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- Elevated trace elements in sediments and seagrasses at CO2 seepsPublication . Mishra, Amrit Kumar; Santos, Rui; Hall-Spencer, JasonSeagrasses often occur around shallow marine CO2 seeps, allowing assessment of trace metal accumulation. Here, we measured Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn levels at six CO2 seeps and six reference sites in the Mediterranean. Some seep sediments had elevated metal concentrations; an extreme example was Cd which was 43x more concentrated at a seep site than its corresponding reference site. Three seeps had metal levels that were predicted to adversely affect marine biota, namely Vulcano (for Hg), Ischia (for Cu) and Paleochori (for Cd and Ni). There were higher-than-sediment levels of Zn and Ni in Posidonia oceanica and of Zn in Cymodocea nodosa, particularly in roots. High levels of Cu were found in Ischia seep sediments, yet seagrass was abundant there, and the plants contained low levels of Cu. Differences in bioavailability and toxicity of trace elements helps explain why seagrasses can be abundant at some CO2 seeps but not at others.
- The future of the northeast Atlantic benthic flora in a high CO2 worldPublication . Brodie, Juliet; Williamson, Christopher J.; Smale, Dan A.; Kamenos, Nicholas A.; Mieszkowska, Nova; Santos, Rui; Cunliffe, Michael; Steinke, Michael; Yesson, Christopher; Anderson, Kathryn M.; Asnaghi, Valentina; Brownlee, Colin; Burdett, Heidi L.; Burrows, Michael T.; Collins, Sinead; Donohue, Penelope J. C.; Harvey, Ben; Foggo, Andrew; Noisette, Fanny; Nunes, Joana; Ragazzola, Federica; Raven, John A.; Schmidt, Daniela N.; Suggett, David; Teichberg, Mirta; Hall-Spencer, JasonSeaweed and seagrass communities in the northeast Atlantic have been profoundly impacted by humans, and the rate of change is accelerating rapidly due to runaway CO2 emissions and mounting pressures on coastlines associated with human population growth and increased consumption of finite resources. Here, we predict how rapid warming and acidification are likely to affect benthic flora and coastal ecosystems of the northeast Atlantic in this century, based on global evidence from the literature as interpreted by the collective knowledge of the authorship. We predict that warming will kill off kelp forests in the south and that ocean acidification will remove maerl habitat in the north. Seagrasses will proliferate, and associated epiphytes switch from calcified algae to diatoms and filamentous species. Invasive species will thrive in niches liberated by loss of native species and spread via exponential development of artificial marine structures. Combined impacts of seawater warming, ocean acidification, and increased storminess may replace structurally diverse seaweed canopies, with associated calcified and noncalcified flora, with simple habitats dominated by noncalcified, turf-forming seaweeds.