Chlorophyll degradation products are preserved in marine sediments over timescales of thousands of years. The production of chlorophyll in the water column is related to biological productivity, so chlorophyll degradation products (chlorins) preserved in marine sediments can be used as indicators of paleoproductivity. A new, rapid, nondestructive method of determining chlorin concentrations in ...

In the marine environment, the antifouling (AF) properties of various kinds of hydrogels against sessile marine organisms (algae, sea squirts, barnacles) were tested in a long-term experiment. The results demonstrate that most hydrogels can endure at least 2 months in the marine environment. In particular, mechanically tough PAMPS/PAAm DN and PVA gels exhibited AF activity against marine sessil...

This contribution documents, using the example of the Gulf of Mexico large marine ecosystem (GoM) LME, how mass-balance, trophic (‘Ecopath’) models can be synthesized into a single integrated, spatially explicit model, from which various inferences on the ecological functioning of, and fisheries impacts on an LME can be drawn. The 10 component models used here covered inshore subsystems (lagoon...

[1] It is conventional knowledge that heterotrophic bacteria play a key role in the biogeochemical cycling of oceanic carbon. However, only recently has their role in marine iron (Fe) biogeochemical cycles been examined. Research during this past decade has demonstrated an inextricable link between Fe chemistry and the biota, as >99% of Fe in marine systems is complexed to organic chelates of u...

Marine sponges are an excellent source of bioactive secondary metabolites with potential therapeutic value in the treatment of diseases. One group of compounds of particular interest is the microtubule-stabilizing agents, the most well-known compound of this group being paclitaxel (Taxol), an anti-cancer compound isolated from the bark and leaves of the Pacific yew tree. This review focuses on ...

Active and passive sampling methods were employed over a four-month period, at a site off the South-West coast of Ireland, to characterise the occurrence of cyclic imines in the water column. The marine toxins 13-desmethyl-SPXC, 20-methyl SPXG toxins and pinnatoxin G were detected using active sampling from Diaion HP-20 resin. Seven water depths were sampled to determine stratification of the t...

Two new marine-derived caryophyllene-type sesquiterpenoids, rumphellols A and B (1 and 2), were obtained from the gorgonian coral, Rumphella antipathies, collected off the waters of Taiwan. Although caryophyllene-type sesquiterpenes are rarely found in marine organisms, compounds of this type could be principal components of R. antipathies. The structures of new Compounds 1 and 2 were determine...

Microplastic litter is a pervasive pollutant present in aquatic systems across the globe. A range of marine organisms have the capacity to ingest microplastics, resulting in adverse health effects. Developing methods to accurately quantify microplastics in productive marine waters, and those internalized by marine organisms, is of growing importance. Here we investigate the efficacy of using ac...

The West Antarctic Peninsula region is an important source of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in the Southern Ocean. From 1980–2004 abundance and concentration of phytoplankton and zooplankton, krill reproductive and recruitment success and seasonal sea ice extent here were significantly correlated with the atmospheric Southern Oscillation Index and exhibited threeto five-year frequencies c...