Acoustic and optical variations during rapid downward motion episodes in the deep north-western Mediterranean Sea

Haren, Hans van; Taupier‐Letage, Isabelle; Aguilar, J. A.; Albert, A.; Anghinolfi, M.; Anton, G.; Anvar, S.; Ardid, M.; Jesus, A.C. Assis; Astraatmadja, T.; Aubert, Jean-Jacques; Auer, R.; Baret, B.; Basa, S.; Bazzotti, M.; Bertín, V.; Biagi, S.; Bigongiari, C.; Bou-Cabo, M.; Bouwhuis, M. C.; Brown, A. M.; Brünner, J.; Busto, J.; Camarena, F.; Capone, A.; Carminati, G.; Carr, J.; Castel, D.; Castorina, Emanuele; Cavasinni, V.; Cecchini, S.; Charvis, Philippe; Chiarusi, T.; Circella, M.; Coniglione, R.; Costantini, H.; Cottini, N.; Coyle, P.; Curtil, C.; Bonis, G. De; Decowski, M. P.; Dekeyser, I.; Deschamps, A.; Distefano, C.; Donzaud, C.; Dornic, D.; Drouhin, D.; Eberl, T.; Emanuele, U.; Ernenwein, Jean-Pierre; Escoffier, S.; Fehr, F.; Flaminio, V.; Fratini, K.; Fritsch, U.; Fuda, Jean-Luc; Giacomelli, G.; Gómez-González, J.; Graf, Κ.; Guillard, G.; Halladjian, G.; Hallewell, G. D.; Heijboer, A.; Hello, Y.; Hernández-Rey, J. J.; Hoessl, J.; Jong, M. de; Kalantar‐Nayestanaki, N.; Kalekin, O.; Kappes, A.; Katz, U.; Kooijman, P.; Kopper, C.; Kouchner, A.; Kretschmer, W.; Lahmann, R.; Lamare, P.; Lambard, G.; Larosa, G.; Laschinsky, H.; Lefèvre, D.; Lelaizant, G.; Lim, G.; Presti, D. Lo; Loehner, H.; Loucatos, S.; Lucarelli, F.; Lyons, K.; Mangano, S.; Marcelin, M.; Margiotta, A.; Martínez-Mora, J. A.; Maurin, G.; Mazure, A.; Melissas, M.; Montaruli, T.; Morganti, M.; Moscoso, L.; Motz, H.; Naumann, C.; Neff, M.; Ostasch, R.; Palioselitis, G.; Păvălaş, G. E.; Payre, P.; Petrović, J.; Piattelli, P.; Picot-Clémente, N.; Picq, C.; Pillet, Robert; Popa, V.; Pradier, T.; Presani, E.; Racca, C.; Radu, A.; Reed, C.; Riccobene, G.; Richardt, C.; Rujoiu, M.; Russo, G.; Salesa, F.; Schoeck, F.; Schuller, J.-P.; Shanidze, R.; Simeone, F.; Spurio, M.; Steijger, J. J. M.; Stolarczyk, Th.; Tamburini, Christian; Tasca, L.; Toscano, S.; Vallage, B.; Elewyck, V. Van; Vecchi, M.; Vernin, P.; Wijnker, G.; Wolf, E. de; Yepes, H.; Zaborov, D.; Zornoza, J.D.; Zúñiga, J.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2011.06.006

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The delay between the appearance of the thermohaline anomalies at the LION site in late winter and their arrival at the ANTARES site in spring is compatible with the spreading of the newly-formed deep water in the Gulf of Lion and subsequent mixing with pre-existing deep water [22], [24], [25], [26]. Further mixing could take place at the ANTARES site due to enhancement of vertical motion by the interaction of instabilities in the surface cyclonic Northern Current with the topography of the continental slope [31]. The area of open-sea convection, as obtained from satellite imagery (see Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 74%

Deep-Sea Bioluminescence Blooms after Dense Water Formation at the Ocean Surface

et al. 2013

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The deep ocean is the largest and least known ecosystem on Earth. It hosts numerous pelagic organisms, most of which are able to emit light. Here we present a unique data set consisting of a 2.5-year long record of light emission by deep-sea pelagic organisms, measured from December 2007 to June 2010 at the ANTARES underwater neutrino telescope in the deep NW Mediterranean Sea, jointly with synchronous hydrological records. This is the longest continuous time-series of deep-sea bioluminescence ever recorded. Our record reveals several weeks long, seasonal bioluminescence blooms with light intensity up to two orders of magnitude higher than background values, which correlate to changes in the properties of deep waters. Such changes are triggered by the winter cooling and evaporation experienced by the upper ocean layer in the Gulf of Lion that leads to the formation and subsequent sinking of dense water through a process known as “open-sea convection”. It episodically renews the deep water of the study area and conveys fresh organic matter that fuels the deep ecosystems. Luminous bacteria most likely are the main contributors to the observed deep-sea bioluminescence blooms. Our observations demonstrate a consistent and rapid connection between deep open-sea convection and bathypelagic biological activity, as expressed by bioluminescence. In a setting where dense water formation events are likely to decline under global warming scenarios enhancing ocean stratification, in situ observatories become essential as environmental sentinels for the monitoring and understanding of deep-sea ecosystem shifts.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 74%

Deep-Sea Bioluminescence Blooms after Dense Water Formation at the Ocean Surface

et al. 2013

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“…They can control them and monitor the environment in reaction to the observation of peculiar events. New real-time opportunities are therefore given to marine sciences and geosciences: listening to marine organisms, observing bioluminescent creatures 4 , studying global change 5 and its consequence on marine circulation and biodiversity.…”

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confidence: 99%

Sperm whale long-range echolocation sounds revealed by ANTARES, a deep-sea neutrino telescope

André

Caballé

Schaar

et al. 2017

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Despite dedicated research has been carried out to adequately map the distribution of the sperm whale in the Mediterranean Sea, unlike other regions of the world, the species population status is still presently uncertain. The analysis of two years of continuous acoustic data provided by the ANTARES neutrino telescope revealed the year-round presence of sperm whales in the Ligurian Sea, probably associated with the availability of cephalopods in the region. The presence of the Ligurian Sea sperm whales was demonstrated through the real-time analysis of audio data streamed from a cabled-to-shore deep-sea observatory that allowed the hourly tracking of their long-range echolocation behaviour on the Internet. Interestingly, the same acoustic analysis indicated that the occurrence of surface shipping noise would apparently not condition the foraging behaviour of the sperm whale in the area, since shipping noise was almost always present when sperm whales were acoustically detected. The continuous presence of the sperm whale in the region confirms the ecological value of the Ligurian sea and the importance of ANTARES to help monitoring its ecosystems.

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“…When present at sufficient densities, bacterial bioluminescence adds to the Cherenkov radiation to produce a constant baseline (background) counting rate in the PMT data. Sharp peaks often several orders of magnitude higher than the steady baseline rate, are also found in the PMT data67. These peaks result from collisions between bioluminescent organisms and the telescope structure and can be correlated with current velocity64.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 76%

Inertial bioluminescence rhythms at the Capo Passero (KM3NeT-Italia) site, Central Mediterranean Sea

Aguzzi

Fanelli

Ciuffardi

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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In the deep sea, the sense of time is dependent on geophysical fluctuations, such as internal tides and atmospheric-related inertial currents, rather than day-night rhythms. Deep-sea neutrino telescopes instrumented with light detecting Photo-Multiplier Tubes (PMT) can be used to describe the synchronization of bioluminescent activity of abyssopelagic organisms with hydrodynamic cycles. PMT readings at 8 different depths (from 3069 to 3349 m) of the NEMO Phase 2 prototype, deployed offshore Capo Passero (Sicily) at the KM3NeT-Italia site, were used to characterize rhythmic bioluminescence patterns in June 2013, in response to water mass movements. We found a significant (p < 0.05) 20.5 h periodicity in the bioluminescence signal, corresponding to inertial fluctuations. Waveform and Fourier analyses of PMT data and tower orientation were carried out to identify phases (i.e. the timing of peaks) by subdividing time series on the length of detected inertial periodicity. A phase overlap between rhythms and cycles suggests a mechanical stimulation of bioluminescence, as organisms carried by currents collide with the telescope infrastructure, resulting in the emission of light. A bathymetric shift in PMT phases indicated that organisms travelled in discontinuous deep-sea undular vortices consisting of chains of inertially pulsating mesoscale cyclones/anticyclones, which to date remain poorly known.

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Acoustic and optical variations during rapid downward motion episodes in the deep north-western Mediterranean Sea

Abstract: ABSTRACT4

Cited by 19 publications

References 44 publications

Deep-Sea Bioluminescence Blooms after Dense Water Formation at the Ocean Surface

Deep-Sea Bioluminescence Blooms after Dense Water Formation at the Ocean Surface

Sperm whale long-range echolocation sounds revealed by ANTARES, a deep-sea neutrino telescope

Inertial bioluminescence rhythms at the Capo Passero (KM3NeT-Italia) site, Central Mediterranean Sea

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