Filamentous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria form extensive summer blooms in the Baltic Sea. Their ability to fix dissolved N₂ allows cyanobacteria to circumvent the general summer nitrogen limitation, while also generating a supply of novel bioavailable nitrogen for the food web. However, the fate of the nitrogen fixed by cyanobacteria remains unresolved, as does its importance for secondary production in the Baltic Sea. Here, we synthesize recent experimental and field studies providing strong empirical evidence that cyanobacterial nitrogen is efficiently assimilated and transferred in Baltic food webs via two major pathways: directly by grazing on fresh or decaying cyanobacteria and indirectly through the uptake by other phytoplankton and microbes of bioavailable nitrogen exuded from cyanobacterial cells. This information is an essential step toward guiding nutrient management to minimize noxious blooms without overly reducing secondary production, and ultimately most probably fish production in the Baltic Sea.

Dual carbon isotope analysis of marine aerosol samples has been performed for the first time demonstrating a potential in organic matter apportionment between three principal sources: marine, terrestrial (non-fossil) and fossil fuel due to unique isotopic signatures. The results presented here, utilising combinations of dual carbon isotope analysis, provides conclusive evidence of a dominant biogenic organic fraction to organic aerosol over biologically active oceans. In particular, the NE Atlantic, which is also subjected to notable anthropogenic influences via pollution transport processes, was found to contain 80 % organic aerosol matter of biogenic origin directly linked to plankton emissions. The remaining carbonaceous aerosol was of terrestrial origin. By contrast, for polluted air advected out from Europe into the NE Atlantic, the source apportionment is 30 % marine biogenic, 40 % fossil fuel, and 30 % continental non-fossil fuel. The dominant marine organic aerosol source in the atmosphere has significant implications for climate change feedback processes.

Cation engineering provides a route to control the structure and properties of hybrid halide perovskites, which has resulted in the highest performance solar cells based on mixtures of Cs, methylammonium, and formamidinium. Here, we present a multi-technique experimental and theoretical study of structural phase transitions, structural phases and dipolar dynamics in the mixed methylammonium/dimethylammonium MA_1-xDMA_xPbBr₃ hybrid perovskites (0 ≤ x ≤ 1). Our results demonstrate a significant suppression of the structural phase transitions, enhanced disorder and stabilization of the cubic phase even for a small amount of dimethylammonium cations. As the dimethylammonium concentration approaches the solubility limit in MAPbBr₃, we observe the disappearance of the structural phase transitions and indications of a glassy dipolar phase. We also reveal a significant tunability of the dielectric permittivity upon mixing of the molecular cations that arises from frustrated electric dipoles.

The isotopic niche has become an established concept in trophic ecology. However, the assumptions behind this approach have rarely been evaluated. Evidence is accumulating that physiological stress can affect both magnitude and inter-individual variability of the isotopic signature in consumers via alterations in metabolic pathways. We hypothesized that stress factors (inadequate nutrition, parasite infestations, and exposure to toxic substances or varying oxygen conditions) might lead to suboptimal physiological performance and altered stable isotope signatures. The latter can be misinterpreted as alterations in isotopic niche. This hypothesis was tested by inducing physiological stress in the deposit-feeding amphipod Monoporeia affinis exposed to either different feeding regimes or contaminated sediments. In the amphipods, we measured body condition indices or reproductive output to assess growth status and δ ¹³ C and δ ¹⁵ N values to derive isotope niche metrics. As hypothesized, greater isotopic niche estimates were derived for the stressed animals compared to the control groups. Moreover, the δ ¹⁵ N values were influenced by body size, reproductive status and parasite infestations, while δ ¹³ C values were influenced by body size, oxygen conditions and survival. Using regression analysis with isotope composition and growth variables as predictors, we were able to discriminate between the amphipods exposed to nutritionally or chemically stressful conditions and those in the control groups. Thus, interpretation of isotopic niche can be confounded by natural or anthropogenic stressors that may induce an apparent change in isotopic niche. These findings stress the importance of including measures of growth and health status when evaluating stable isotope data in food web studies.

Stable carbon isotope ratios in marine aerosol collected over the Southern Indian Ocean revealed δ¹³C values ranging from −20.0‰ to −28.2‰. The isotope ratios exhibited a strong correlation with the fractional organic matter (OM) enrichment in sea spray aerosol. The base-level isotope ratio of −20.0‰ is characteristic of an aged Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) pool contributing a relatively homogeneous background level of DOM to oceanic waters. The range of isotope ratios, extending down to −28.2‰, is characteristic of more variable, stronger, and fresher Particulate Organic Matter (POM) pool driven by trophic level interactions. We present a conceptual dual-pool POM-DOM model which comprises a ‘young’ and variable POM pool which dominates enrichment in sea-spray and an ‘aged’ but invariant DOM pool which is, ultimately, an aged end-product of processed ‘fresh’ POM. This model is harmonious with the preferential enrichment of fresh colloidal and nano-gel lipid-like particulate matter in sea spray particles and the observed depleted δ¹³C ratio resulting from isotope equilibrium fractionation coupled with enhanced plankton photosynthesis in cold water (−2 °C to +8 °C). These results re-assert the hypothesis that OM enrichment in sea-spray is directly linked to primary production and, consequently, can have implications for climate-aerosol-cloud feedback systems.