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There is an increasing emergence of antibiotic-resistant Vibrio alginolyticus , a zoonotic pathogen that causes mass mortality in aquatic animals and infects humans; therefore, there is a demand for alternatives to antibiotics for the treatment and prevention of infections caused by this pathogen. One possibility is through the exploitation of bacteriophages. In the present study, the novel bacteriophage pVa-21 was classified as Myoviridae and characterised as a candidate biocontrol agent against V. alginolyticus . Its morphology, host range and infectivity, growth characteristics, planktonic or biofilm lytic activity, stability under various conditions, and genome were investigated. Its latent period and burst size were estimated to be approximately 70 min and 58 plaque-forming units/cell, respectively. In addition, phage pVa-21 can inhibit bacterial growth in both the planktonic and biofilm states. Furthermore, phylogenetic and genome analysis revealed that the phage is closely related to the giant phiKZ-like phages and can be classified as a new member of the phiKZ-like bacteriophages that infect bacteria belonging to the family Vibrionaceae .

Terra Nova Bay in Antarctica is a formation region for high-salinity shelf water (HSSW), which is a major source of Antarctic Bottom Water. Here, we analyze spatiotemporal salinity variability in Terra Nova Bay with implications for the local HSSW production. The salinity variations in the Drygalski Basin and eastern Terra Nova Bay near Crary Bank in the Ross Sea were investigated by analyzing hydrographic data from instrumented moorings, vessel-based profiles, and available wind and sea-ice products. Near-bed salinity in the eastern Terra Nova Bay ( ∼ 660 m) and Drygalski Basin (∼ 1200 m) increases each year beginning in September. Significant salinity increases (> 0.04) were observed in 2016 and 2017, which is likely related to active HSSW formation. According to velocity data at identical depths, the salinity increase from September was primarily due to advection of the HSSW originating from the coastal region of the Nansen Ice Shelf. In addition, we show that HSSW can also be formed locally in the upper water column (< 300 m) of the eastern Terra Nova Bay through convection supplied by brine from the surface, which is related to polynya development via winds and ice freezing. While the general consensus is that the salinity of the HSSW was decreasing from 1995 to the late 2000s in the region, the salinity has been increasing since 2016. In 2018, it returned to values comparable to those in the early 2000s.

Gravity waves impacting ice shelves illicit a suite of responses that can affect ice shelf integrity. Broadband seismometers deployed on the Ross Ice Shelf, complemented by a near‐icefront seafloor hydrophone, establish the association of strong icequake activity with ocean gravity wave amplitudes (AG) below 0.04 Hz. The Ross Ice Shelf‐front seismic vertical displacement amplitudes (ASV) are well correlated with AG, allowing estimating the frequency‐dependent transfer function from gravity wave amplitude to icefront vertical displacement amplitude (TGSV(f)). TGSV(f) is 0.6–0.7 at 0.001–0.01 Hz but decreases rapidly at higher frequencies. Seismicity of strong icequakes exhibits spatial and seasonal associations with different gravity wave frequency bands, with the strongest icequakes observed at the icefront primarily during the austral summer when sea ice is minimal and swell impacts are strongest.

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