Organic Matter Export to the Seafloor in the Baltic Sea: Drivers of Change and Future Projections

Overview

Journal Ambio

Date 2017 Jun 26

PMID 28647909

Citations 4

Authors

Tobias Tamelander

Kristian Spilling

Monica Winder

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The impact of environmental change and anthropogenic stressors on coastal marine systems will strongly depend on changes in the magnitude and composition of organic matter exported from the water column to the seafloor. Knowledge of vertical export in the Baltic Sea is synthesised to illustrate how organic matter deposition will respond to climate warming, climate-related changes in freshwater runoff, and ocean acidification. Pelagic heterotrophic processes are suggested to become more important in a future warmer climate, with negative feedbacks to organic matter deposition to the seafloor. This is an important step towards improved oxygen conditions in the near-bottom layer that will reduce the release of inorganic nutrients from the sediment and hence counteract further eutrophication. The evaluation of these processes in ecosystem models, validated by field observations, will significantly advance the understanding of the system's response to environmental change and will improve the use of such models in management of coastal areas.

Citing Articles

Molecular diet analysis enables detection of diatom and cyanobacteria DNA in the gut of Macoma balthica.

Garrison J, Motwani N, Broman E, Nascimento F PLoS One. 2022; 17(11):e0278070.

PMID: 36417463 PMC: 9683582. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278070.

Iron-Phosphorus Feedbacks Drive Multidecadal Oscillations in Baltic Sea Hypoxia.

Jilbert T, Gustafsson B, Veldhuijzen S, Reed D, van Helmond N, Hermans M Geophys Res Lett. 2022; 48(24):e2021GL095908.

PMID: 35860449 PMC: 9285756. DOI: 10.1029/2021GL095908.

Phytoplankton settling quality has a subtle but significant effect on sediment microeukaryotic and bacterial communities.

Albert S, Hedberg P, Motwani N, Sjoling S, Winder M, Nascimento F Sci Rep. 2021; 11(1):24033.

PMID: 34911983 PMC: 8674317. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03303-x.

Identifying biotic drivers of population dynamics in a benthic-pelagic community.

Forsblom L, Linden A, Engstrom-Ost J, Lehtiniemi M, Bonsdorff E Ecol Evol. 2021; 11(9):4035-4045.

PMID: 33976792 PMC: 8093679. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7298.

References

Carstensen J, Conley D, Bonsdorff E, Gustafsson B, Hietanen S, Janas U . Hypoxia in the Baltic Sea: biogeochemical cycles, benthic fauna, and management. Ambio. 2014; 43(1):26-36. PMC: 3888664. DOI: 10.1007/s13280-013-0474-7. View

Grebmeier J, Overland J, Moore S, Farley E, Carmack E, Cooper L . A major ecosystem shift in the northern Bering Sea. Science. 2006; 311(5766):1461-4. DOI: 10.1126/science.1121365. View

Havenhand J . How will ocean acidification affect Baltic sea ecosystems? an assessment of plausible impacts on key functional groups. Ambio. 2012; 41(6):637-44. PMC: 3428480. DOI: 10.1007/s13280-012-0326-x. View

Suikkanen S, Pulina S, Engstrom-Ost J, Lehtiniemi M, Lehtinen S, Brutemark A . Climate change and eutrophication induced shifts in northern summer plankton communities. PLoS One. 2013; 8(6):e66475. PMC: 3680480. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066475. View

Simis S, Ylostalo P, Kallio K, Spilling K, Kutser T . Contrasting seasonality in optical-biogeochemical properties of the Baltic Sea. PLoS One. 2017; 12(4):e0173357. PMC: 5383033. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173357. View

Griffiths J, Kadin M, Nascimento F, Tamelander T, Tornroos A, Bonaglia S . The importance of benthic-pelagic coupling for marine ecosystem functioning in a changing world. Glob Chang Biol. 2017; 23(6):2179-2196. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13642. View

Lehtoranta J, Ekholm P, Pitkanen H . Coastal eutrophication thresholds: a matter of sediment microbial processes. Ambio. 2009; 38(6):303-8. DOI: 10.1579/09-a-656.1. View

Vahtera E, Conley D, Gustafsson B, Kuosa H, Pitkanen H, Savchuk O . Internal ecosystem feedbacks enhance nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria blooms and complicate management in the Baltic Sea. Ambio. 2007; 36(2-3):186-94. DOI: 10.1579/0044-7447(2007)36[186:iefenc]2.0.co;2. View

Thingstad T, Krom M, Mantoura R, Flaten G, Groom S, Herut B . Nature of phosphorus limitation in the ultraoligotrophic eastern Mediterranean. Science. 2005; 309(5737):1068-71. DOI: 10.1126/science.1112632. View

10.

Diaz R, Rosenberg R . Spreading dead zones and consequences for marine ecosystems. Science. 2008; 321(5891):926-9. DOI: 10.1126/science.1156401. View

11.

Eggers S, Lewandowska A, Barcelos E Ramos J, Blanco-Ameijeiras S, Gallo F, Matthiessen B . Community composition has greater impact on the functioning of marine phytoplankton communities than ocean acidification. Glob Chang Biol. 2013; 20(3):713-23. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12421. View

12.

Cloern J, Abreu P, Carstensen J, Chauvaud L, Elmgren R, Grall J . Human activities and climate variability drive fast-paced change across the world's estuarine-coastal ecosystems. Glob Chang Biol. 2015; 22(2):513-29. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13059. View

13.

Riebesell U, Schulz K, Bellerby R, Botros M, Fritsche P, Meyerhofer M . Enhanced biological carbon consumption in a high CO2 ocean. Nature. 2007; 450(7169):545-8. DOI: 10.1038/nature06267. View

14.

Fleming-Lehtinen V, Laamanen M, Kuosa H, Haahti H, Olsonen R . Long-term development of inorganic nutrients and chlorophyll alpha in the open northern Baltic Sea. Ambio. 2008; 37(2):86-92. DOI: 10.1579/0044-7447(2008)37[86:ldoina]2.0.co;2. View