Pteropods counter mechanical damage and dissolution through extensive shell repair.

The dissolution of the delicate shells of sea butterflies, or pteropods, has epitomised discussions regarding ecosystem vulnerability to ocean acidification over the last decade. However, a recent demonstration that the organic coating of the shell, the periostracum, is effective in inhibiting dissolution suggests that pteropod shells may not be as susceptible to ocean acidification as previously thought. Here we use micro-CT technology to show how, despite losing the entire thickness of the original shell in localised areas, specimens of polar species Limacina helicina maintain shell integrity by thickening the inner shell wall. One specimen collected within Fram Strait with a history of mechanical and dissolution damage generated four times the thickness of the original shell in repair material. The ability of pteropods to repair and maintain their shells, despite progressive loss, demonstrates a further resilience of these organisms to ocean acidification but at a likely metabolic cost.

Early Aptian carbon and sulphur isotope signatures at ODP site 765.

Current carbon and sulphur isotope ratios (δ(13)C and δ(34)S) suggest there were major shifts in partitioning between reduced and oxidised reservoirs of carbon and sulphur during the Early Cretaceous. However, the δ(13)C and δ(34)S records are composed from different Ocean Drilling Program sites and are hard to correlate at high resolution. We present high-resolution Aptian δ(13)C(org) and δ(34)S(barite) values derived from the same set of samples, enabling a higher certainty correlation than previously possible. Two major hypotheses aim to explain the Early Aptian S-isotope excursion: increased volcanic degassing and/or fluctuations in the marine sulphate concentration. Our S-isotope data provide tight constraints on the timing and magnitude of volcanic flux required. We show that the observed S-isotope signature can be explained by a 2 Ma pulse of increased volcanic flux, injecting ∼4.5×10(18) mol C into the atmosphere. Further work is needed to evaluate whether these fluxes are compatible with the existing C-isotope record.