Dear all BG members, welcome to EGU 2018! Remember our annual BG Division meeting that will be held on Thursday, April 12, 12:15-13:15 in Room L2. Enclosed the Agenda. This year, the Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal of our Division is awarded to Antje Boetius. All invited at the Medal Lecture on Tuesday, April 10, 14:00–15:00 in Room C See you all this evening for the ice breaker at the Opening ...[Read More]
abstract submission
We are sorry to hear that people are experiencing difficulties submitting their last-minute #EGU18 abstracts & paying the APCs. If this is the case for you, you will be able to submit your abstract later today
Understanding the role of microbes in cold seep habitats
Methane consumption by (i) anaerobic oxidation of methane, and (ii) aerobic methane oxidation. (Figure from James et al. 2016).
A cold seep is an area of the ocean seafloor where hydrogen sulfide, methane and other hydrocarbon-rich fluid seepage occurs. These parts of the ocean floor still remain a large mystery for scientists, in particular for the occurence of hydrothermal vents. In between these vents, microbes live that play a role in the local and global carbon budget. However their exact role remains largerly unknown ...[Read More]
Identification of past methane emission altering the foraminiferal tests by secondary overgrowth of calcium carbonate.
Measurements on the benthic foraminifera called Cassidulina neoteretis were used to assess past methane emissions from the seafloor. credit: Hesemann, M., 2017,
Foraminifera.eu Project).
Ever heard about foraminifera? These tiny benthic (living at the seafloor) marine organisms are common in oceans across the globe and can be used to accurately give relative dates to sedimentary rocks. But we can also use them to identify past methane emissions from the seabed by studing their test or shell! The measurements were done on foraminifera called Cassidulina neoteretis , which is a ty ...[Read More]
Investigation of methane emissions in marine systems
Carbonate crust sampled by the ROV (credit: Maja Sojtaric - CAGE).
Ever wondered how we can measure methane emssions from the seafloor ? And ever wanted to steer a mini submarine remotely operating vehicle (ROV)? Well here´s your chance! Have look at this blog post on analyzing methane emissions using ROVs and you´re ready to embark! The goal is to determine when the gas leak started and how the fluid flow systems work. With our research, we can contribut ...[Read More]
Coffee break biogeosciences–high resolution δ18O record from bivalves
Arctica islandica from the North Sea. Image: © Hans Hillewaert used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Much like trees, clam shells have growth rings. The chemistry of these rings can be used as a proxy for ocean chemistry. Recently, an international team of scientists used the growth rings found in shells of Arctica islandica to produce an annual absolutely dated marine δ18O record for the last millennium which was published in Nature Communications. The record represents the first fine scale arch ...[Read More]
Coffee break biogeosciences–in situ sub-millimeter scale resolution imaging of benthic environments
The BUM in action in Maui (Jaffe Lab for Underwater Imaging, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego)
Coral reefs and other benthic marine ecosystems play a very important role in the biogeochemical cycles of our oceans. However, laboratory based study of these environments ranges from being difficult to actually impossible. In order to look at the microscopic-scale processes that occur in the benthic environment a team of scientists developed the Benthic Underwater Microscope (BUM). The device, w ...[Read More]
What´s in your fieldbag? Part 1: measuring freshwater carbon fluxes in the Artic
How to pack light for a trip to the Siberian Arctic (photo credit: Joshua F. Dean, VU Amsterdam).
This bag belongs to Joshua Dean, Postdoc, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Field Work location Far Eastern Siberian Arctic: Kytalyk Nature Reserve. Duration of field work 2 weeks plus 3 days travel either side. Items in the bag Detecto Pak-Infrared (DP-IR) gas analyser [borrowed from colleagues, protect at all costs] EGM4 CO2 gas analyser [borrowed from another department, protect at all costs] water ...[Read More]
Coffee break biogeosciences – climate change affects mountain plant’s sex ratios
A recent study shows that the effect of climate change on mountain plants ( Valeriana edulis in the picture) is strongly dependent on plant sex (Photo credit: Will Petry).
As climate change progresses, widespread changes in phenotypes in many plant populations are bing observed by scientists around the world. For instance in alpine areas, dominant plant species on lower altitude are shifting towards higher altitude as they adapt to increasing temperatures, thereby competing with high-altitude native plant species. In a recent study by Petry et al. (2016) it was show ...[Read More]
Coffee break biogeosciences–The oldest known fossilized active root meristem
Radix carbonica is the oldest known fossilized remains of root meristem which was actively growing at time of fossilization. (Image credit: Alexander (Sandy) Hetherington of slide number 81 with the permission of the Oxford University Herbaria).
Meristems are groups of undifferentiated cells found in growth zones of plants. Active meristem zones have a different cellular organization than inactive zones, and up until recently no fossilized active root meristem had been found. A team of scientists recently found and described the fossilized remains of an actively growing root meristem dating from the Carboniferous. The fossil, named Radix ...[Read More]