Carbon emissions from the destruction of mangrove forests predicted to increase by 50,000% by the end of the century

Peer-Reviewed Publication

IOP PUBLISHING

 

IMAGE: 

MANGROVE FOREST.

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CREDIT: IOP PUBLISHING

The annual rate of carbon emissions due to the degradation of carbon stocks in mangrove forests is predicted to rise by nearly 50,000% by the end of the century, according to a new study published in IOP Publishing’s journal Environmental Research Letters. Mangroves in regions such as southern India, southeastern China, Singapore and eastern Australia are particularly affected.  

Mangrove forests store a large amount of carbon, particularly in their soils, however human development in these areas has led to the degradation of these carbon stocks. Over the past 20 years, a substantial number of mangrove forests have been replaced by agriculture, aquaculture and urban land management, leading global mangrove carbon stocks to decline by 158.4 million tonnes – releasing the same level of carbon emissions as flying the entire US population from New York to London. 

The study is led by Jennifer Krumins, Professor of Biology at Montclair State University, alongside two PhD candidates, Shih-Chieh Chien and Charles Knoble. The team focussed on the relationship between human population density and soil carbon stocks in urban mangrove forests to quantify their role in the global carbon budget.  

The results show that when population density reaches 300 people/km2 (similar to the average population density of the UK or Japan), the carbon stored in mangrove soils near populated areas is estimated to be 37% lower than isolated mangrove forests. At the same time, the annual rate of carbon emissions from mangrove loss is currently estimated to be 7.0 Teragrams, rising in line with increased population density to 3,392 Teragrams by current predictions at the end of the century. 

Mangrove forests cover approximately 0.1% of the Earth’s land surface but play a vital role in providing wildlife habitats and regulating global climate stability. These mangroves store a large amount of carbon, particularly in their soils, and are essential to regulating carbon cycling on a global scale. Mangrove soils contain three to four times the mass of carbon typically found in boreal, temperate, or tropical forests. 

Professor Krumins says: “This work underscores the importance of protecting existing mangroves, especially in areas with high population density. Mangrove forests are critical to the regulation of carbon sequestration, and it is important that we protect them. The first step is to understand the impact of human populations and activities on mangrove forest carbon stocks.” 

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JOURNAL

Environmental Research Letters

DOI

10.1088/1748-9326/ad13b6 

ARTICLE TITLE

Human population density and blue carbon stocks in mangroves soils

MONOPOLY CAPITALI$M

USA, Singapore, UK, Canada and Germany make up top five in latest annual index of the most attractive Mergers & Acquisitions markets

USA retains top spot in Bayes Business School M&A markets annual index - but India, Russia and China among nations to drop down the league table

CITY UNIVERSITY LONDON

The United States remains the most attractive destination globally for inbound and domestic mergers and acquisitions (M&A) investment, according to the annual index published by Bayes Business School (formerly Cass), City, University of London today.

The country scored 73 per cent in the latest index – four points ahead of second-placed Singapore, and six points more than the UK in third.

Canada dropped one place to fourth out of the 148 nations measured by Bayes’ Mergers and Acquisitions Research Centre (MARC).

Germany, France, South Korea, The Netherlands, Norway and Australia complete the top ten.

The index assesses countries against 19 indicators, ranging from political stability and roads to access to financing and demographics.

Co-author Dr Naaguesh Appadu, Research Fellow at Bayes, said: “Most governments are dealing with multiple challenges, all of which affect their local and in-bound M&A markets. Many, for example, are grappling with achieving monetary policy stability to control inflation. At the same time they need to understand and support investment in the tech sector through ongoing innovation, technology advancements and workforce development, particularly in field of AI, which also has critical impacts on productivity and the economy.

“With the high cost of capital, acquirers are shifting their focus towards smaller mid-market transactions. These deals are easier to execute, less risky to finance and potentially more feasible given current financial conditions.”

The USA has topped the MARC M&A Attractiveness Index Score (MAAIS) since it was first published in 2009. The index records both annual movements up and down the league table and movements over five years.

Other headlines from the latest index include:

• While Germany and France both remain in the top ten, since 2018 Germany has slipped two places while France rose one place. China, in 14th position, fell two places last year and is down three places on 2018.
• India has risen nine places to 40th since 2018, despite falling five places last year.

• Russia, perhaps unsurprisingly, fell 18 places last year to 55th.
• Other big movers inside the top 50 last year include Cyprus (up 11 to 42nd) and Denmark, Latvia, Oman and Kazakhstan – all of which rose ten places.

The big gainers over the five year period included Saudi Arabia (up 14 places to 44th), the Philippines (up 13 to 47th), Oman (up ten places to 49th) and Thailand (up 12 to 29th).

The report also analyses what the indicators tell governments, firms and investors about the challenges and opportunities facing each nation. In recent years, for example, environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations have become increasingly important for investors considering a deal, as has the presence of strong national infrastructure.

Dr Appadu said: “As the global economy continues to recover from a series of massive shocks, the nature of both the opportunities and challenges facing different countries face varies widely. This year, the biggest market challenge for nine of the countries in the top ten – including the United States – are socio-economic factors around demographics. 

“By contrast, the nature of the main market opportunities and strengths in the top ten is more diverse: in six – including the USA – it is the strong infrastructure and assets, with two benefitting from strong ESG and two from their political and regulatory environment.”

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METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

 

Irrecoverable carbon in the mountains: Embracing the opportunity of agroforestry

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CMCC FOUNDATION - EURO-MEDITERRANEAN CENTER ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Over 29% of global irrecoverable carbon, which once gone is not likely to recover in any reasonable timeframe according to scientific literature, is stored in mountains. This biomass, representing irreplaceable ecosystems, biodiversity, and globally significant ecosystem services, is under threat everywhere by demographic and environmental pressures, as Earth’s rapidly changing global climate is affecting mountains at an accelerated rate.

This “mountain carbon” supports high levels of biodiversity, including many of the last remaining large mammal species on the planet. Increased use of trees in mountain agriculture can lead the way towards conserving these irreplaceable resources and provide increased resilience and sustainability for mountain agricultural system, according to a new study revealing that even small incremental increases of as little as 1% increase per year in tree cover on agricultural land in mountains can provide significant climate change mitigation benefits within a decade, while improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, and benefiting biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem services.

Building on multi-year work to quantify the extent, geographic distribution, and carbon mitigation potential of agroforestry, the study— led by scientists from the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC), the Centre for Mountain Futures of the Kunming Institute for Botany (Chinese Academy of Science), and the Centre for International Forestry Research-World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), highlights to policymakers and institutions the significant sequestration potential and particular effectiveness of agroforestry practices in mountain agricultural systems to mitigate the effects of climate change while bolstering ecosystems, restoring degraded land and enhancing food security.

“Recently, there has been growing recognition in the land-use sector about the role of agroforestry to bolster mitigation efforts and strengthen small farmer adaptive resilience,” said Robert Zomer, lead author of the study. “The opportunity to achieve beneficial outcomes for both conservation and food production by increasing tree cover on farms and in farming landscapes in mountainous regions, including building resilience and soil health benefits, have been shown to be substantial, and not to be ignored. Trees on farms are a road forward for transitioning to improved agricultural systems with lower carbon footprints and environmentally sound practices, and especially well-suited to providing ecoservice benefits within the often rugged and erosion-prone terrain of mountainous regions.”

This paper quantifies the mitigation potential of multifunctional agroforestry systems, and geospatially articulates the potential for increased tree cover in mountains. Two scenarios are evaluated to estimate carbon sequestration potential of increasing tree cover on agricultural land: 1) incremental change and 2) a systemic change to agroforestry. The mitigation potential within mountain agricultural systems is globally 0.5−0.7 PgC for incremental change and 1.1−2.7 PgC for systematic change (1 Petagram of carbon = 1 PgC = 10^15 grams or 1,000,000,000 metric tons of carbon). For example, 10% increase in tree cover on all agricultural land within mountain regions is estimated to sequester about 3 PgC . By comparison, above-ground losses due to tropical land use conversion have been estimated at 0.6–1.2 PgC per year, with net emissions from land use, land-use change, and forestry for the year 2020 estimated to be 1.6 ± 0.7 PgC.

“Agroforestry has many benefits particularly suited to mountain agricultural systems. The potential and importance of landscape agroforestry approaches for protecting irrecoverable carbon in mountains is by providing alternative, sustainable, and biodiversity-friendly livelihood options for mountain communities that take pressure off local biodiversity and other natural resources while improving livelihoods for some of the poorest farmers in the world” said Antonio Trabucco, senior scientist at CMCC.

“Resilient agroforestry systems can offer great opportunities to link adaptation and mitigation with climate change, and should be further stimulated within agriculture policy frameworks laying the groundwork for future political and financial support, as part of the long-term transformation of our global food system, laying the groundwork for future political and financial support, as part of the long-term transformation of our global food system”, added Professor Donatella Spano of the University of Sassari and Strategic Advisor to the CMCC Foundation.

For more information:

Zomer RJ, Yang J, Spano D, Trabucco A. 2023. Irrecoverable carbon in mountains and the global mitigation potential of agroforestry and increased tree cover in mountain agricultural systems. Circular Agricultural Systems 3:11 https://doi.org/10.48130/CAS-2023-0011

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JOURNAL

Circular Agricultural Systems

DOI

10.48130/CAS-2023-0011 

ARTICLE TITLE

Irrecoverable carbon in mountains and the global mitigation potential of agroforestry and increased tree cover in mountain agricultural systems

 

Uncovering anxiety: Scientists identify causative pathway and potential cures

Study reveals mechanistic roles of delta opioid receptors and specific neuronal pathways that are involved in anxiety-like behaviors in mice

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TOKYO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE

 

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RESEARCHERS FROM TOKYO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE UNCOVERS A NOVEL MECHANISM OF ACTION INVOLVING SPECIFIC NEURONAL CIRCUITS IN THE BRAIN RELATED TO ‘ANXIOLYTIC’ OR ANXIETY-REDUCING EFFECTS OF THERAPEUTIC DELTA OPIOID RECEPTOR AGONISTS

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CREDIT: YIRUI SUN

Anxiety-related disorders can have a profound impact on the mental health and quality of life of affected individuals. Understanding the neural circuits and molecular mechanisms that trigger anxiety can aid in the development of effective targeted pharmacological treatments. Delta opioid receptors (DOP), which localize in the regions of the brain associated with emotional regulation, play a key role in the development of anxiety. Several studies have demonstrated the therapeutic effects of DOP agonists (synthetic compounds which selectively bind to DOPs and mimic the effect of the natural binding compound) in a wide range of behavioral disorders. One such selective DOP agonist—KNT-127—has been shown to exert ‘anxiolytic’ or anxiety-reducing effects in animal models, with minimal side effects. However, its mechanism of action is not clearly understood, thereby limiting its widespread clinical application.

To bridge this gap, Professor Akiyoshi Saitoh, along with Ms. Ayako Kawaminami and team from the Tokyo University of Science, Japan, conducted a series of experiments and behavioral studies in mice. Explaining the rationale behind their work, Prof. Saitoh says, “There are currently no therapeutic drugs mediated by delta opioid receptors (DOPs). DOPs likely exert anti-depressant and anti-anxiety effects through a mechanism of action different from that of existing psychotropic drugs. DOP agonists may, therefore, be useful for treatment-resistant and intractable mental illnesses which do not respond to existing treatments.”  Their study was published on 29 December 2023, in Neuropsychopharmacology Reports.

The neuronal network projecting from the ‘prelimbic cortex’ (PL) of the brain to the ‘basolateral nucleus of the amygdala’ (BLA) region, has been implicated in the development of depression and anxiety-like symptoms. The research team has previously shown that KNT-127 inhibits the release of glutamate (a key neurotransmitter) in the PL region. Based on this, they hypothesized that DOP activation by KNT-127 suppresses glutamatergic transmission and attenuates PL-BLA-mediated anxiety-like behavior. To test this hypothesis, they developed an ‘optogenetic’ mouse model wherein they implanted a light-responsive chip in the PL-BLA region of mice and activated the neural circuit using light stimulation. Further, they went on to assess the role of PL-BLA activation on innate and conditioned anxiety-like behavior.

They used the elevated-plus maze (EPM) test, which consists of two open arms and two closed arms on opposite sides of a central open field, to assess behavioral anxiety in the mice. Notably, mice with PL-BLA activation spent lesser time in the central region and open arms of the maze, compared to controls, which was consistent with innate anxiety-like behavior. Next, the researchers assessed conditioned fear response of the animals by exposing them to foot shocks and placing them in the same shock chamber the following day without re-exposing them to current. They recorded the freezing response of the animals which reflects fear. Notably, animals with PL-BLA activation and controls exhibited similar behavior, suggesting that distinct neural pathways control innate anxiety-like behavior and conditioned fear response.

Finally, they examined the effects or KNT-127 treatment on anxiety-like behavior of mice using the EPM test. Remarkably, animals treated with KNT-127 exhibited an increase in the percentage time spent in the open arms and central field of the maze, compared to controls. These findings suggest that KNT-27 reduces anxiety-like behavior induced by the specific activation of the PL-BLA pathway.

Overall, the study reveals the role of the PL-BLA neuronal axis in the regulation of innate anxiety, and its potential function in DOP-mediated anxiolytic effects. Further studies are needed to understand the precise underlying molecular and neuronal mechanisms, for the development of novel therapies targeting DOP in the PL-BLA pathway.

Highlighting the long-term clinical applications of their work, Prof. Saitoh remarks, “The brain neural circuits focused on in this study are conserved in humans, and research on human brain imaging has revealed that the PL-BLA region is overactive in patients with depression and anxiety disorders. We are optimistic that suppressing overactivity in this brain region using DOP-targeted therapies can exert significant anxiolytic effects in humans.”

 

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Reference                     

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/npr2.12406

 

About The Tokyo University of Science

Tokyo University of Science (TUS) is a well-known and respected university, and the largest science-specialized private research university in Japan, with four campuses in central Tokyo and its suburbs and in Hokkaido. Established in 1881, the university has continually contributed to Japan's development in science through inculcating the love for science in researchers, technicians, and educators.

With a mission of “Creating science and technology for the harmonious development of nature, human beings, and society," TUS has undertaken a wide range of research from basic to applied science. TUS has embraced a multidisciplinary approach to research and undertaken intensive study in some of today's most vital fields. TUS is a meritocracy where the best in science is recognized and nurtured. It is the only private university in Japan that has produced a Nobel Prize winner and the only private university in Asia to produce Nobel Prize winners within the natural sciences field.

Website: https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/mediarelations/

 

 

About Professor Akiyoshi Saitoh from Tokyo University of Science

Professor Akiyoshi Saitoh, a distinguished researcher and Professor at Tokyo University of Science's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, is renowned for his expertise in medical and behavioral pharmacology, neuroscience, and anti-anxiety drug development. Holding a Ph.D. from Hoshi University, he has authored over 100 impactful publications in areas such as Pharmacology, Psychopharmacology, and Neuropharmacology. With four patents to his name, Prof. Saitoh's innovative contributions have left a lasting mark. His influential work, reflected in numerous citations, establishes him as a key figure in advancing pharmaceutical and neuroscience disciplines. 

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JOURNAL

Neuropsychopharmacology Reports

DOI

10.1002/npr2.12406 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

The delta opioid receptor agonist KNT-127 relieves innate anxiety-like behavior in mice by suppressing transmission from the prelimbic cortex to basolateral amygdala

Ginseng speeds up recovery and reduces muscle fatigue after exercise

In a review of 700 studies, the UOC has found that the use of ginseng as a nutritional supplement can help the body recover from physical exercise, improve performance and stave off injury

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITAT OBERTA DE CATALUNYA (UOC)

Ginseng is one of the most popular food supplements in the world. It is made out of various plants and herbs and is thought to provide many benefits, with numerous studies pointing at possible anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits as well as anti-cancer effects. A group of researchers at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) has now found that it can also be helpful for exercise.

 

According to the findings of the study, which was carried out as part of a master's degree final project and was recently published in the open-access journal Nutrients, taking ginseng has a direct effect on reducing fatigue and helps muscles to recover after sport.

 

"We've found that ginseng can play a significant role as a nutritional supplement when it comes to recovering after exercise," said Borja Muñoz, a fitness coach and one of the study's lead authors, who has conducted this research under the supervision of his tutor Patricia Martínez, a dietician and nutritionist and course instructor at the UOC's Faculty of Health Sciences, together with the experts Rafael Bailón and Laura Esquius, a researcher at the UOC's Foodlab group. To carry out the study, they systematically reviewed over 700 articles from the scientific literature and meticulously analysed their findings to confirm these benefits for healthy adults engaging in physical exercise.

 

"When taken together with a balanced diet, ginseng can provide additional nutrition for athletes or anyone else who does physical exercise on a regular basis. It's also worth noting that, unless it's medically contraindicated in any given case, taking ginseng on a regular basis is considered beneficial (or at least not harmful) for healthy people," said Muñoz.

 

Evidence and benefits of ginseng

 

The review has concluded that taking ginseng can significantly reduce post-exercise muscle damage in healthy adults. Furthermore, it improves muscle regeneration and helps the body recover from both muscle fatigue and damage after physical exercise.

 

Specifically, the exertion and intensity involved in sport result in damage to muscles. This is mainly inflammatory damage. The active ingredients of the compounds contained in ginseng stimulate the central nervous system, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and regulate cortisol, the stress hormone, benefiting many of the body's metabolic functions and helping the immune system perform as it should.

 

Specifically, taking ginseng systematically for a long time can mitigate the response of the biological markers, mainly creatine kinase (CK) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), responsible for exercise-induced muscle damage and inflammation. Furthermore, it reduces and mitigates the appearance of lactate in the blood. Lactate is a chemical compound produced by the body when muscles have insufficient oxygen due to overexertion that hinders muscles' ability to contract, the main cause of muscle fatigue.

 

Potential to reduce the risk of injury

 

It should also be noted that, by reducing fatigue, taking ginseng on a regular basis may also help reduce the risk of injury, particularly in the case of muscles or ligaments, which can in turn improve athletic performance.

 

"Although recovery times vary based on the nature of the injury and between individuals, the damaged structures share the same physiological processes. That's why professionals in this field must obtain the most efficient physiological context, to ensure that each person can recover as well and as quickly as possible. This is where ginseng comes in, as it can play a significant role in recovering from injuries," said Muñoz about the possible benefits to athletes, based on their own personal characteristics, of taking ginseng according to a schedule.

 

A common product in traditional Chinese medicine

 

The study arose from Muñoz's interest in confirming by means of scientific evidence the empirical experiences observed by him when doing work experience as a fitness coach and injury specialist in a football club in China. Muñoz observed that ginseng, a supplement very commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, was widely used by football players, who reported beneficial effects from taking it.

 

"Our aim was to learn more about the effects of ginseng in a specific situation, in this case in connection with exercise, and to provide verifiable evidence of its ability to improve the body's response to the stimuli of chronic load in sport, helping athletes to recover between training sessions, as the footballers themselves reported that it worked just like an energy drink," said Muñoz.  In fact, there are currently countless products for athletes on the market, such as tablets and specific drinks.

 

Establishing a scheduled consumption protocol for the future

 

According to these experts, this may pave the way for studying the benefits of ginseng in greater depth and assessing how using it as a supplement can improve performance in sport. In fact, one of its main possible effects is stimulating and speeding up the body's regeneration processes following muscle damage.

 

"Of the possible future research we're considering, a study to establish a scheduled consumption protocol to find out exactly how and when athletes should take ginseng to optimize its benefits within a given timeframe is particularly appealing, as the studies carried out in relation to these cases suffer from a lack of diversity and scientific evidence," said Martínez.

 

The authors stressed in this regard that the methodology to be used in each type of situation must be clarified in order to learn more about how to improve supplementation with ginseng. "There's still a significant amount of work to do, as ginseng has potential to increase athletes' physical performance and help prevent certain injuries, particularly muscle injuries," concluded Muñoz.

 

 

This UOC research contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, Good Health and Well-being.

 

Reference

 

Muñoz-Castellanos, B.; Martínez-López, P.; Bailón-Moreno, R.; Esquius, L. Effect of Ginseng Intake on Muscle Damage Induced by Exercise in Healthy Adults. Nutrients 2024, 16, 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16010090

 

 

UOC R&I 

 

The UOC's research and innovation (R&I) is helping overcome pressing challenges faced by global societies in the 21st century by studying interactions between technology and human & social sciences with a specific focus on the network society, e-learning and e-health. 

 

Over 500 researchers and more than 50 research groups work in the UOC's seven faculties, its eLearning Research programme and its two research centres: the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and the eHealth Center (eHC).

 

The university also develops online learning innovations at its eLearning Innovation Center (eLinC), as well as UOC community entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer via the Hubbik platform.

 

Open knowledge and the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development serve as strategic pillars for the UOC's teaching, research and innovation. More information: research.uoc.edu.

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JOURNAL

Nutrients

DOI

10.3390/nu16010090 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Effect of Ginseng Intake on Muscle Damage Induced by Exercise in Healthy Adults

Stronger storms free more nutrients from mud flats

Stronger storms free more nutrients from mud flats

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ROYAL NETHERLANDS INSTITUTE FOR SEA RESEARCH

 

IMAGE: 

TAKING WATER SAMPLES FROM THE EROSION EXPERIMENT IN THE OOSTERSCHELDE. IN THE PHOTO ALENA DI PRIMIO AND DUNIA RIOS-YUNES. CREDITS: TIM GRANDJEAN

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CREDIT: TIM GRANJEAN

If storms become stronger in the future due to climate change, more nitrogen may be released from the bottom of coastal seas. This is shown by research of marine biogeochemist Dunia Rios-Yunes at NIOZ in Yerseke. Rios-Yunes will defend her PhD-thesis today at the University of Utrecht. “The dynamics of nutrients in deltas and estuaries have been a bit of a blind spot for marine science, so far”, she says. 

Inflatable couch 

For her experiments, Rios-Yunes spent many hours on an inflatable couch on the dry bottom of the Wester- and the Oosterschelde. “I mimicked a storm on the mud, using a bucket without a bottom and a big blender, stirring up the mud and measuring the release or the uptake of nitrogen and phosphorous. But, since I needed to do this for six hours in a row, I rapidly found out that I needed a little bit of comfort, sitting on the mud. The inflatable couch was my life saver during the field work”, she jokingly says. 

More N, less P 

Rios-Yunes found out that considerable amounts of nitrogen are released when her experimental storm stirs the bottom. “In just a couple of hours, the amount of nitrogen that is normally released in weeks, may come out of the mud during one storm. This means that much more nutrients become available in the water column, and these could be used algae to grow.” Phosphorous, on the other hand, was taken up during the ‘storm’ in the Oosterschelde but released in the Westerschelde. “This may be because of the differences in chemical composition of the mud between an estuary and a tidal bay.”

Ecosystem services 

Storage of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous, but also of many trace elements, are considered a crucial ecosystem service of places like the Wester- and the Oosterschelde. This ecosystem service is under increasing pressure, Rios-Yunes explains. For example, the Oosterschelde coast is relatively important for storage of nutrients, compared to the subtidal sea bottom. But due to the Oosterschelde storm surge barrier and also with rising sea levels in the future, the coast of the Oosterschelde is ‘eaten by the currents’. “Therefore, relatively large amounts of nutrients may become available for algae and other organisms.” 

Equilibria 

Temperature and salinity, as well as benthic animals also influence the chemistry of the tidal sea floor. “But these phenomena have not been studied a lot, so far”, Rios-Yunes says. “For fundamental research into the dynamics of nutrients and other equilibria in tidal areas, it is very important to understand the role of temperature, salinity, benthic animals and also turmoil by storms.” 

Coastal squeeze 

Polici makers and keepers of natural areas like the Oosterschelde should also understand the dynamics of nutrients in a changing world, Rios-Yunes says. “My research stresses the importance to keep the coast of these tidal areas in a good condition, and thus avoid losing the valuable ecosystem services they provide.”

About NIOZ Sea Research
The Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (or NIOZ Sea Research), is the national oceanographic institute and the Netherlands’ centre of expertise for ocean, sea, coast and delta. We advance fundamental understanding of marine systems, the way they change, the role they play in climate and biodiversity, and how they may provide sustainable solutions to society in the future.

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DOI

10.33540/2139 

Dunia Rios-Yunes and Jeroen van Dalen taking elevation measurements in Paulinapolder. Credits: Pieter van Rijswijk

CREDIT

Pieter van Rijskwijk

 

International research team obtains first high-resolution fossil coral record of environmental data off Hawai’i

Business Announcement

MARUM - CENTER FOR MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF BREMEN

The IODP Expedition 389 “Hawaiian Drowned Reefs” aimed to recover a record of past climate and reef conditions off the coast of Hawai’i. During the offshore phase of the expedition a total of 426 meters of cores were recovered from below the seabed at water depths from 130 to 1240 meters. Corals store past environmental conditions in their skeletons. Researchers will use cutting-edge methods in their laboratories to extract information about sea level or climate changes from these tremendously important high-resolution archives. Looking back in Earth’s history will provide valuable insight into the mechanisms that cause climate change, including abrupt events, and into the impact of these changes on reef growth and health.

Prof. Jody Webster: “We were able to recover a spectacular sequence of fossil coral reef deposits that will enable us to decipher in unprecedented detail, how sea level, paleoclimate and the reef ecosystem has changed over the past 500,000 years, particularly during periods of rapid global change.”

The expedition is the culmination of many years of planning to carefully select the best locations to obtain records of past changes to inform and test important climate change theories.

Prof. Christina Ravelo: “We are also delighted to have recovered many samples of annually banded fossil corals that will be used to obtain for the first time, detailed records of monthly changes in oceanographic conditions from past periods that were different than today. The idea is to use this data to inform predictions of future Pacific-wide climate change.”

The scientific objectives of the expedition aim to address questions on four main topics:

• To measure the extent of sea level change over the past half a million years
• To investigate why sea level and climate changes through time
• To investigate how coral reefs respond to abrupt sea level and climate changes, and
• To improve scientific knowledge of the growth and subsidence of Hawai’i over time.

The Science Team of IODP Expedition 389 includes 31 scientists of different disciplines from Australia, Austria, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain and the USA, ten of whom sailed onboard the multipurpose vessel MMA Valour in September and October 2023 off the coast of Hawai’i, to collect the cores and data using a remotely operated coring system. After the offshore phase, the whole Science Team met at the IODP Bremen Core Repository, at MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen, Germany, in February 2024 to split, analyze and sample the cores and begin to interpret the data collected. The scientists will continue to work on samples and data over the next years in their home laboratories in depth to decipher detailed information from this unique new material and associated data.

The cores will be archived and made accessible for further scientific research by the international scientific community. After the one year-moratorium period following the onshore phase of the expedition material and data will become open access. Resulting findings will be published over the next months and years.

The expedition is conducted by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). IODP is a publicly-funded international marine research program supported by 21 countries, which explores Earth's history and dynamics recorded in seafloor sediments and rocks, and monitors sub-seafloor environments. Through multiple platforms – a feature unique to IODP – scientists sample the deep biosphere and sub-seafloor ocean, environmental change, processes and effects, and solid Earth cycles and dynamics.

The ECORD Science Operator has extensive experience working in sensitive ecosystems such as coral reefs, following seagoing expeditions to the Great Barrier Reef (Australia, 2010) and Tahiti (2005).

More Information:

About the expedition – https://www.ecord.org/expedition389/
About the research program – http://www.iodp.org/
About the European part of the program – https://www.ecord.org/ and Mission-Specific Platform expeditions - https://www.ecord.org/expeditions/msp/concept/
Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.expedition389.wordpress.com/2023/06/25/frequently-asked-questions/  
Expedition Logbook: https://www.expedition389.wordpress.com
 

Follow the expedition via Twitter (@ECORD_IODP), Facebook (ECORD.org), Instagram (@ECORD_IODP), Youtube (ECORD IODP) or Mastodon (@ECORD@mastodon.world), or the expedition logbook (https://www.expedition389.wordpress.com).

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METHOD OF RESEARCH

Meta-analysis