Monitoring Carbonate Production and Degradation (Azores, Portugal)

对北大西洋广泛分布的冷水碳酸盐工厂的各种相的研究已经取得了很大进展，但是，几乎缺乏关于生长和降解速率的定量数据。该项目的重点是暖温带的亚速尔群岛，因为该群岛远离陆地，对碳酸盐环境的研究很少，而且在Faial岛很容易乘坐载人潜水器。通过覆盖一个广泛的环境梯度，相对于光制度和不同的水团性质沿着测深样带（0- 500米），我们打算进行预算的碳酸盐增生和生物侵蚀率的实验方法。作为补充，我们的目标是对选定的长寿底栖生物（柱珊瑚、石珊瑚和巨型牡蛎）进行详细的稳定同位素分析（<$18 O和<$13 C），以进行生长率分析和检测微妙的气候变化（例如，在这一领域。试验包括对碳酸盐的产生和退化进行定量和定性监测，以及记录现场环境数据（温度、盐度和光合有效辐射沿着深度）。预期的结果预计将产生（1）暖温带碳酸盐生产和生物侵蚀率，（2）提高对稳定同位素适用于生长率研究和高分辨率气候变率分析的认识，（3）关于生物侵蚀和碳酸盐增生剂的水深分布和地理分布的知识;（4）在不同的基板方向的生物侵蚀过程中的相对贡献的钻孔生物与食草动物的新见解。

Studies on the various facies of the widespread cool-water carbonate factory in the N-Atlantic are far advanced, however, quantitative data on growth and degradation rates are almost lacking. This project focuses on the warm-temperate Azores Archipelago because of its remote location far from land, its poorly studied carbonate environment and because of the easy accessibility to a manned submersible at the island Faial. By covering a wide environmental gradient with respect to light regime and different water-mass properties along bathymetric transect (0-500m), we intend to carry out budgeting of carbonate-accretion and bioerosion rates with an experimental approach. Complementing, we aim for a detailed stable isotope analysis (¿ 18O and ¿ 13C) of selected long- living epibenthos (stylasterids, scleractinian corals and giant oysters) for growth-rate analyses and for the detection of subtle climate variability (e.g., NAO) in this area. The experiment comprises quantitative and qualitative monitoring of carbonate production and degradation as well as the recording of in situ environmental data (temperature, salinity and photosynthetically active radiation along with depth). The anticipated results are expected to yield (1) warm-temperate carbonateproduction and bioerosion rates, (2) enhanced insight in the suitability of stable isotopes for growth rate studies and high-resolution climate variability analyses, (3) knowledge on the bathymetric as well as biogeographic distribution of bioeroding and carbonate-accreting agents and (4) new insights in the relative contribution of boring organisms versus grazers on different substrate orientations to the process of bioerosion.