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Acclimation of corals to light is known to rely on multiple strategies working at different timescales. Among them, photosynthetic alternative electron flows (AEFs) could act as photoprotective mechanisms under fluctuating light intensities. In this work, we first compared the use of AEFs in shallow and mesophotic colonies of the coral Stylophora pistillata by carrying out joint measurements of oxygen exchange and photosystems quantum yields. We observed similar capacities to re-route photosynthetically derived electrons toward oxygen (Mehler reaction) and to perform cyclic electron flow around photosystem I under high light intensity in both colony types. But in contrast to mesophotic colonies that hosted Cladocopium, the photosynthetic apparatus of Symbiodinium microadriaticum hosted by their shallow counterparts was notably able to drive a higher number of electrons, displayed a higher thermal dissipation of absorbed light energy. Then, a short-term light stress was applied to evaluate the plasticity of the photosynthetic apparatus. Both shallow and mesophotic colonies showed fast acclimation to the low light regime. In contrast, under the high light regime, mesophotic colonies showed a limited capacity to dissipate light energy and were strongly photoinhibited, though their PSI activity was partly preserved and likely involved cyclic electron flow. This study shows how important the photosynthetic alternative electron flows are in acclimation processes to light and how the plasticity of the photosynthetic processes in Symbiodiniaceae may shape the vertical distribution of the coral holobionts.

Marine mammals include toothed and baleen whales, as well as seals, sea lions, sea cows, sea otters and polar bears. They are adapted to an aquatic life in oceanic, coastal and riverine habitats. They range in size from sea otters to blue whales. The extreme diversity of marine mammals is related to their adaptations to different habitats and their use of different feeding strategies. The different kinds of marine mammals are not closely related but evolved from different terrestrial ancestors. Because they have been exposed to similar environmental constraints in their aquatic way of life, many evolutionary convergences can be found in different lineages. They have torpedo-shaped bodies, thick fur or fat layers to preserve heat, as well as impressive diving abilities. Here, we discuss these adaptations in their physiology and anatomy. Through hands-on exercises, students can test how their own muscle strength and heartbeat are affected by cold water.

Man-made persistent pollutants (such as PCBs, pesticides and trace metals) reach aquatic organisms through the food chains. Pollutants are ingested and assimilated by smaller organisms, and their concentration in tissues increases from prey to predators. Being at the top of the food chains, marine mammals accumulate some of the highest environmental contaminant levels of all wildlife. They are good sentinel species for monitoring long-term environmental pollution. Exposure to contaminants may have large consequences, both on an individual and a population level. The prevalence and severity of diseases of aquatic wildlife has recently increased in many species. Scientists use new methods to understand how pollutants affect the immune system of marine mammals. Learning about contaminants may also contribute to our understanding of outbreaks of infectious diseases in marine mammals.

Tropospheric ozone (O3) concentrations depend on a combination of hemispheric, regional, and local-scale processes. Estimates of how much O3 is produced locally vs. transported from further afield are essential in air quality management and regulatory policies. Here, a tagged-ozone mechanism within the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) is used to quantify the contributions to surface O3 in the UK from anthropogenic nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from inside and outside the UK during May–August 2015. The contribution of the different source regions to three regulatory O3 metrics is also examined. It is shown that model simulations predict the concentration and spatial distribution of surface O3 with a domain-wide mean bias of −3.7 ppbv. Anthropogenic NOx emissions from the UK and Europe account for 13 % and 16 %, respectively, of the monthly mean surface O3 in the UK, as the majority (71 %) of O3 originates from the hemispheric background. Hemispheric O3 contributes the most to concentrations in the north and the west of the UK with peaks in May, whereas European and UK contributions are most significant in the east, south-east, and London, i.e. the UK's most populated areas, intensifying towards June and July. Moreover, O3 from European sources is generally transported to the UK rather than produced in situ. It is demonstrated that more stringent emission controls over continental Europe, particularly in western Europe, would be necessary to improve the health-related metric MDA8 O3 above 50 and 60 ppbv. Emission controls over larger areas, such as the Northern Hemisphere, are instead required to lessen the impacts on ecosystems as quantified by the AOT40 metric.

Gordon & Betty Moore FoundationGordon and Betty Moore Foundation [5596]; Canada Research Chairs FoundationCanada Research Chairs; European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant [747946]; Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia I.P. Portugal (FCT); Direcao-Geral de Politica do Mar (DGPM) [2/2017/001-MiningImpact 2]; FCTPortuguese Foundation for Science and TechnologyEuropean Commission [CEECIND005262017, UID/MAR/00350/2013, IF/01194/2013, IF/00029/2014/CP1230/CT0002, Mining2/0005/2017]; RF State Assignment [0149-2019-0009]; Horizon 2020 Agricultural Interoperability and Analysis System (ATLAS) projects [678760]; JM Kaplan Fund; National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation (NSF) [OCE 1634172]; JPI Oceans project Mining Impact -Environmental Impacts and Risks of Deep-Sea Mining Aug 2018-Feb 2022 (NWO-ALW) [856.18.001] info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

GHaNA - The Genus Haslea, New marine resources for blue biotechnology and Aquaculture / STARE-CAPMED

Data products, based on in situ temperature and salinity observations from SeaDataNet infrastructure, have been released within the framework of SeaDataCloud (SDC) project. The data from different data providers are integrated and harmonized thanks to standardized quality assurance and quality control methodologies conducted at various stages of the data value chain. The data ingested within SeaDataNet are earlier validated by data providers who assign corresponding quality flags, but a Quality Assurance Strategy has been implemented and progressively refined to guarantee the consistency of the database content and high quality derived products. Two versions of aggregated datasets for the European marginal seas have been published and used to compute regional high resolution climatologies. External datasets, the World Ocean Database from NOAA and the CORA dataset from the Copernicus Marine Service in situ Thematic Assembly Center, have been integrated with SDC data collections to maximize data coverage and minimize the mapping error. The products are available through the SDC catalogue accompanied by Product Information Documents containing the specifications about product’s generation, characteristics and usability. Digital Object Identifiers are assigned to products and relative documentation to foster transparency of the production chain, acknowledging all actors involved from data providers to information producers.