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SEVENTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME Area 6.4.1.2. Cross-cutting research activities relevant to GEO ENV.2008.4.1.2.1. Monitoring and observing oxygen depletion throughout the different Earth system components Deliverable D 4.2 “Report on assessment of changes in oxygen availability using organic and inorganic proxies, benthic communities structure, and hypoxia indicator species”, month 30 Editor: Namik Çagatay (ITU-EMCOL) with all partners of WP4 Project acronym: HYPOX Project full title: In situ monitoring of oxygen depletion in hypoxic ecosystems of coastal and open seas, and land-locked water bodies Grant agreement no.: 226213 Date of preparation: 03 October 2011, revisions: 09 & 19 January 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................3 2.INORGANIC AND ORGANIC GEOCHEMICAL PROXIES...........................................4 2.1.Inorganic geochemical studies in the Istanbul Strait (Bosphorus) Outlet Area of Black Sea (ITU-EMCOL).............................................................................................4 2.2.Inorganic Geochemical Studies Lake Rotsee and Lake Zurich(EAWAG).........13 2.3.Porewater Phosphorus-Iron Dynamics in the Eckernförde Bay (SW Baltic Sea) (IFM-GEOMAR)........................................................................................................17 2.4.Inorganic and Organic Studies in Baltic Sea, Black Sea and meromictic lake Alat (Fuessen Bavaria) (MfN)............................................................................................20 2.5.Natural radionuclides and Cesium studies in the Greek Lagoons (Amvrakikos Gulf)............................................................................................................................21 2.6.Noble Gases in the Black Sea (EAWAG).............................................................27 2.7.Biomarkers studies in the Lake Rotsee and Lake Zurich (both Switzerland), Amvrakikos Gulf (Greece) and the Black Sea(EAWAG)..........................................29 3.BENTHIC COMMUNITIES AND HYPOXIA INDICATOR SPECIES..........................34 3.1.Benthic communities structure and hypoxia indicator species in the Crimean shelf and Istanbul Strait‟s (Bosporus) outlet area of Black Sea (IBSS).....................34 3.2.Macrobenthos studies on the Romanian Shelf (GeoEcoMar)...............................58 3.3.Benthic foraminifera studies in the Amvrakikos Gulf (UPAT)..........................109 2 1. INTRODUCTION This report summarizes the changes in oxygen availability using organic and inorganic proxies, benthic communities‟ structure, and hypoxia indicator species in the Black Sea shelf areas (Istanbul Strait outlet area, Crimean shelf and Sevastopol area, and the Romanian shelf), Amvrakikos Gulf (Greek Lagoons) in the Ionian Sea, Swiss Lakes (Lake Zurich and Lake Rotsee), and Eckernförde Bay (Germany) in the Baltic Sea. The main objectives are to reconstruct the recent and past changes in the redox conditions using geochemical proxies and to give brief information about structures of the benthic communities and species that indicate hypoxia in the various basins. In the Bosphorus outlet area (Turkey) of the Black Sea, geochemical analyses of cores were carried out by the ITU team to study the hypoxia history and the effects of Mediterranean water in the ventilation of the area, using XRF core scanning and TOC/TIC analysis. Benthic community and indicator species studies were carried out by the IBSS, together with the CTD casting by MPI in the area. Lipid biomarkers were studied in Lake Rotsee and Lake Zurich by Eawag. For the latter study site, trace metals were additionally analyzed. Eawag project members focused on lipid biomarkers in the Amvrakikos Gulf, and UPAT determined the age model of the obtained cores and foraminiferal assemblages. In the Black Sea, Eawag project members are still analyzing the sediment pore-water samples for noble gas concentrations, and results are not available at this point. In addition, UPAT studied natural radionuclides and Cs distributions in sediment cores in the Amvrakikos Gulf. Pore water geochemistry was analysed for phosphorus-iron dynamics in the Eckernförde Bay (Germany) in the Baltic Sea by the IFM-GEOMAR. Nitrogen and carbon isotopes were studied by MfN in sediment cores in northern Baltic Sea (Bottenwiek). MfN further studied purple sulphur bacteria in Lake Alat (Bavaria, Germany). These studies by MfN were carried out in the frame of an MSc and a BSc theses. Benthic population structure and hypoxia indicator species in the Black Sea shelf areas (Istanbul Strait outlet area, Crimean shelf and Sevastopol area, and the Romanian shelf) were studied by IBSS and GeoEcoMar. 3 2. INORGANIC AND ORGANIC GEOCHEMICAL PROXIES 2.1. Inorganic geochemical studies in the Istanbul Strait (Bosphorus) Outlet Area of Black Sea (ITU-EMCOL) Site description: İstanbul Strait (Bosphorus) is the only connection of Black Sea to the world ocean via Sea of Marmara and Çanakkale (Dardannelles) Strait. The İstanbul Strait outlet area of the Black Sea (ISBS) includes the shelf and upper slope areas north of the Strait (Fig. 1.1; Hypox D4.3, 2010). This area is characterized by the Mediterranean inflow that is responsible for the ventilation and sluggish deep circulation of the anoxic Black Sea basin (Oğuz et al., 1993; Özsoy and Ünlüata, 1997). The anoxic/oxic boundary is located at a depth of 100-150 m with a ~30 m thick suboxic zone (Murray et al., 1989; 1993; Codispoti et al., 1991; Baştürk et al., 1994). Presently, a two-way current system occurs in the Bosphorus channel, with the Black Sea water forming the upper current and the warm and saline Mediterranean Water (MW) the undercurrent (Özsoy and Ünlüata, 1997; De Iorio et al., 1999; Özsoy et al., 2001). The MW enters the ISBS shelf through the submarine extension of the Istanbul Strait‟s channel, and then spreads as a uniform 2-3 m thick saline sheet over the shelf. At depths of 50-75 m, it mixes with the Cold Intermediate Water (CIW) and sinks along the continental slope forming a series of lateral intrusions to depths of 500 m. The ISBS outlet area is also characterized by a fan-delta complex on the mid and outer shelf areas with an anastomosing distributary channels, 5-8 m high levées, in-channel stream-lined bars, crevasse splays, and NW-SE oriented linear to wavy sedimentary structures in between the channel-levée complexes (Fig.2.1) (De Iorio and Yüce, 1998; Flood et al., 2009, Hypox D.4.3, 2010; Okay et al., 2011). Shallow sill depth of the Istanbul Strait together with the oxygen consumption by organic matter mineralization is responsible for the establishment of a permanent oxic-anoxic boundary (chemocline) in the area. The oxic-anoxic boundary is presently at 100-150 m depth, but may have varied in the past as result of the changes in the amounts of the MW, of riverine water input and global sea level. 4 Fig.2.1. Multibeam bathymetric map of the Istanbul Strait (Bosphorus) outlet area. Bathymetry data is compiled by Okay, et al., (2011) from NATO expedition of Di Iorio and Yüce (1999) and BLaSOn2 expedition (2002) carried out with Le Suroit and Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey. The shelf edge is marked by 110 m bathymetric contour that markes a change from green to blue colour. Cores and Core analysis: Geophysical subbottom profiling and sediment coring along depth transects from -75 m to -307 m on the shelf and upper slope areas onboard RVs Arar and MS Merian were carried out within the framework of the EC FP7 Hypox project (Fig.2.2). A total of 81 cores and 4 long cores were analyzed for physical properties using Geotek Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL;), 42 cores for elemental analysis by Itrax XRF Core Scanner, and 22 cores for total organic (TOC) and inorganic (TIC) contents by Shimadzu TOC analyser. 17 core samples were dated by AMS C-14 analysis. The core data produced by Hypox project in the ISBS outlet area can be found in data portal PANGAEA Archive /http://www.pangaea. de/search?count=10&q=arar_2009+geochemistry&minlat=&minlon=&maxlat=&maxlon=& mandate=&maxdate=&env=All&offset=20 and http:// www.pangaea.de/ search?count =10&q =MSM15%2F1+geochemistry&minlat=&minlon=&maxlat=&maxlon=&mindate=&maxdate =&env=All&offset=0), and the discussion in Erdem (2011, MSc Thesis). Holocene Basin Evolution: High resolution seismic profiles and sedimentary cores show the evidence of two low stand shelf crossing unconformities: a post-Younger Dryas transgression 5 unconformity (α) and a younger unconformity (α1) that form the base of the channel-levée complex dated at ca. 7 14C kyr BP (Fig.2.3, Fig.2.4) (Aksu at al., 2002; Ryan et al, 2003; Major et al., 2006; Flood et al., 2009; this Hypox study). The α1 unconformity was formed by the subaqueous erosion by the latest saline Mediterranean inflow and subsequent deposition of the fan-delta complex under mainly submarine conditions. Fig.2.2. Bathymetric map of the Istanbul Strait‟s outlet area in the Black Sea, showing the location of the seismic lines and cores. Results of Inorganic Geochemical Studies: The anoxia development started after the latest connection with Mediterranean. The oxic/anoxic boundary and changes in the bottom water conditions in the slope area are detectable by changes in the lithological properties and Mn anomalies associated with the Fe-C-S system in the cores located between -120 m and -150 m, which show the rise of the oxic/anoxic boundary to depths between -120 m and -150 m around 6.8 ka BP (Fig.2.5 and Fig.2.6). 6 Fig.2.3. A part of the seismic profile SL-1 representing water depths of 90-95 m on mid shelf area. The sedimentary units on top belong to the channel-levée complex that is sampled by Core MSM015- 291 whose digital colour image is shown on the right with the AMS C-14 ages. The unconformity α1 is a flat surface at -98 m. The sediments below the unconformity is dated at ca. 10 ka BP (post Younger Dryas). Vertical exaggeration = 8.1. See inset map for location of the line shown with red rectangle on Line SL-1. Mediterranean inflow initially used the NW trending main channel transporting oxygenated waters to the western side of the area.