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1. Growth and longevity of the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki under annual and multiannual sea ice

   https://doi.org/doi:10.1017/S0954102020000322  

   Cronin, K.E. ; Walker, S.E. ; Mann, R. ; Chute, A.S. ; Long, M.C. ; Bowser, S.S. ( April 2020 , Antarctic science)

   null (Ed.)

   Ecosystem engineers such as the Antarctic scallop (Adamussium colbecki) shape marine communities. Thus, changes to their lifespan and growth could have far-reaching effects on other organisms. Sea ice is critical to polar marine ecosystem function, attenuating light and thereby affecting nutrient availability. Sea ice could therefore impact longevity and growth in polar bivalves unless temperature is the overriding factor. Here, we compare the longevity and growth of A. colbecki from two Antarctic sites: Explorers Cove and Bay of Sails, which differ by sea-ice cover, but share similar seawater temperatures, the coldest on Earth (-1.97°C). We hypothesize that scallops from the multiannual sea-ice site will have slower growth and greater longevity. We found maximum ages to be similar at both sites (18–19 years). Growth was slower, with higher inter-individual variability, under multiannual sea ice than under annual sea ice, which we attribute to patchier nutrient availability under multiannual sea ice. Contrary to expectations, A. colbecki growth, but not longevity, is affected by sea-ice duration when temperatures are comparable. Recent dramatic reductions in Antarctic sea ice and predicted temperature increases may irrevocably alter the life histories of this ecosystem engineer and other polar organisms. 

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2. HIGH VARIABILITY OF SUBANNUAL GROWTH BANDS IN THE ANTARCTIC SCALLOP ADAMUSIUM COLBECKI

   https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2018AM-324369  

   CRONIN, K. E ; WALKER, S. E ; BOWSER, S. S ( October 2018 , Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs)

   null (Ed.)

   The Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki may be a crucial paleoenvironmental proxy for Antarctic sea ice during the Holocene. Sea ice can melt annually or persist for multiple years, with implications for the diet and growth of this ecosystem engineer. Subtle growth variations under each sea ice regime could be analyzed using striae (surficial concentric ridges) that putatively form fortnightly in juveniles. Previous work described alternating groups of widely spaced striae (summer) and narrowly spaced striae (winter). Each group may have 12 striae, or a pair of wide and narrow groups (cycle) may have ~ 28; both scenarios suggests approximate tidal (lunar) periodicity in striae formation. However, consistency of striae formation (total striae per valve and group) must be assessed in different environments, as factors such as sea ice or temperature could affect striae growth. We examined striae number, groups, and cycles in juvenile growth (< 50 mm) using scallops collected from two sites in western McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, that differ by sea-ice cover: Explorers Cove (EC) and Bay of Sails (BOS). Both sites have similar summer temperatures (-1.97°C), but EC has multi-annual sea ice whereas BOS has annual sea ice. We predict that annual melt and subsequent phytoplankton blooms likely induce a stronger environmental control than lunar periodicity. Thus, BOS scallops should have equal striae in wide and narrow groups, whereas EC should have fewer striae per wide group and fewer total striae as summer food availability would be greater at BOS and EC valves may cease growth in lower nutrient conditions. Median striae per wide or narrow group was similar at both sites (~12) and median total striae did not differ significantly between sites (EC: 188.5; BOS:183), suggesting striae formation is unaffected by sea ice. Similar median cycles per valve (~5), corroborate previous work that A. colbecki are ~ 5 years old at 50 mm shell height, and ~ 12 striae per group supports lunar periodicity of formation. However, striae per group varied widely (EC: 3–41; BOS 3–38) and 55% of valves had > 182 total striae and 30% had > 208, indicating ages of 7+ and 8+ yrs assuming fortnightly striae formation. Individual striae and group/cycle data contradict each other, calling into question consistent fortnightly striae formation in juvenile A. colbecki. 

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3. OXYGEN AND CARBON ISOTOPES IN ADAMUSSIUM COLBECKI: δ13C PROXY FOR SEA-ICE PERSISTENCE?

   https://doi.org/doi: 10.1130/abs/2020AM-357341  

   Cronin, K. ; Walker, S.E. ; Gillikin, D.P. ; Bowser, S.S. ( October 2020 , Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs)

   null (Ed.)

   The Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki is a promising proxy for sea-ice persistence and can potentially resolve subannual seawater conditions characteristic of annual and multiannual sea ice. Alternating groups of widely- and narrowly-spaced striae (small ridges on valve surfaces) are thought to indicate seasonal growth differences: wide groups in summer, narrow groups in winter. Shell oxygen (δ18Os) and carbon (δ13Cs) in striae groups may therefore reflect seasonal seawater conditions. We expect lower δ18Os in wide summer striae groups under both annual and multiannual sea ice if glacial meltwater mixes through the water column. We also expect higher δ13Cs in wide striae groups under annual sea ice but not under multiannual sea ice, as phytoplankton blooms post seaice breakout enrich seawater δ13CDIC. Scallops were collected from two sites in western McMurdo Sound (Ross Sea) located ~30 km apart: Explorers Cove (EC) has multiannual sea ice and Bay of Sails (BOS) has annual sea ice. Adults were collected live by divers at 9–18 m depth in 2008 from EC and BOS. Additional juveniles (< 2 yrs) were collected from EC in 2016. Two adults each from EC and BOS and two 2016 juveniles were serially sampled for stable isotopes. δ13Cs decreases over ontogeny due to metabolic effects; the linear trend was removed to enable seasonal comparison. Detrended residuals are referred to as δ13Cs det. Mean δ18Os (~3.7‰) is not different in narrow and wide striae groups under either annual or multiannual sea ice, suggesting negligible glacial meltwater mixing at depth and minimal seasonal temperature change at both sites. δ18Os values are within expected equilibrium range and decrease over ontogeny, suggesting increased growth during warmer temperatures in older scallops. In contrast, mean δ13Cs det is ~1‰ higher in wide summer striae groups than narrow winter striae groups under annual sea ice at BOS, but not different between striae groups under multiannual sea ice in EC adults. δ13Cs det is also higher in wide summer striae groups from 2016 EC juveniles, however sea ice broke out at EC in 2015, so juveniles experienced annual-like sea-ice conditions. Seasonal differences in δ13Cs suggest that carbon isotopes coupled with striae width in A. colbecki may be a good proxy for sea-ice persistence in Antarctica both in modern and fossil assemblages. 

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4. THE ANTARCTIC SCALLOP ADAMUSSIUM COLBECKI AS A PROXY FOR SEA-ICE DURATION IN ANTARCTICA

   https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2019AM-340824  

   CRONIN, K. E. ; WALKER, S. E. ; GILLIKIN, D. P. ; BOWSER, S. S. ( October 2019 , Geological Society of America Abstract with Programs)

   null (Ed.)

   Sea ice is critical in structuring Antarctic marine ecosystems, controlling disturbance and primary productivity. Sea ice either melts annually or persists for multiple years, but variability in sea-ice duration is poorly understood prior to satellite images. The Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki, with its circum-Antarctic distribution and Holocene fossil history, may be a proxy for sea-ice duration. Previous work on A. colbecki links some trace elements to ice melt and productivity. Further, increments between growth bands (striae) are thought to vary seasonally. To evaluate A. colbecki suitability as a sea-ice proxy, we tested correspondence between growth and trace elements known to represent sea ice or productivity at two sites in western McMurdo Sound: Explorers Cove (EC) with multiannual sea ice and Bay of Sails (BOS) with annual sea ice. Trace element signals should be dampened or absent at EC, whereas those from BOS should cycle annually. One A. colbecki shell each from EC and BOS were collected live in 12 m of water. Trace elements previously linked to ice melt (Mn/Ca, Fe/Ca, and Pb/Ca), metabolism (Mg/Ca), and primary productivity (Ba/Ca, Li/Ca) were sampled from interstrial increments using an LA-ICP-MS along the central axis from umbo to last striae. Interstrial distances (ISDs) were measured and compared to trace elements using wavelet coherence analysis. Coherence (covariance between ISD and trace elements) exceeding 95% significance are reported here. Results indicate that ISD and trace elements only cohere during episodic sea-ice melt at EC and cohere throughout adult growth at BOS. All EC trace element concentrations display a common pattern: cyclic growth followed minimal variation in early adult ontogeny, with intermittent variation resuming later in adult growth. In contrast, trace elements from the BOS scallop exhibit strong cyclic behavior throughout ontogeny. ISD coheres with trace elements at EC for short strial sequences (5-30) twice in adult growth, corresponding to partial sea ice melts at EC during 1999 and 2002. Conversely, BOS trace elements cohere with ISD for long (20-140) strial sequences during adult growth, indicating annual sea-ice melt. Results indicate that A. colbecki archives sea-ice duration, thus its fossil record can be used to investigate past variability. 

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5. Expedition 374 Preliminary Report: Ross Sea West Antarctic Ice Sheet History

   https://doi.org/10.14379/iodp.pr.374.2018  

   McKay, R.M. ; De Santis, L. ; Kulhanek, D.K. ( May 2018 , Preliminary report)

   null (Ed.)

   The marine-based West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is currently retreating due to shifting wind-driven oceanic currents that transport warm waters toward the ice margin, resulting in ice shelf thinning and accelerated mass loss of the WAIS. Previous results from geologic drilling on Antarctica’s continental margins show significant variability in marine-based ice sheet extent during the late Neogene and Quaternary. Numerical models indicate a fundamental role for oceanic heat in controlling this variability over at least the past 20 My. Although evidence for past ice sheet variability has been collected in marginal settings, sedimentologic sequences from the outer continental shelf are required to evaluate the extent of past ice sheet variability and the associated oceanic forcings and feedbacks. International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 374 drilled a latitudinal and depth transect of five drill sites from the outer continental shelf to rise in the eastern Ross Sea to resolve the relationship between climatic and oceanic change and WAIS evolution through the Neogene and Quaternary. This location was selected because numerical ice sheet models indicate that this sector of Antarctica is highly sensitive to changes in ocean heat flux. The expedition was designed for optimal data-model integration and will enable an improved understanding of the sensitivity of Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) mass balance during warmer-than-present climates (e.g., the Pleistocene “super interglacials,” the mid-Pliocene, and the late early to middle Miocene). The principal goals of Expedition 374 were to • Evaluate the contribution of West Antarctica to far-field ice volume and sea level estimates; • Reconstruct ice-proximal atmospheric and oceanic temperatures to identify past polar amplification and assess its forcings and feedbacks; • Assess the role of oceanic forcing (e.g., sea level and temperature) on AIS stability/instability; • Identify the sensitivity of the AIS to Earth’s orbital configuration under a variety of climate boundary conditions; and • Reconstruct eastern Ross Sea paleobathymetry to examine relationships between seafloor geometry, ice sheet stability/instability, and global climate. To achieve these objectives, we will • Use data and models to reconcile intervals of maximum Neogene and Quaternary Antarctic ice advance with far-field records of eustatic sea level change; • Reconstruct past changes in oceanic and atmospheric temperatures using a multiproxy approach; • Reconstruct Neogene and Quaternary sea ice margin fluctuations in datable marine continental slope and rise records and correlate these records to existing inner continental shelf records; • Examine relationships among WAIS stability/instability, Earth’s orbital configuration, oceanic temperature and circulation, and atmospheric pCO2; and • Constrain the timing of Ross Sea continental shelf overdeepening and assess its impact on Neogene and Quaternary ice dynamics. Expedition 374 was carried out from January to March 2018, departing from Lyttelton, New Zealand. We recovered 1292.70 m of high-quality cores from five sites spanning the early Miocene to late Quaternary. Three sites were cored on the continental shelf (Sites U1521, U1522, and U1523). At Site U1521, we cored a 650 m thick sequence of interbedded diamictite, mudstone, and diatomite, penetrating the Ross Sea seismic Unconformity RSU4. The depositional reconstructions of past glacial and open-marine conditions at this site will provide unprecedented insight into environmental change on the Antarctic continental shelf during the early and middle Miocene. At Site U1522, we cored a discontinuous upper Miocene to Pleistocene sequence of glacial and glaciomarine strata from the outer shelf, with the primary objective to penetrate and date seismic Unconformity RSU3, which is interpreted to represent the first major continental shelf–wide expansion and coalescing of marine-based ice streams from both East and West Antarctica. At Site U1523, we cored a sediment drift located beneath the westerly flowing Antarctic Slope Current (ASC). Cores from this site will provide a record of the changing vigor of the ASC through time. Such a reconstruction will enable testing of the hypothesis that changes in the vigor of the ASC represent a key control on regulating heat flux onto the continental shelf, resulting in the ASC playing a fundamental role in ice sheet mass balance. We also cored two sites on the continental slope and rise. At Site U1524, we cored a Plio–Pleistocene sedimentary sequence on the continental rise on the levee of the Hillary Canyon, which is one of the largest conduits of Antarctic Bottom Water delivery from the Antarctic continental shelf into the abyssal ocean. Drilling at Site U1524 was intended to penetrate into middle Miocene and older strata but was initially interrupted by drifting sea ice that forced us to abandon coring in Hole U1524A at 399.5 m drilling depth below seafloor (DSF). We moved to a nearby alternate site on the continental slope (U1525) to core a single hole with a record complementary to the upper part of the section recovered at Site U1524. We returned to Site U1524 3 days later, after the sea ice cleared. We then cored Hole U1524C with the rotary core barrel with the intention of reaching the target depth of 1000 m DSF. However, we were forced to terminate Hole U1524C at 441.9 m DSF due to a mechanical failure with the vessel that resulted in termination of all drilling operations and a return to Lyttelton 16 days earlier than scheduled. The loss of 39% of our operational days significantly impacted our ability to achieve all Expedition 374 objectives as originally planned. In particular, we were not able to obtain the deeper time record of the middle Miocene on the continental rise or abyssal sequences that would have provided a continuous and contemporaneous archive to the high-quality (but discontinuous) record from Site U1521 on the continental shelf. The mechanical failure also meant we could not recover sediment cores from proposed Site RSCR-19A, which was targeted to obtain a high-fidelity, continuous record of upper Neogene and Quaternary pelagic/hemipelagic sedimentation. Despite our failure to recover a shelf-to-rise transect for the Miocene, a continental shelf-to-rise transect for the Pliocene to Pleistocene interval is possible through comparison of the high-quality records from Site U1522 with those from Site U1525 and legacy cores from the Antarctic Geological Drilling Project (ANDRILL). 

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