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Momarsat 2022 cruise report: summary of dives and operations, and position of moorings and observation infrastructures and sampling locations

A pesar del gran interés ecológico y económico que tiene el mero (Epinephelus marginatus), y el importante esfuerzo investigador realizado desde los años 90, no se han definido las condiciones para su óptimo engorde en cautividad. En general, las mejores condiciones de cultivo son las que proporcionan un ambiente similar al existente en el medio natural, y en el mero, estas condiciones estarían relacionadas con sus hábitos sedentarios, que al ocupar cuevas en el fondo, le permitiría destinar gran parte de la energía adquirida a crecimiento. Las diferentes condiciones de cultivo ensayadas en este estudio muestran que la presencia de refugios (CR) no mejoró el engorde respecto al cultivo sin refugios (SR), mientras que el grupo cultivado en jaula (JAU) mostró el menor peso medio a lo largo del estudio, con 123,1±67,5 g a los 645 días de edad (DDE), frente a SR y CR, que fueron similares, pero con una mayor dispersión en los peces CR (151,6±42,3 g y 164,7±84,6 g, respectivamente). El aumento del diámetro del refugio (225 DDE) y la retirada de la jaula (400 DDE) mejoraron los parámetros de engorde, aumentando el peso un 62% frente al 29% del periodo previo, y un 47% a 530 DDE respecto al 12% del periodo previo, respectivamente, pero no disminuyó la dispersión. La falta de refugios no perjudicó el engorde respecto a su presencia, mientras que el cultivo en jaula requiere un suministro de alimento mejorado.

El cultivo de Seriola dumerili constituye una opción a la diversificación y crecimiento de la producción de peces marinos, que aprovecharía, además, los sistemas de producción e instalaciones en el mar comúnmente usadas para especies como Sparus aurata. Sin embargo, este crecimiento podría estar amenazado por las patologías especificas e inespecíficas de ambas especies, principalmente las causadas por ectoparásitos. Este estudio muestra, en grupos de dorada (GD), seriola (GS) y dorada y seriola juntas (GDS-GSD), una evolución estable del número de huevos de Zeuxapta seriolae (GS: 35±10, y GDS-GSD: 67±24) y de Sparicotyle chrysophrii (GD: 59±10, y GDS-GSD: 22±4), mientras que los huevos de Neobebedenia melleni colectados en GS (2483±364) y GDS-GSD (3168±474) fueron entre un 15 y 20% más altos que en GD (508±100). No se encontraron diferencias en el hematocrito, glucosa, proteína, colesterol y triglicéridos de cada especie cultivada sola o de forma conjunta durante el estudio, pero los niveles de glucosa plasmática en seriola fueron un 50% más altos, y el colesterol un 30% más bajo que en la dorada.

Despite the current high level of safety and the efforts to make passenger ships resilient to most fire and flooding scenarios, there are still gaps and challenges in the marine emergency response and ship evacuation processes. Those challenges arise from the fact that both processes are complex, multi-variable problems that rely on parameters involving not only people and technology but also procedural and managerial issues. SafePASS Project, funded under EU’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, is set to radically redefine the evacuation processes by introducing new equipment, expanding the capabilities of legacy systems on-board, proposing new Life-Saving Appliances and ship layouts, and challenging the current international regulations, hence reducing the uncertainty, and increasing the efficiency in all the stages of ship evacuation and abandonment process.

Triple threat processes and/or other forcings can lead to changes in the ocean happening fast and abruptly. These changes, referred to as “tipping points”, are critical thresholds in a marine system that, when exceeded, can lead to a significant change in the state of the system, which often can be irreversible. This leaflet has been prepared with the financial support of Norges forskningsråd (Research Council of Norway) (309382) and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 820989 (project COMFORT, Our common future ocean in the Earth system – quantifying coupled cycles of carbon, oxygen, and nutrients for determining and achieving safe operating spaces with respect to tipping points). The work reflects only the author’s/authors’ view; the European Commission and their executive agency are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information the work contains.

The primary aim of this expedition was to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution, the ecology and physiology, as well as competition of co-occurring gadoid species (Atlantic cod, Polar cod, haddock) in the communities of Arctic and Atlantic influence around Svalbard. We sampled the benthic and pelagic communities (including plankton) on the shallow shelf regions of Svalbard to estimate the effects of climate change on Arctic ecosystems to obtain a picture of the entire system structure and function for a long-term monitoring program of the ‘Atlantification’ of the Svalbard region. We assessed the potential impact of changes in trophic interaction (predator-prey relations) of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), Polar cod (Boreogadus saida), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) and decapod crabs on the productivity and stability of benthic and pelagic communities in Arctic ecosystems, into which their distribution ranges now extend due to ocean warming. In addition to a stock assessment and distribution analysis of gadoid fish and decapod crabs, we aimed to obtain specimens of these species in the Atlantic and polar waters around Svalbard, which were transported alive back to Germany. Laboratory experiments under scenarios of climate change at the Alfred Wegener Institute then provided (and still provide) further insight into capacities for adaptation, performance and interaction of selected species of the Arctic ecosystem around Svalbard. The results will on the one hand be used in an international Norwegian-German project and the pan-Arctic data management system (Piepenburg et al. 2011), on the other hand they will flow into fisheries modelling at the University of Hamburg, the Thuenen Institute and socio-economic modelling approaches that build on the German ocean acidification project BIOACID (www.bioacid.de).

Microplastics are substrates for microbial activity and can influence biomass production. This has potentially important implications at the sea-surface microlayer, the marine boundary layer that controls gas exchange with the atmosphere and where biologically produced organic compounds can accumulate. In the present study, we used large scale mesocosms (filled with 3 m3 of seawater) to simulate future ocean scenarios. We explored microbial organic matter dynamics in the sea-surface microlayer in the presence and absence of microplastic contamination of the underlying water. Our study shows that microplastics increased both biomass production and enrichment of particulate carbohydrates and proteins in the sea-surface microlayer. Importantly, this resulted in a 3% reduction in the concentration of dissolved CO2 in the underlying water. This reduction suggests direct and indirect impacts of microplastic pollution on the marine uptake of CO2, by modifying the biogenic composition of the sea’s boundary layer with the atmosphere.

Science communication is becoming increasingly important to connect academia and society, and to counteract fake news among climate change deniers. Online video platforms, such as YouTube, offer great potential for low-threshold communication of scientific knowledge to the general public. In April 2020 a diverse group of researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research launched the YouTube channel "Wissenschaft fürs Wohnzimmer" (translated to "Sitting Room Science") to stream scientific talks about climate change and biodiversity every Thursday evening. Here we report on the numbers and diversity of content, viewers, and presenters from 2 years and 100 episodes of weekly livestreams. Presented topics encompass all areas of polar research, social issues related to climate change, and new technologies to deal with the changing world and climate ahead. We show that constant engagement by a group of co-hosts, and presenters from all topics, career stages, and genders enable a continuous growth of views and subscriptions, i.e. impact. After 783 days the channel gained 30,251 views and 828 subscribers and hosted well-known scientists while enabling especially early career researchers to improve their outreach and media skills. We show that interactive and science-related videos, both live and on-demand, within a pleasant atmosphere, can be produced voluntarily while maintaining high quality. We further discuss challenges and possible improvements for the future. Our experiences may help other researchers to conduct meaningful scientific outreach and to push borders of existing formats with the overall aim of developing a better understanding of climate change and our planet.

Changes in Arctic sea ice thickness are the result of complex interactions of the dynamic and variable ice cover with atmosphere and ocean. The availability of satellite-based estimates of Arctic-wide sea ice thickness changes is limited to the winter months. However, in light of recent model predictions of a nearly ice-free Arctic in summer and to understand the role of sea ice for the causes and consequences of a warming climate, long-term and large-scale sea ice thickness and surface observations during the melt season are more important than ever. The AWI airborne sea ice survey program ‘IceBird Summer’ aims to close this gap by conducting regular measurements over sea ice in summer in key regions of the Arctic Ocean. The survey program comprises and continues all airborne ice thickness measurements obtained since 2001 in the central Arctic, Fram Strait and the last ice area. The objective is to ensure the long-term availability of a unique data record of direct sea ice thickness and surface state observations (deliverable of AWI research program POFIV, Topic 2.1: Warming Climates). Sea ice thickness measurements are obtained with a tethered electromagnetic sensor, the AEM-Bird. Jointly with the ice thickness measurements, optical and laser systems are operated to derive sea ice surface models and melt pond distribution.