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Reconstructions of ocean primary productivity (PP) help to explain past and present biogeochemical cycles and climate changes in the oceans. We document PP variations over the last 50 kyr in a currently oligotrophic subtropical region, the Gulf of Cadiz. Data combine refined results from previous investigations on dinocyst assemblages, alkenones, and stable isotopes ( 18O, 13C) in planktonic (Globigerina bulloides) and endobenthic (Uvigerina mediterranea) foraminifera from cores MD04-2805 CQ and MD99-2339, with new isotopic measurements on epibenthic (Cibicides pachyderma–Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi) foraminifera and dinocyst-based estimates of PP using the new n = 1,968 modern database. We constrain PP variations and export production by integrating qualitative information from bio-indicators with dinocyst-based quantitative reconstructions such as PP and seasonal sea-surface temperature and information about remineralization from the benthic  13C (difference between epi- and endo-benthic foraminiferal  13C signatures). This study also includes new information on alkenone-based SST and total organic carbon which provides insights into the relationship between past regional hydrological activity and PP regime change. We show that PP, carbon export, and remineralization were generally high in the NE subtropical Atlantic Ocean during the last glacial period and that the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) had lower  13C than the Heinrich Stadials with sustained high PP, likely allowing enhanced carbon sequestration. We link these PP periods to the dynamics of upwelling, active almost year-round during stadials, but restricted to spring-summer during interstadials and LGM, like today. During interstadials, nutrient advection through freshwater inputs during autumn–winter needs also to be considered to fully understand PP regimes. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The concentration of n-alkanes (C17–C35) and sterols in marine particulate matter were investigated to trace the origin of organic carbon in Kongsfjorden in early spring (April). The spatial distributions of environmental factors (seawater temperature, salinity, density, turbidity, chlorophyll a (chl. a) and particulate organic carbon (POC) concentrations) and the cell density of phytoplankton differed between the inner and outer fjord regions. In addition, brassicasterol, diatom biomarker, showed a high concentration in the outer fjord and positive correlations with the chl. a and POC concentrations in the water column. In contrast, some sterols originating from terrestrial organic matter (OM), such as stigmasterol and campesterol, showed relatively higher concentrations in the inner fjord than in the outer fjord. Based on the distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) result, the distributions of organic compounds are predominantly controlled by the water density and the POC and chl. a concentrations, and these distributions allowed us to divide the inner and outer fjord regions. However, the hierarchical clustering of principal components (HCPC) results obtained based on principal component analysis (PCA) using lipid biomarkers (C17–C35 alkanes and sterols) and environmental factors indicated that the clusters were distinguished by surface (0 m) and subsurface (>4 m) seawater samples rather than by any regional division. Notably, the concentration of relatively short-chain alkanes (average chain length (ACL): 24.6 ± 3.7) without a carbon preference for odd numbers (carbon preference index (CPI): 0.97 ± 0.11) in the sea surface layer was significantly higher than that of subsurface seawater (ACL: 31.1 ± 0.5 and CPI: 1.06 ± 0.03) in the early spring. This suggests the potential of these compounds as indicators for tidewater glacier-derived OM and freshwater input by snow melt into the fjord system. Hence, these results demonstrate that the distributions of lipid biomarkers in the water column possibly provide important information for a comprehensive understanding of the origin and transport of OM in an Arctic fjord.

Analysis of the biochemical composition (carbohydrates, CHO, proteins, PRT, lipids, LIP) of particulate organic matter (POM, mainly phytoplankton) is used to assess trophic states, and the quantity of food material is generally assessed to determine bioavailability, however, bioavailability is reduced or changed by enzymatic hydrolysis. Here, we investigated the current trophic state and bioavailability of phytoplankton in the Chukchi Sea (including the Chukchi Borderland) during the summer of 2017. Based on a cluster analysis, our 12 stations were divided into three groups: the southern, middle, and northern parts of the Chukchi Sea. A principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that relatively nutrient-rich and high-temperature waters in the southern part of the Chukchi Sea enhanced the microphytoplankton biomass, while picophytoplankton were linked to a high contribution of meltwater derived from sea ice melting in the northern part of the sea. The total PRT accounted for 41.8% (&plusmn, 7.5%) of the POM in the southern part of the sea, and this contribution was higher than those in the middle (26.5 &plusmn, 7.5%) and northern (26.5 &plusmn, 10.6%) parts, whereas the CHO accounted for more than half of the total POM in the northern parts. As determined by enzymatic hydrolysis, LIP were more rapidly mineralized in the southern part of the Chukchi Sea, whereas CHO were largely used as source of energy for higher trophic levels in the northern part of the Chukchi Sea. Specifically, the bioavailable fraction of POM in the northern part of the Chukchi Sea was higher than it was in the other parts. The findings indicate that increasing meltwater and a low nutrient supply lead to smaller cell sizes of phytoplankton and their taxa (flagellate and green algae) with more CHO and a negative effect on the total concentration of POM. However, in terms of bioavailability (food utilization), which determines the rate at which digested food is used by consumers, potentially available food could have positive effects on ecosystem functioning.

To investigate the effect of summer monsoon-derived inputs of particulate organic matter (POM) on patterns of stable isotopes in the food web in a reservoir, we traced dietary sources of carbon and nitrogen in pelagic zooplankton and herbivorous littoral zoobenthos following a monsoonal disturbance in Lake Paldang, a large regulated reservoir in Korea. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes were analyzed in POM, zooplankton, sedimentary organic matter, zoobenthos, and piscivorous fishes in pre- and post-summer monsoon periods. Sharp depletion of 13C and enrichment of 15N of POM along with elevated POC/Chl a ratios occurred following the summer monsoon period, reflecting the rapid reduction of phytoplankton biomass and a pulsed supply of terrestrial organic detritus. Herbivorous zooplankton δ13C values, which were initially similar to POM δ13C values in the pre-summer monsoon period, decreased to nearly that of terrestrial organic matter, providing isotopic evidence of allochthonous contribution to zooplankto...