Bernabé Moreno - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Bernabé Moreno
How important is carbon storage by southern polar benthos as a negative feedback on climate change
Carbon capture and storage by southern polar benthos is potentially the largest negative feedback... more Carbon capture and storage by southern polar benthos is potentially the largest negative feedback on climate change. Most feedbacks on global climate change are positive; they exacerbate physical change. The few known strong negative feedbacks, those which reduce physical change, are polar, and include i) broadening existing sinks with sea-ice losses over polar continental shelves, ii) subarctic vegetation growth increases and iii) formation of new sinks where ice shelves collapse. To date, carbon sequestration gains have been recorded around the Antarctic coastal shallows where they are likely to be offset by fjordic losses associated with sedimentation, and open coast losses through increased iceberg scouring. These feedbacks are complicated by additional positive forcing associated with greater heat absorption from albedo change. In contrast there is no albedo change (negligible sea ice losses) over sub-Antarctic shelves, where rising sea temperatures are likely to increase carbo...
Towards estimation of blue carbon sink potential of sub-Antarctic continental shelf benthos
Continental shelves around Antarctica are a globally important carbon sink, due to both oceanogra... more Continental shelves around Antarctica are a globally important carbon sink, due to both oceanographic CO2 absorption and biological fixation and trophic cascading. Most carbon passing through the foodweb is pelagic and is recycled through microbial loops. However significant masses are accumulated and immobilized (within calcareous skeletons of benthos), accounting for sequestration potential of 106 tonnes per year. Burial potential is enhanced by being largely untrawled by human harvesting and too deep for iceberg scouring. Yet these are also true for subAntarctic island shelves where there are considerable phytoplankton blooms, little or no sea ice and warmer sea temperatures (enabling faster meal processing time by benthos) – yet their potential as a carbon sink has been largely ignored. We report on the Antarctic Seabed Carbon Capture Change (ASCCC) project which sampled most of the high southern latitude continental shelves during the 2016/17 Antarctic Circumnavigation Expediti...
The Science of Nature, 2021
Diminishing prospects for environmental preservation under climate change are intensifying effort... more Diminishing prospects for environmental preservation under climate change are intensifying efforts to boost capture, storage and sequestration (long-term burial) of carbon. However, as Earth’s biological carbon sinks also shrink, remediation has become a key part of the narrative for terrestrial ecosystems. In contrast, blue carbon on polar continental shelves have stronger pathways to sequestration and have increased with climate-forced marine ice losses—becoming the largest known natural negative feedback on climate change. Here we explore the size and complex dynamics of blue carbon gains with spatiotemporal changes in sea ice (60–100 MtCyear−1), ice shelves (4–40 MtCyear−1 = giant iceberg generation) and glacier retreat (
Evaluación poblacional estacional de la población del "Caracol Plomo" Thaisella chocolata (Duclos, 1832)(Mollusca, gastropoda) en Isla Pachacamac
Evaluación poblacional estacional de la población del "Caracol Plomo" Thaisella chocolata (Duclos, 1832)(Mollusca, gastropoda) en Isla Pachacamac
Registro más meridional de Mobula birostris en el Pacífico Oriental (Southernmost record of the Giant Manta Ray Mobula birostris in the Eastern Pacific)
Reporte técnico del piloto para la regulación de actividades subacuáticas dentro de polígonos de ANPs
Due to a protocol absence for underwater marine activities in Peruvian protected areas, this pilo... more Due to a protocol absence for underwater marine activities in Peruvian protected areas, this pilot assessment was conducted to envisage and identify key points in this regard. This was developed using the Palomino islets as a model site as there inhabits one of the most numerous sea-lion colony (Otaria flavescens) in Lima region.
Clasificación y Distribución Espacial del Macrozoobentos dentro de la Ensenada Mackellar, Isla Rey Jorge, Antártica: Contrastando dos enfoques de análisis Ecológico–Comunitario
"Classification and Spatial Distribution of the Macrozoobenthos at the Mackellar Inlet, ... more "Classification and Spatial Distribution of the Macrozoobenthos at the Mackellar Inlet, King George Island, Antarctica: Contrasting the Taxonomic and the Functional Grouping approaches" The Admiralty Bay – King George Island is one of the most sampled sites within the WAP, and its macrobenthic communities have been subject to several studies. Its structure has usually been evaluated under the taxonomic (systematic) approach; yet, this scope doesn‟t always reveal the processes that can be occurring in the area under study. Instead, the use of a functional groups classification can provide the suitable means to associate them with the environmental parameters and their dynamics. In the present theses, the macrobenthos composition of Mackellar Inlet was analyzed at 11 sampling stations across the glaciomarine fjord during the austral summer of 2013 (ANTAR XXI Expedition) contrasting both taxonomic and functional approaches. The Functional Groups consisted on the junction of five life–traits components: 1) Feeding mode, 2) Source and 3) Type of food (trophic functions); 4) Motility, & 5) Living style (distribution functions). Overall, 3370 were identified. Amphipods, Sedentaria polychaetes and bivalves accounted for the 57%. Surface deposit–feeders, omnivores, motile and free–living organisms were the most abundant. Sample stations were grouped similarly to the a priori classification based on the fjord section (Inner, Middle and Outer). This grouping, under the taxonomic approach, revealed the influence of the Domeyk glacier (alpha–diversity gradient), meanwhile, the functional approach also did it based on the influence of water currents. The abundance of certain functional groups was explained by the environmental variables. The Principal Components Analysis accounted for the 82% of environmental variability. Biological and environmental matrices were not significantly correlated. Nevertheless, the correlation values were higher under the functional approach. The present study shows that the use of a functional approach could be useful when applying it to different spatiotemporal scales studies, allowing a better understanding on how the communities might change due to variations of the environmental parameters.
Trabajo presentado en el IX Congreso Latinoamericano de Ciencia Antartica. 4 al 6 de octubre de 2... more Trabajo presentado en el IX Congreso Latinoamericano de Ciencia Antartica. 4 al 6 de octubre de 2017, Punta Arenas-Chile. IX Latin American Congress on Antarctic Science.
Polish Hyperbaric Research
Pre-dive checks and dive logs are fundamental documentation for any diving operation and must be ... more Pre-dive checks and dive logs are fundamental documentation for any diving operation and must be incorporated as mandatory ‘good operating practices’ in scientific diving (SD) projects. Data included in dive logs may vary in detail, however, there is basic information to provide based on global standards. Differently to several developed countries in Europe, North America and Australasia, there are countries with incipient, sometimes non-regulated, SD programmes. In this article the importance of documentation in SD is highlighted and record forms are provided as templates, including versions both in English and Spanish. The Diving Supervisor (DS) is the designated person to fill the ‘Daily SciDive Log’ and ‘SCUBA & surface-supplied LogSheet’ (Table 1, 2 and 3, respectively), whilst every diver is responsible for filing their own ‘SciDiver’s Digital LogBook’ (Table 4). General and specific considerations for all tables are described throughout the text. This effort was done to facil...
Global Change Biology
Precautionary conservation and cooperative global governance are needed to protect Antarctic blue... more Precautionary conservation and cooperative global governance are needed to protect Antarctic blue carbon: the world's largest increasing natural form of carbon storage with high sequestration potential. As patterns of ice loss around Antarctica become more uniform, there is an underlying increase in carbon capture-to-storageto-sequestration on the seafloor. The amount of carbon captured per unit area is increasing and the area available to blue carbon is also increasing. Carbon sequestration could further increase under moderate (+1°C) ocean warming, contrary to decreasing global blue carbon stocks elsewhere. For example, in warmer waters, mangroves and seagrasses are in decline and benthic organisms are close to their physiological limits, so a 1°C increase in water temperature could push them above their thermal tolerance (e.g. bleaching of coral reefs). In contrast, on the basis of past change and current research, we expect that Antarctic blue carbon could increase by orders of magnitude. The Antarctic seafloor is biophysically unique and the site of carbon sequestration, the benthos, faces less anthropogenic disturbance than any other ocean continental shelf environment. This isolation imparts both vulnerability to change, and an avenue to conserve one of the world's last biodiversity refuges. In economic terms, the value of Antarctic blue carbon is estimated at between £0.65 and £1.76 billion (~2.27 billion USD) for sequestered carbon in the benthos around the continental shelf. To balance biodiversity protection against society's economic objectives, this paper builds on a proposal incentivising protection by building a 'nonmarket framework' via the 2015 Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This could be connected and coordinated through the Antarctic Treaty System to promote and motivate member states to value Antarctic blue carbon and maintain scientific integrity and conservation for the positive societal values ingrained in the Antarctic Treaty System.
Underwater Technology
Ecological studies use quadrats to gather qualitative (1/0) and quantitative (density and surface... more Ecological studies use quadrats to gather qualitative (1/0) and quantitative (density and surface coverage) information in terrestrial and marine sciences. Depending on the spatiotemporal scale of the assessment, this could be a pilot or a monitoring survey. For monitoring surveys, it is necessary to develop a code for the quadrat itself (in situ labelling), for the digital file (ex situ codification), and ideally, for both. The design of the quadrat used for these studies must accomplish ergonomics through certain specifications such as: made of highly resistant material; negative-buoyant but lightweight; anticorrosive (specially for marine environments); able to stay positioned on seafloor habitat; and compatible with the in situ labelling technique. The present paper is a comparison of quadrats of different materials and widths, including the implementation of an in situ and ex situ codification technique. Recommendations are made after several test hours sampling with quadrats.
Climate Policy
As marine-ice around Antarctica retracts a vast 'blue-carbon' sink, in the form of living biomass... more As marine-ice around Antarctica retracts a vast 'blue-carbon' sink, in the form of living biomass, is emerging. Properly promoted and protected, Antarctic continental shelf blue-carbon promises to act as a rebound buffer against further climate change by forming the world's largest natural negative feedback on climate change. However, this may be challenging, given the uniqueness of the region and the legal systems that govern it. In this interdisciplinary study, we explain: the global significance of Antarctic Blue-carbon to international carbon mitigation efforts; the need for, and nature of, the urgent international legal protections needed to ensure that promise is realised; and the global governance challenges in implementing such international legal protections. In order to overcome current impediments to the protection of this vital resource we recommend the development of an interinstrument governance framework that quantifies the sequestration value of Antarctic blue-carbon areas and allows states to attribute current and future cessation activities in these areas towards their climate mitigation commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. • Ice-shelve melt around Antarctica has the potential to produce an ecosystem service rebound of up to 260,000,000 tonnes/annual carbon mobilisation in the form of blue-carbon. • Protecting biomass rich Antarctic marine areas has proved notoriously difficult to date; incentives are needed to encourage conservation over commercial use of such zones by fishing states. • Allowing Antarctic fishing states to account for the carbon sequestration value of blue-carbon zones through a non-market approach under the Paris Agreement would provide a vital incentive to their protection.
Marine Biodiversity Records
Background: Manta rays (Mobulidae), Mobula birostris and Mobula alfredi, are widely distributed i... more Background: Manta rays (Mobulidae), Mobula birostris and Mobula alfredi, are widely distributed in tropical and temperate waters. Still, little is known about their movements and their ecological interactions (e.g. behavior and diet). In Peru, M. birostris has only been reported along the northern shore within the Tropical East Pacific Marine Province. No official reports exist from central or south Peru within the Warm Temperate Southeastern Pacific Marine Province. Methods: On December 22nd 2015, a rare sighting of a~4 m disc width mobulid ray was recorded as video footage near the Palomino Islets, Lima, Peru. Results: In situ observations and subsequent analysis of the footage confirmed that this single mobulid was a M. birostris with a melanistic color morph. Conclusions: This sighting could be explained by the warm El Niño, primary (chl-a), and secondary (zooplankton) productivity events during that same period. This represents the southernmost record of M. birostris in the southeastern Pacific (12°S) and the first report of this species in the Warm Temperate Southeastern Pacific Marine Province and in the Humboldt Current Large Marine Ecosystem.
The Admiralty Bay – King George Island is one of the most sampled sites within the WAP, and its m... more The Admiralty Bay – King George Island is one of the most sampled sites within the WAP, and its macrobenthic communities have been subject to several studies. Its structure has usually been evaluated under a systematic approach; yet, this scope doesn’t always reveal the processes that can be occurring in the area under study. Instead, the use of a functional trophic group classification can provide the suitable means to associate them with the environmental parameters and their dynamics. In the present study, the macrobenthos composition of Mackellar Inlet was analyzed at 11 sampling stations across the glacio-marine fjord during the austral summer of 2013 using the integration of both approaches. The Functional Trophic Groups consisted on the junction of 5 life-traits components: 1) Feeding mode, 2) Source and 3) Type of food, 4) Motility, & 5) Habitat. Species alfa-diversity and Functional Diversity were higher from the outer to the inner sections of the fjord. Depositivores were ...
Diminishing prospects for environmental preservation under climate change are intensifying effort... more Diminishing prospects for environmental preservation under climate change are intensifying efforts to boost capture, storage and sequestration (long-term burial) of carbon. However, as Earth's biological carbon sinks also shrink, remediation has become a key part of the narrative for terrestrial ecosystems. In contrast, blue carbon on polar continental shelves have stronger pathways to sequestration and have increased with climate-forced marine ice losses-becoming the largest known natural negative feedback on climate change. Here we explore the size and complex dynamics of blue carbon gains with spatiotemporal changes in sea ice (60-100 MtCyear −1), ice shelves (4-40 MtCyear −1 = giant iceberg generation) and glacier retreat (< 1 MtCyear −1). Estimates suggest that, amongst these, reduced duration of seasonal sea ice is most important. Decreasing sea ice extent drives longer (not necessarily larger biomass) smaller cell-sized phytoplankton blooms, increasing growth of many p...
Functional analysis of the macrobenthic communities during a 10yrs-time series of environmental m... more Functional analysis of the macrobenthic communities during a 10yrs-time series of environmental monitoring and their relations with bathylithological aspects.
Evaluación del Ecosistema Submareal, para proceso de Zonificación de Punta San Juan de Marcona RNSIIPG
Microplastics in the Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean has the lowest densities of floating macroplastic litter in the world. It was ... more The Southern Ocean has the lowest densities of floating macroplastic litter in the world. It was thought that the region was relatively free of microplastic contamination. However, recent studies and citizen science projects have reported microplastics in deep-sea and shallow sediments and surface waters. Microplastics have been shown, in both laboratory experiments and field-based studies elsewhere in the world, to negatively impact a range of marine species including pelagic and benthic organisms. After reviewing available information on microplastics (including macroplastics as a source of microplastics) in the Southern Ocean, we present estimated microplastic concentrations, and identify potential sources and routes of transmission into the region. Estimates suggest that the amounts of microplastic pollution released into the region from ships and scientific research stations are likely to be negligible at the scale of the Southern Ocean, but may be significant on a local scale....
How important is carbon storage by southern polar benthos as a negative feedback on climate change
Carbon capture and storage by southern polar benthos is potentially the largest negative feedback... more Carbon capture and storage by southern polar benthos is potentially the largest negative feedback on climate change. Most feedbacks on global climate change are positive; they exacerbate physical change. The few known strong negative feedbacks, those which reduce physical change, are polar, and include i) broadening existing sinks with sea-ice losses over polar continental shelves, ii) subarctic vegetation growth increases and iii) formation of new sinks where ice shelves collapse. To date, carbon sequestration gains have been recorded around the Antarctic coastal shallows where they are likely to be offset by fjordic losses associated with sedimentation, and open coast losses through increased iceberg scouring. These feedbacks are complicated by additional positive forcing associated with greater heat absorption from albedo change. In contrast there is no albedo change (negligible sea ice losses) over sub-Antarctic shelves, where rising sea temperatures are likely to increase carbo...
Towards estimation of blue carbon sink potential of sub-Antarctic continental shelf benthos
Continental shelves around Antarctica are a globally important carbon sink, due to both oceanogra... more Continental shelves around Antarctica are a globally important carbon sink, due to both oceanographic CO2 absorption and biological fixation and trophic cascading. Most carbon passing through the foodweb is pelagic and is recycled through microbial loops. However significant masses are accumulated and immobilized (within calcareous skeletons of benthos), accounting for sequestration potential of 106 tonnes per year. Burial potential is enhanced by being largely untrawled by human harvesting and too deep for iceberg scouring. Yet these are also true for subAntarctic island shelves where there are considerable phytoplankton blooms, little or no sea ice and warmer sea temperatures (enabling faster meal processing time by benthos) – yet their potential as a carbon sink has been largely ignored. We report on the Antarctic Seabed Carbon Capture Change (ASCCC) project which sampled most of the high southern latitude continental shelves during the 2016/17 Antarctic Circumnavigation Expediti...
The Science of Nature, 2021
Diminishing prospects for environmental preservation under climate change are intensifying effort... more Diminishing prospects for environmental preservation under climate change are intensifying efforts to boost capture, storage and sequestration (long-term burial) of carbon. However, as Earth’s biological carbon sinks also shrink, remediation has become a key part of the narrative for terrestrial ecosystems. In contrast, blue carbon on polar continental shelves have stronger pathways to sequestration and have increased with climate-forced marine ice losses—becoming the largest known natural negative feedback on climate change. Here we explore the size and complex dynamics of blue carbon gains with spatiotemporal changes in sea ice (60–100 MtCyear−1), ice shelves (4–40 MtCyear−1 = giant iceberg generation) and glacier retreat (
Evaluación poblacional estacional de la población del "Caracol Plomo" Thaisella chocolata (Duclos, 1832)(Mollusca, gastropoda) en Isla Pachacamac
Evaluación poblacional estacional de la población del "Caracol Plomo" Thaisella chocolata (Duclos, 1832)(Mollusca, gastropoda) en Isla Pachacamac
Registro más meridional de Mobula birostris en el Pacífico Oriental (Southernmost record of the Giant Manta Ray Mobula birostris in the Eastern Pacific)
Reporte técnico del piloto para la regulación de actividades subacuáticas dentro de polígonos de ANPs
Due to a protocol absence for underwater marine activities in Peruvian protected areas, this pilo... more Due to a protocol absence for underwater marine activities in Peruvian protected areas, this pilot assessment was conducted to envisage and identify key points in this regard. This was developed using the Palomino islets as a model site as there inhabits one of the most numerous sea-lion colony (Otaria flavescens) in Lima region.
Clasificación y Distribución Espacial del Macrozoobentos dentro de la Ensenada Mackellar, Isla Rey Jorge, Antártica: Contrastando dos enfoques de análisis Ecológico–Comunitario
"Classification and Spatial Distribution of the Macrozoobenthos at the Mackellar Inlet, ... more "Classification and Spatial Distribution of the Macrozoobenthos at the Mackellar Inlet, King George Island, Antarctica: Contrasting the Taxonomic and the Functional Grouping approaches" The Admiralty Bay – King George Island is one of the most sampled sites within the WAP, and its macrobenthic communities have been subject to several studies. Its structure has usually been evaluated under the taxonomic (systematic) approach; yet, this scope doesn‟t always reveal the processes that can be occurring in the area under study. Instead, the use of a functional groups classification can provide the suitable means to associate them with the environmental parameters and their dynamics. In the present theses, the macrobenthos composition of Mackellar Inlet was analyzed at 11 sampling stations across the glaciomarine fjord during the austral summer of 2013 (ANTAR XXI Expedition) contrasting both taxonomic and functional approaches. The Functional Groups consisted on the junction of five life–traits components: 1) Feeding mode, 2) Source and 3) Type of food (trophic functions); 4) Motility, & 5) Living style (distribution functions). Overall, 3370 were identified. Amphipods, Sedentaria polychaetes and bivalves accounted for the 57%. Surface deposit–feeders, omnivores, motile and free–living organisms were the most abundant. Sample stations were grouped similarly to the a priori classification based on the fjord section (Inner, Middle and Outer). This grouping, under the taxonomic approach, revealed the influence of the Domeyk glacier (alpha–diversity gradient), meanwhile, the functional approach also did it based on the influence of water currents. The abundance of certain functional groups was explained by the environmental variables. The Principal Components Analysis accounted for the 82% of environmental variability. Biological and environmental matrices were not significantly correlated. Nevertheless, the correlation values were higher under the functional approach. The present study shows that the use of a functional approach could be useful when applying it to different spatiotemporal scales studies, allowing a better understanding on how the communities might change due to variations of the environmental parameters.
Trabajo presentado en el IX Congreso Latinoamericano de Ciencia Antartica. 4 al 6 de octubre de 2... more Trabajo presentado en el IX Congreso Latinoamericano de Ciencia Antartica. 4 al 6 de octubre de 2017, Punta Arenas-Chile. IX Latin American Congress on Antarctic Science.
Polish Hyperbaric Research
Pre-dive checks and dive logs are fundamental documentation for any diving operation and must be ... more Pre-dive checks and dive logs are fundamental documentation for any diving operation and must be incorporated as mandatory ‘good operating practices’ in scientific diving (SD) projects. Data included in dive logs may vary in detail, however, there is basic information to provide based on global standards. Differently to several developed countries in Europe, North America and Australasia, there are countries with incipient, sometimes non-regulated, SD programmes. In this article the importance of documentation in SD is highlighted and record forms are provided as templates, including versions both in English and Spanish. The Diving Supervisor (DS) is the designated person to fill the ‘Daily SciDive Log’ and ‘SCUBA & surface-supplied LogSheet’ (Table 1, 2 and 3, respectively), whilst every diver is responsible for filing their own ‘SciDiver’s Digital LogBook’ (Table 4). General and specific considerations for all tables are described throughout the text. This effort was done to facil...
Global Change Biology
Precautionary conservation and cooperative global governance are needed to protect Antarctic blue... more Precautionary conservation and cooperative global governance are needed to protect Antarctic blue carbon: the world's largest increasing natural form of carbon storage with high sequestration potential. As patterns of ice loss around Antarctica become more uniform, there is an underlying increase in carbon capture-to-storageto-sequestration on the seafloor. The amount of carbon captured per unit area is increasing and the area available to blue carbon is also increasing. Carbon sequestration could further increase under moderate (+1°C) ocean warming, contrary to decreasing global blue carbon stocks elsewhere. For example, in warmer waters, mangroves and seagrasses are in decline and benthic organisms are close to their physiological limits, so a 1°C increase in water temperature could push them above their thermal tolerance (e.g. bleaching of coral reefs). In contrast, on the basis of past change and current research, we expect that Antarctic blue carbon could increase by orders of magnitude. The Antarctic seafloor is biophysically unique and the site of carbon sequestration, the benthos, faces less anthropogenic disturbance than any other ocean continental shelf environment. This isolation imparts both vulnerability to change, and an avenue to conserve one of the world's last biodiversity refuges. In economic terms, the value of Antarctic blue carbon is estimated at between £0.65 and £1.76 billion (~2.27 billion USD) for sequestered carbon in the benthos around the continental shelf. To balance biodiversity protection against society's economic objectives, this paper builds on a proposal incentivising protection by building a 'nonmarket framework' via the 2015 Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This could be connected and coordinated through the Antarctic Treaty System to promote and motivate member states to value Antarctic blue carbon and maintain scientific integrity and conservation for the positive societal values ingrained in the Antarctic Treaty System.
Underwater Technology
Ecological studies use quadrats to gather qualitative (1/0) and quantitative (density and surface... more Ecological studies use quadrats to gather qualitative (1/0) and quantitative (density and surface coverage) information in terrestrial and marine sciences. Depending on the spatiotemporal scale of the assessment, this could be a pilot or a monitoring survey. For monitoring surveys, it is necessary to develop a code for the quadrat itself (in situ labelling), for the digital file (ex situ codification), and ideally, for both. The design of the quadrat used for these studies must accomplish ergonomics through certain specifications such as: made of highly resistant material; negative-buoyant but lightweight; anticorrosive (specially for marine environments); able to stay positioned on seafloor habitat; and compatible with the in situ labelling technique. The present paper is a comparison of quadrats of different materials and widths, including the implementation of an in situ and ex situ codification technique. Recommendations are made after several test hours sampling with quadrats.
Climate Policy
As marine-ice around Antarctica retracts a vast 'blue-carbon' sink, in the form of living biomass... more As marine-ice around Antarctica retracts a vast 'blue-carbon' sink, in the form of living biomass, is emerging. Properly promoted and protected, Antarctic continental shelf blue-carbon promises to act as a rebound buffer against further climate change by forming the world's largest natural negative feedback on climate change. However, this may be challenging, given the uniqueness of the region and the legal systems that govern it. In this interdisciplinary study, we explain: the global significance of Antarctic Blue-carbon to international carbon mitigation efforts; the need for, and nature of, the urgent international legal protections needed to ensure that promise is realised; and the global governance challenges in implementing such international legal protections. In order to overcome current impediments to the protection of this vital resource we recommend the development of an interinstrument governance framework that quantifies the sequestration value of Antarctic blue-carbon areas and allows states to attribute current and future cessation activities in these areas towards their climate mitigation commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. • Ice-shelve melt around Antarctica has the potential to produce an ecosystem service rebound of up to 260,000,000 tonnes/annual carbon mobilisation in the form of blue-carbon. • Protecting biomass rich Antarctic marine areas has proved notoriously difficult to date; incentives are needed to encourage conservation over commercial use of such zones by fishing states. • Allowing Antarctic fishing states to account for the carbon sequestration value of blue-carbon zones through a non-market approach under the Paris Agreement would provide a vital incentive to their protection.
Marine Biodiversity Records
Background: Manta rays (Mobulidae), Mobula birostris and Mobula alfredi, are widely distributed i... more Background: Manta rays (Mobulidae), Mobula birostris and Mobula alfredi, are widely distributed in tropical and temperate waters. Still, little is known about their movements and their ecological interactions (e.g. behavior and diet). In Peru, M. birostris has only been reported along the northern shore within the Tropical East Pacific Marine Province. No official reports exist from central or south Peru within the Warm Temperate Southeastern Pacific Marine Province. Methods: On December 22nd 2015, a rare sighting of a~4 m disc width mobulid ray was recorded as video footage near the Palomino Islets, Lima, Peru. Results: In situ observations and subsequent analysis of the footage confirmed that this single mobulid was a M. birostris with a melanistic color morph. Conclusions: This sighting could be explained by the warm El Niño, primary (chl-a), and secondary (zooplankton) productivity events during that same period. This represents the southernmost record of M. birostris in the southeastern Pacific (12°S) and the first report of this species in the Warm Temperate Southeastern Pacific Marine Province and in the Humboldt Current Large Marine Ecosystem.
The Admiralty Bay – King George Island is one of the most sampled sites within the WAP, and its m... more The Admiralty Bay – King George Island is one of the most sampled sites within the WAP, and its macrobenthic communities have been subject to several studies. Its structure has usually been evaluated under a systematic approach; yet, this scope doesn’t always reveal the processes that can be occurring in the area under study. Instead, the use of a functional trophic group classification can provide the suitable means to associate them with the environmental parameters and their dynamics. In the present study, the macrobenthos composition of Mackellar Inlet was analyzed at 11 sampling stations across the glacio-marine fjord during the austral summer of 2013 using the integration of both approaches. The Functional Trophic Groups consisted on the junction of 5 life-traits components: 1) Feeding mode, 2) Source and 3) Type of food, 4) Motility, & 5) Habitat. Species alfa-diversity and Functional Diversity were higher from the outer to the inner sections of the fjord. Depositivores were ...
Diminishing prospects for environmental preservation under climate change are intensifying effort... more Diminishing prospects for environmental preservation under climate change are intensifying efforts to boost capture, storage and sequestration (long-term burial) of carbon. However, as Earth's biological carbon sinks also shrink, remediation has become a key part of the narrative for terrestrial ecosystems. In contrast, blue carbon on polar continental shelves have stronger pathways to sequestration and have increased with climate-forced marine ice losses-becoming the largest known natural negative feedback on climate change. Here we explore the size and complex dynamics of blue carbon gains with spatiotemporal changes in sea ice (60-100 MtCyear −1), ice shelves (4-40 MtCyear −1 = giant iceberg generation) and glacier retreat (< 1 MtCyear −1). Estimates suggest that, amongst these, reduced duration of seasonal sea ice is most important. Decreasing sea ice extent drives longer (not necessarily larger biomass) smaller cell-sized phytoplankton blooms, increasing growth of many p...
Functional analysis of the macrobenthic communities during a 10yrs-time series of environmental m... more Functional analysis of the macrobenthic communities during a 10yrs-time series of environmental monitoring and their relations with bathylithological aspects.
Evaluación del Ecosistema Submareal, para proceso de Zonificación de Punta San Juan de Marcona RNSIIPG
Microplastics in the Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean has the lowest densities of floating macroplastic litter in the world. It was ... more The Southern Ocean has the lowest densities of floating macroplastic litter in the world. It was thought that the region was relatively free of microplastic contamination. However, recent studies and citizen science projects have reported microplastics in deep-sea and shallow sediments and surface waters. Microplastics have been shown, in both laboratory experiments and field-based studies elsewhere in the world, to negatively impact a range of marine species including pelagic and benthic organisms. After reviewing available information on microplastics (including macroplastics as a source of microplastics) in the Southern Ocean, we present estimated microplastic concentrations, and identify potential sources and routes of transmission into the region. Estimates suggest that the amounts of microplastic pollution released into the region from ships and scientific research stations are likely to be negligible at the scale of the Southern Ocean, but may be significant on a local scale....
Due to a protocol absence for underwater marine activities in Peruvian protected areas, this pilo... more Due to a protocol absence for underwater marine activities in Peruvian protected areas, this pilot assessment was conducted to envisage and identify key points in this regard. This was developed using the Palomino islets as a model site as there inhabits one of the most numerous sea-lion colony (Otaria flavescens) in Lima region.
Este registro representa el reporte más meridional de Mobula birostris en el Pacífico Suroriental... more Este registro representa el reporte más meridional de Mobula birostris en el Pacífico Suroriental (12°S) y el primer reporte oficial de la especie tanto para la Provincia Marina Pacífico Suroriental Temperado (WTSP-MP) como para el Gran Ecosistema de la Corriente Humboldt (HC-LME). Este registro es importante para hipotetizar magnitudes/patrones de migración, evidenciar los impactos biológicos de EN, y contribuir con el conocimiento de patrones distribucionales a ser considerados por los tomadores de decisiones, stakeholders, y autoridades nacionales de pesquería.
Functional analysis of the macrobenthic communities during a 10yrs-time series of environmental m... more Functional analysis of the macrobenthic communities during a 10yrs-time series of environmental monitoring and their relations with bathylithological aspects.