We also measured its anti-allergic effect by its inhibition of beta-hexosamidase release. An HPLC experiment after extraction with 95% EtOH at pH 3.5 showed that Crinum asiaticum Linne var. japonicum was mainly composed of lycorine (up to 1%), a well-known immunosuppressor. The content of lycorine varied, depending on the type of plant tissue analyzed and the extraction method. In an anti-inflammatory assay for inhibition of nitric oxide formation on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells, the ethanol extract of Crinum asiaticum showed an inhibitory activity of NO production in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 = 58.5 microg/ml). Additional study by RT-PCR demonstrated that the extract of Crinum asiaticum significantly suppressed the expression of the iNOS gene. Moreover, the extract of Crinum asiaticum did not show any cytotoxicity, but did show a cell proliferation effect against LPS (a 10 approximately 60% increase in cell viability). In an assay to determine inhibition of the H2O2-activated release of PGE2, IL-6, and IL-8 in human normal fibroblast cell lines, the release of PGE2 and IL-6 was almost completely inhibited above concentrations of 0.05% and 1%, respectively. Moreover, the release of IL-8 was completely inhibited over the entire range of concentration (>0.0025%). In order to investigate the skin-sensitizing potentials of the extract of Crinum asiaticum, a human clinical test was performed after repeated epicutaneous 48-h applications under an occlusive patch (RIPT). The repeated and single cutaneous applications of Crinum asiaticum Linne var. japonicum extract under the occlusive patch did not provoke any cumulative irritation and sensitization reactions. The result showed that the extract of Crinum asiaticum Linne var. japonicum has a sufficient anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, Crinum asiaticum Linne var. japonicum extract may be useful for development as an ingredient in cosmetic products.

Screening of growth- or development-related genes by using genomic library with inducible promoter in Aspergillus nidulans.

Using the genomic library constructed at the downstream of the niiA promoter, which induces the over-expression of an inserted DNA fragment, we have attempted to screen the genes affecting growth or development by over-expression. The wild-type strain was transformed using the AMA-niiA(p) library and cultured on 1.2 M sorbitol media, in which asexual sporulation is induced, but sexual development is repressed. Over 100,000 strains transformed to pyrG(+) were analyzed with regard to any changes in phenotype. Consequently, seven strains were isolated for further analyses. These strains were designated NOT [niiA(p) over-expression transformants] stains. Four of the strains were of the inducible type, and the remaining strains were of the multi-copy suppression type. Two of the inducible-type strains, NOT1 and NOT40, harbored genes which had been inserted in reverse direction, suggesting that the mutant phenotypes had been derived from an excess amount of anti-sense mRNA. Domain analyses of the deduced polypeptides from the DNA fragments rescued from the transformants revealed that NOT1, NOT40 and NOT6 harbored a LisH motif, a forkhead domain, and a Zn(II)(2)Cys(6) binuclear zinc cluster, respectively.