Proskurowski
Giora
Proskurowski
Giora
No Thumbnail Available
9 results
Search Results
Now showing
1 - 9 of 9
-
ArticleThe biogeography of the Plastisphere : implications for policy(Ecological Society of America, 2015-12) Amaral-Zettler, Linda A. ; Zettler, Erik R. ; Slikas, Beth ; Boyd, Gregory D. ; Melvin, Donald W. ; Morrall, Clare E. ; Proskurowski, Giora ; Mincer, Tracy J.Microplastics (particles less than 5 mm) numerically dominate marine debris and occur from coastal waters to mid-ocean gyres, where surface circulation concentrates them. Given the prevalence of plastic marine debris (PMD) and the rise in plastic production, the impacts of plastic on marine ecosystems will likely increase. Microscopic life (the “Plastisphere”) thrives on these tiny floating “islands” of debris and can be transported long distances. Using next-generation DNA sequencing, we characterized bacterial communities from water and plastic samples from the North Pacific and North Atlantic subtropical gyres to determine whether the composition of different Plastisphere communities reflects their biogeographic origins. We found that these communities differed between ocean basins – and to a lesser extent between polymer types – and displayed latitudinal gradients in species richness. Our research reveals some of the impacts of microplastics on marine biodiversity, demonstrates that the effects and fate of PMD may vary considerably in different parts of the global ocean, and suggests that PMD mitigation will require regional management efforts.
-
PreprintStable isotopic evidence in support of active microbial methane cycling in low-temperature diffuse flow vents at 9°50’N East Pacific Rise( 2008-01) Proskurowski, Giora ; Lilley, Marvin D. ; Olson, Eric J.A unique dataset from paired low- and high-temperature vents at 9°50’N East Pacific Rise provides insight into the microbiological activity in low-temperature diffuse fluids. The stable carbon isotopic composition of CH4 and CO2 in 9°50’N hydrothermal fluids indicates microbial methane production, perhaps coupled with microbial methane consumption. Diffuse fluids are depleted in 13C by ~10‰ in values of δ13C of CH4, and by ~0.55‰ in values of δ13C of CO2, relative to the values of the high-temperature source fluid (δ13C of CH4 = -20.1 ± 1.2‰, δ13C of CO2 = -4.08 ± 0.15‰). Mixing of seawater or thermogenic sources cannot account for the depletions in 13C of both CH4 and CO2 at diffuse vents relative to adjacent high-temperature vents. The substrate utilization and 13C fractionation associated with the microbiological processes of methanogenesis and methane oxidation can explain observed steady-state CH4 and CO2 concentrations and carbon isotopic compositions. A mass-isotope numerical box-model of these paired vent systems is consistent with the hypothesis that microbial methane cycling is active at diffuse vents at 9°50’N. The detectable 13C modification of fluid geochemistry by microbial metabolisms may provide a useful tool for detecting active methanogenesis.
-
Technical ReportCruise Report S-221 : scientific data collected aboard SSV Robert C. Seamans, Papeete, French Polynesia – Nuku Hiva, Fench Polynesia – Honolulu, HI, USA, 11 February 2009 – 21 March 2009(SEA Education Association, 2009-03) Proskurowski, GioraAn extensive oceanographic investigation of the tropical Pacific was conducted during Sea Education Association’s cruise S221, Papeete, French Polynesia to Honolulu, HI. As part of SEA’s educational program, undergraduates conduct student-designed oceanographic research during the cruise. Project topics spanned, and integrated, the four “classic” disciplines of oceanography: chemistry, biology, physics and geology.
-
ArticleMicrobiological characterization of post-eruption “snowblower” vents at Axial Seamount, Juan de Fuca Ridge(Frontiers Media, 2013-06-17) Meyer, Julie L. ; Akerman, Nancy H. ; Proskurowski, Giora ; Huber, Julie A.Microbial processes within the subseafloor can be examined during the ephemeral and uncommonly observed phenomena known as snowblower venting. Snowblowers are characterized by the large quantity of white floc that is expelled from the seafloor following mid-ocean ridge eruptions. During these eruptions, rapidly cooling lava entrains seawater and hydrothermal fluids enriched in geochemical reactants, creating a natural bioreactor that supports a subseafloor microbial “bloom.” Previous studies hypothesized that the eruption-associated floc was made by sulfide-oxidizing bacteria; however, the microbes involved were never identified. Here we present the first molecular analysis combined with microscopy of microbial communities in snowblower vents from samples collected shortly after the 2011 eruption at Axial Seamount, an active volcano on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. We obtained fluid samples and white flocculent material from active snowblower vents as well as orange flocculent material found on top of newly formed lava flows. Both flocculent types revealed diverse cell types and particulates when examined by phase contrast and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Distinct archaeal and bacterial communities were detected in each sample type through Illumina tag sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and through sequencing of the sulfide oxidation gene, soxB. In fluids and white floc, the dominant bacteria were sulfur-oxidizing Epsilonproteobacteria and the dominant archaea were thermophilic Methanococcales. In contrast, the dominant organisms in the orange floc were Gammaproteobacteria and Thaumarchaeota Marine Group I. In all samples, bacteria greatly outnumbered archaea. The presence of anaerobic methanogens and microaerobic Epsilonproteobacteria in snowblower communities provides evidence that these blooms are seeded by subseafloor microbes, rather than from microbes in bottom seawater. These eruptive events thus provide a unique opportunity to observe subseafloor microbial communities. - See more at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00153/abstract#sthash.bg9RZMA7.dpuf
-
PreprintChemistry of hot springs along the Eastern Lau Spreading Center( 2010-12-08) Mottl, Michael J. ; Seewald, Jeffrey S. ; Wheat, C. Geoffrey ; Tivey, Margaret K. ; Michael, Peter J. ; Proskurowski, Giora ; McCollom, Thomas M. ; Reeves, Eoghan P. ; Sharkey, Jessica ; You, Chen-Feng ; Chan, Lui-Heung ; Pichler, ThomasThe Eastern Lau Spreading Center (ELSC) is the southernmost part of the back-arc spreading axis in the Lau Basin, west of the Tonga trench and the active Tofua volcanic arc. Over its 397-km length it exhibits large and systematic changes in spreading rate, magmatic/tectonic processes, and proximity to the volcanic arc. In 2005 we collected 81 samples of vent water from six hydrothermal fields along the ELSC. The chemistry of these waters varies both within and between vent fields, in response to changes in substrate composition, temperature and pressure, pH, water/rock ratio, and input from magmatic gases and subducted sediment. Hot-spring temperatures range from 229º to 363ºC at the five northernmost fields, with a general decrease to the south that is reversed at the Mariner field. The southernmost field, Vai Lili, emitted water at up to 334°C in 1989 but had a maximum venting temperature of only 121ºC in 2005, due to waning activity and admixture of bottom seawater into the subseafloor plumbing system. Chloride varies both within fields and from one field to another, from a low of 528 mmol/kg to a high of 656 mmol/kg, and may be enriched by phase separation and/or leaching of Cl from the rock. Concentrations of the soluble elements K, Rb, Cs, and B likewise increase southward as the volcanic substrate becomes more silica-rich, especially on the Valu Fa Ridge. Iodine and δ7Li increase southward, and δ11B decreases as B increases, apparently in response to increased input from subducted sediment as the arc is approached. Species that decrease southward as temperature falls are Si, H2S, Li, Na/Cl, Fe, Mn, and 87Sr/86Sr, whereas pH, alkalinity, Ca, and Sr increase. Oxygen isotopes indicate a higher water/rock ratio in the three systems on Valu Fa Ridge, consistent with higher porosity in more felsic volcanic rocks. Vent waters at the Mariner vent field on the Valu Fa Ridge are significantly hotter, more acid and metal-rich, less saline, and richer in dissolved gases and other volatiles, including H2S, CO2, and F, than the other vent fields, consistent with input of magmatic gases. The large variations in geologic and geophysical parameters produced by back-arc spreading along the ELSC, which exceed those along mid-ocean ridge spreading axes, produce similar large variations in the composition of vent waters, and thus provide new insights into the processes that control the chemistry of submarine hot springs.
-
Technical ReportCruise Report S-224 : scientific data collected aboard SSV Robert C. Seamans, Honolulu, HI- San Francisco, CA, 22 June 2009 – 19 July 2009(SEA Education Association, 2009-07) Proskurowski, GioraAn extensive oceanographic investigation of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre was conducted during Sea Education Association’s cruise S224, Honolulu, HI to San Francisco, CA (see Figure 1). As part of SEA’s educational program, undergraduates conduct student-designed oceanographic research during the cruise. Project topics spanned, and integrated, the four “classic” disciplines of oceanography: chemistry, biology, physics and geology.
-
Technical ReportCruise Report C-210 : Scientific data collected aboard SSV Corwith Cramer, Key West, FL – St. Georges, Bermuda – Falmouth Harbor, Antigua – Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI, 28 March 2007 – 04 May 2007(SEA Education Association, 2007-05) Proskurowski, GioraAn extensive oceanographic investigation of the subtropical North Atlantic was conducted during Sea Education Association’s cruise C-210, Key West, FL to St. Croix, USVI (via Bermuda and Antigua, see Figure 1). As part of SEA’s educational program, undergraduates conduct student-designed oceanographic research during the cruise. Project topics spanned, and integrated, the four “classic” disciplines of oceanography: chemistry, biology, physics and geology (Table 7). Student research efforts culminated in a written manuscript and poster presentation to the ship’s company. These papers are available on request from SEA.
-
ArticleSeafloor incubation experiment with deep-sea hydrothermal vent fluid reveals effect of pressure and lag time on autotrophic microbial communities(American Society for Microbiology, 2021-04-13) Fortunato, Caroline S. ; Butterfield, David A. ; Larson, Benjamin I. ; Lawrence-Slavas, Noah ; Algar, Christopher K. ; Zeigler Allen, Lisa ; Holden, James F. ; Proskurowski, Giora ; Reddington, Emily ; Stewart, Lucy C. ; Topçuoğlu, Begüm D ; Vallino, Joseph J. ; Huber, Julie A.Depressurization and sample processing delays may impact the outcome of shipboard microbial incubations of samples collected from the deep sea. To address this knowledge gap, we developed a remotely operated vehicle (ROV)-powered incubator instrument to carry out and compare results from in situ and shipboard RNA stable isotope probing (RNA-SIP) experiments to identify the key chemolithoautotrophic microbes and metabolisms in diffuse, low-temperature venting fluids from Axial Seamount. All the incubations showed microbial uptake of labeled bicarbonate primarily by thermophilic autotrophic Epsilonbacteraeota that oxidized hydrogen coupled with nitrate reduction. However, the in situ seafloor incubations showed higher abundances of transcripts annotated for aerobic processes, suggesting that oxygen was lost from the hydrothermal fluid samples prior to shipboard analysis. Furthermore, transcripts for thermal stress proteins such as heat shock chaperones and proteases were significantly more abundant in the shipboard incubations, suggesting that depressurization induced thermal stress in the metabolically active microbes in these incubations. Together, the results indicate that while the autotrophic microbial communities in the shipboard and seafloor experiments behaved similarly, there were distinct differences that provide new insight into the activities of natural microbial assemblages under nearly native conditions in the ocean.
-
ArticleDistribution of surface plastic debris in the eastern Pacific Ocean from an 11-Year data set(American Chemical Society, 2014-04-07) Law, Kara L. ; Moret-Ferguson, Skye E. ; Goodwin, Deborah S. ; Zettler, Erik R. ; DeForce, Emelia A. ; Kukulka, Tobias ; Proskurowski, GioraWe present an extensive survey of floating plastic debris in the eastern North and South Pacific Oceans from more than 2500 plankton net tows conducted between 2001 and 2012. From these data we defined an accumulation zone (25 to 41°N, 130 to 180°W) in the North Pacific subtropical gyre that closely corresponds to centers of accumulation resulting from the convergence of ocean surface currents predicted by several oceanographic numerical models. Maximum plastic concentrations from individual surface net tows exceeded 106 pieces km–2, with concentrations decreasing with increasing distance from the predicted center of accumulation. Outside the North Pacific subtropical gyre the median plastic concentration was 0 pieces km–2. We were unable to detect a robust temporal trend in the data set, perhaps because of confounded spatial and temporal variability. Large spatiotemporal variability in plastic concentration causes order of magnitude differences in summary statistics calculated over short time periods or in limited geographic areas. Utilizing all available plankton net data collected in the eastern Pacific Ocean (17.4°S to 61.0°N; 85.0 to 180.0°W) since 1999, we estimated a minimum of 21 290 t of floating microplastic.