Variability of Nonionellina labradorica Dawson in Surface Sediments from Kongsfjorden,West Spitsbergen

Kongsfjorden is a fjord in Spitsbergen（Svalbard archipelago）that lies adjacent to both Arctic and Atlantic water masses and is therefore a suitable site to understand the effects of climate change on ecosystems.To decipher the effect of the lateral advection of transformed Atlantic water （TAW）within the fjord,spatial variations of foraminiferal tests,their test size variations and stable isotopic composition（δ^（13）C andδ^（18）O）in the surface sediments were studied.Total organic carbon and textural analyses were also carried out.The dominant benthic foraminifera included Nonionellina labradorica,Elphidium excavatum,Cassidulina reniforme,Quinqueloculina stalkeri and Islandiella islandica.Nonionellina labradorica was the predominant species in the outer fjord,whereas Elphidium excavatum and Cassidulina reniforme were dominant in the inner fjord.Total organic carbon and the test size of Nonionellina labradorica within the fjord were highly correlated（r=0.97）and both showed a decreasing trend towards the inner fjord.Based on the distribution and abundance of Nonionellina labradorica as well as temperature profiles,we suggest that there was little or no major change in the lateral advection of TAW within the fjord in the immediate past.

Elemental variations in glacier cryoconites of Indian Himalaya and Spitsbergen,Arctic

Cryoconite samples were collected from two different climatic domains i.e.,the Sutri Dhaka glacier,western Himalaya India and Svalbard glaciers,the Spitsbergen,Arctic,to understand the elemental source and elemental deposition patterns.The data of geochemical analysis suggest that the Himalayan cryoconite samples accumulate higher concentrations as compared to the cryoconite samples of the Arctic glaciers.The concentration of lithophile elements(Cs,Li,Rb and U)was recorded higher in the cryoconite holes of the Himalayas,especially,in the lower to the higher parts of the glacier,whereas,lower concentrations were recorded in the Arctic samples.Chalcophile elements in the Himalayan cryoconites are enriched in As and Bi while the Arctic cryoconite samples show a higher concentration of Bi,Pb and As.The higher concentrations are responsible for influencing the ecosystem and in human health related issues.Siderophile elements(Co,Fe,Mn and Ni)show high concentrations in the Himalayan samples,whereas,the Arctic samples show minor variations and low elemental concentration in these elements,respectively.In addition,a few elements,such as Ag,Mg,and Ca show higher concentration in the Himalayan glacier samples.Ca also occurs in high concentrations in Arctic glacier samples.R-mode factor analysis of the Himalayas(Arctic)samples indicate that the elements are distributed in four(three)factors,explaining 89%(90%)of the variance in their elemental distribution.The Factor 1 suggests statistically significant positive loadings for most of the lithophile,chalcophile and siderophile elements of the "Himalayan" and the Arctic cryoconite samples.The sample-wise factor score distribution shows a considerable variation in the sampling locations along the glaciers of both the regions.Factors 2 and 3,demonstrate insignificant loading for most of the elements,except statistically significant positive loading in some of the elements of the both,Himalayan and Arctic "cryoconites".The higher elemental concentration in the cryoconites of the Himalayan region may be an indicator of the natural processes and/or attributed to the rapid industrialization in the Asian countries.

Petrogenesis of massif-type anorthosite complex, Gruber, Central Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica: Implications for magma source and evolution

The origin of anorthosite and associated igneous gabbronorite and ferrodiorite was investigated through detailed study of a typical massif-type anorthosite complex from Gruber, Central Dronning Maud Land, East Antarc- tica. Field observations showed that the Gruber Complex is made up of gabbronorite-anorthosite pluton which was intruded by ferrodiorite dykes. Systematic samples collected from the Gruber Complex revealed significant geo- chemical variations within the region. Four rock types have been identified, based on modal proportions of mineral phases and their geochemistry data. Clinopyroxene-gabbronorite and plagioclase-gabbronorite are the two types of gabbronorite with the dominance of clinopyroxene and plagioclase, respectively. Anorthosite is represented by rocks having predominance of plagioclase with minor clinopyroxene. Ferrodiorite is characterized by modal abundance of orthopyroxene and Fe-Ti oxide. Major and trace element systematics showed that all the four rock types are co-magmatic and are related through fractional crystallization. Based on this study, it is reported that clinopyroxene was the first phase to crystallize followed by plagioclase and then Fe-Ti oxides. Furthermore, trace element composition of the parental melt was calculated using LA-ICPMS analysis of the most primitive, pure clinopyroxene found in the clinopyroxene gabbronorite. Our analyses suggested that the parental melt was similar to that of continental arc basalt and showed signatures of subduction-related metasomatism. Based on mineral chemical and geochemical data, it is interpreted that the parent melt went through changing sequence of crystallization which led to the forma- tion of massive anorthosite.

Sedimentary sources and processes in the eastern Arabian Sea:Insights from environmental magnetism,geochemistry and clay mineralogy

The spatial distribution patterns of surficial sediment samples from different sedimentary domains （shallow to deep-sea regions） of the eastern Arabian Sea were studied using sediment proxies viz. environmental magnetism, geochemistry, particle size and clay mineralogy. Higher concentrations of magnetic minerals （high Xlf） were recorded in the deep-water sediments when compared with the shallow water sediments. The magnetic mineralogy of one of the shallow water samples is influenced by the presence of bacterial magnetite as evidenced from the XARM/Xlf VS. XARM/Xfd biplot. However, the other samples are catchment-derived. The high correlation documented for Xlf, anhysteretic remanent mag- netisation （XARM） and isothermal remanent magnetisation （IRM） with Al indicates that the deep-sea surflcial sediments are influenced by terrigenous fluxes which have been probably derived from the southern Indian rivers, the Sindhu （the Indus） and the Narmada-Tapti rivers. A lower Mn concentration is recorded in the upper slope sediments from the oxygen minimum zone （OMZ） but a higher Mn/AI ratio is documented in the lower slope and deep-sea sediments. Clay minerals such as illite （24-48.5%）, chlorite （14.1-34.9%）, smectite （10.6-28.7%） and kaolinite （11.9-27.5%） dominate the sediments of shallow and deep-sea regions and may have been derived from different sources and transported by fluvial and aeolian agents. Organic carbon （OC） data indicate a low concentration in the shallow/shelf region （well oxygenated water conditions） and deeper basins （increased bottom-water oxygen concentration and low sedimentation rate）. High OC concentrations were documented in the OMZ （very low bottom-water oxygen concentration with high sedimentation rate）. The calcium carbonate concentration of the surface sediments from the continental shelf and slope regions （〈 1800 m） up to the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge show higher concentrations （average - 58%） when compared to deep basin sediments （average - 44%）. Our study demonstrates that particle size as well as magnetic grain size, magnetic minerals and elemental variations are good indicators to distinguish terrigenous from biogenic sediments and to identify sediment provenance.

Antimicrobial activity of PVP from an Antarctic bacterium, Janthinobacterium sp. Ant5-2, on multi-drug and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Multiple drug resistant(MDR)and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA)have become increasingly prevalent as a community acquired infection.As a result limited treatment options are available with conventional synthetic antibiotics.Bioprospecting natural products with potent antimicrobial activity show promise for developing new drugs against this pathogen.In this study,we have investigated the antimicrobial activity of a purple violet pigment(PVP)from an Antarctic bacterium,Janthinobacterium sp.Ant5-2 on 15 clinical MDR and MRSA strains.The colorimetric resazurin assay was employed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC90)of PVP against MDR and MRSA.The MIC90 ranged between 1.57μg/mL and 3.13μg/mL,which are significantly lower than many antimicrobials tested from natural sources against this pathogen.The spectrophotometrically determined growth analysis and total microscopic counts using Live/dead®BacLight™fluorescent stain exhibited a steady decrease in viability of both MDR and MRSA cultures following treatment with PVP at the MIC levels.In silico predictive molecular docking study revealed that PVP could be a DNA-targeting minor groove binding antimicrobial compound.The continued development of novel antimicrobials derived from natural sources with the combination of a suite of conventional antibiotics could stem the rising pandemic of MDR and MRSA along with other deadly microbial pathogens.

Plant Community and Nutrient Status of the Soils of Schirmacher Oasis,East Antarctica

Investigations on plant community and micronutrient status of Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica have been presented in this paper. The dominant plant communities include moss and lichen. The frequency of species occurrence and changes in species composition at different location varied. Thirty-four soil samples were ana- lyzed for chemical properties of the soils of Schirmacher Oasis and Nunatak, East Antarctica. The most common plant species growing throughout the areas of Sehirmacher Oasis and Nunataks are： Candelariella tiara （ lichen ） and Bryum pseudotriquetrum （moss）. Large variations were observed among different soil samples in all the nutri- ents and other measured soil chemical parameters. The soils are characterized by a-cidic pH ranging from 4.42 - 6.80. The mean organic carbon content was 0.62 and ranged from 0. 06 - 1.29%. The electrical conductivity in 1 ： 2 soil water ratio ranged from 0.06 - 1.29. The average content of macronutrient cation, which are ammonium acetate extractable was in the order of Ca 〉 K 〉 Na 〉 Mg. The average content of DTPA extractable micronutrient cations was in the order of Fe 〉 Mn 〉 Cu 〉 Zn. Thirty one out of 34 samples contained less than 0.80 ppm DTPA extractable Zn. Correlation studies revealed that content of macronutrient cations significantly and positively correlated to that of chlorides. Electrical conductivity exhibited significant and positive relationship with pH, K, Ca, Mg, Na and chloride content. Sodium （r =0.876 ＊ ＊ ） exhibited highest correlation followed by K （r =0. 831 ＊ ＊ ） with chlo- ride content. The correlation coefficient for chlorides was higher with electrical conductivity （r=0.732＊ ＊ ） than pH （r =0. 513 ＊ ＊ ）. Organic carbon content of the soil was positively correlated with Fe （ r = 0. 442 ＊ ）. The nutrient status did not appear to be a limiting factor in growth of plants. Lichen and moss community structure and composition in the study area were not related with fertility status of soil. Terrestrial mosses are most abundant and luxuriant along the soil habitats near bank of water bodies and the melt water streams.