Articles | Volume 10, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-217-2013
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-217-2013
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
14 Jan 2013
Research article |
| 14 Jan 2013
Distribution and recurrence of phytoplankton blooms around South Georgia, Southern Ocean
I. Borrione
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Columbusstrasse, 7568 Bremerhaven, Germany
R. Schlitzer
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Columbusstrasse, 7568 Bremerhaven, Germany
Related authors
Reiner Onken, Heinz-Volker Fiekas, Laurent Beguery, Ines Borrione, Andreas Funk, Michael Hemming, Jaime Hernandez-Lasheras, Karen J. Heywood, Jan Kaiser, Michaela Knoll, Baptiste Mourre, Paolo Oddo, Pierre-Marie Poulain, Bastien Y. Queste, Aniello Russo, Kiminori Shitashima, Martin Siderius, and Elizabeth Thorp Küsel
Ocean Sci., 14, 321–335, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-321-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-321-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In June 2014, high-resolution oceanographic data were collected in the
western Mediterranean Sea by two research vessels, 11 gliders, moored
instruments, drifters, and one profiling float. The objective
of this article is to provide an overview of the data set which
is utilised by various ongoing studies, focusing on (i) water masses and circulation, (ii) operational forecasting, (iii) data assimilation, (iv) variability of the ocean, and (v) new payloads
for gliders.
Michaela Knoll, Ines Borrione, Heinz-Volker Fiekas, Andreas Funk, Michael P. Hemming, Jan Kaiser, Reiner Onken, Bastien Queste, and Aniello Russo
Ocean Sci., 13, 889–904, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-13-889-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-13-889-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The hydrography and circulation west of Sardinia, observed in June 2014 during REP14-MED by means of various measuring platforms, are presented and compared with previous knowledge. So far, the circulation of this area is not well-known and the hydrography is subject to long-term changes. The different water masses are characterized and temporal changes are emphasized. The observed eddies are specified and geostrophic transports in the upper ocean are presented.
I. Borrione, O. Aumont, M. C. Nielsdóttir, and R. Schlitzer
Biogeosciences, 11, 1981–2001, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1981-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1981-2014, 2014
William J. Jenkins, Scott C. Doney, Michaela Fendrock, Rana Fine, Toshitaka Gamo, Philippe Jean-Baptiste, Robert Key, Birgit Klein, John E. Lupton, Robert Newton, Monika Rhein, Wolfgang Roether, Yuji Sano, Reiner Schlitzer, Peter Schlosser, and Jim Swift
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 11, 441–454, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-441-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-441-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes an assembled dataset containing measurements of certain trace substances in the ocean, their distributions, and evolution with time. These substances, called tracers, result from a combination of natural and artificial processes, and their distribution and evolution provide important clues about ocean circulation, mixing, and ventilation. In addition, they give information about the global hydrologic cycle and volcanic and hydrothermal processes.
Reiner Onken, Heinz-Volker Fiekas, Laurent Beguery, Ines Borrione, Andreas Funk, Michael Hemming, Jaime Hernandez-Lasheras, Karen J. Heywood, Jan Kaiser, Michaela Knoll, Baptiste Mourre, Paolo Oddo, Pierre-Marie Poulain, Bastien Y. Queste, Aniello Russo, Kiminori Shitashima, Martin Siderius, and Elizabeth Thorp Küsel
Ocean Sci., 14, 321–335, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-321-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-321-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In June 2014, high-resolution oceanographic data were collected in the
western Mediterranean Sea by two research vessels, 11 gliders, moored
instruments, drifters, and one profiling float. The objective
of this article is to provide an overview of the data set which
is utilised by various ongoing studies, focusing on (i) water masses and circulation, (ii) operational forecasting, (iii) data assimilation, (iv) variability of the ocean, and (v) new payloads
for gliders.
Michaela Knoll, Ines Borrione, Heinz-Volker Fiekas, Andreas Funk, Michael P. Hemming, Jan Kaiser, Reiner Onken, Bastien Queste, and Aniello Russo
Ocean Sci., 13, 889–904, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-13-889-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-13-889-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The hydrography and circulation west of Sardinia, observed in June 2014 during REP14-MED by means of various measuring platforms, are presented and compared with previous knowledge. So far, the circulation of this area is not well-known and the hydrography is subject to long-term changes. The different water masses are characterized and temporal changes are emphasized. The observed eddies are specified and geostrophic transports in the upper ocean are presented.
James C. Orr, Raymond G. Najjar, Olivier Aumont, Laurent Bopp, John L. Bullister, Gokhan Danabasoglu, Scott C. Doney, John P. Dunne, Jean-Claude Dutay, Heather Graven, Stephen M. Griffies, Jasmin G. John, Fortunat Joos, Ingeborg Levin, Keith Lindsay, Richard J. Matear, Galen A. McKinley, Anne Mouchet, Andreas Oschlies, Anastasia Romanou, Reiner Schlitzer, Alessandro Tagliabue, Toste Tanhua, and Andrew Yool
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 2169–2199, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-2169-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-2169-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (OMIP) is a model comparison effort under Phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). Its physical component is described elsewhere in this special issue. Here we describe its ocean biogeochemical component (OMIP-BGC), detailing simulation protocols and analysis diagnostics. Simulations focus on ocean carbon, other biogeochemical tracers, air-sea exchange of CO2 and related gases, and chemical tracers used to evaluate modeled circulation.
I. Borrione, O. Aumont, M. C. Nielsdóttir, and R. Schlitzer
Biogeosciences, 11, 1981–2001, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1981-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1981-2014, 2014
D. C. E. Bakker, B. Pfeil, K. Smith, S. Hankin, A. Olsen, S. R. Alin, C. Cosca, S. Harasawa, A. Kozyr, Y. Nojiri, K. M. O'Brien, U. Schuster, M. Telszewski, B. Tilbrook, C. Wada, J. Akl, L. Barbero, N. R. Bates, J. Boutin, Y. Bozec, W.-J. Cai, R. D. Castle, F. P. Chavez, L. Chen, M. Chierici, K. Currie, H. J. W. de Baar, W. Evans, R. A. Feely, A. Fransson, Z. Gao, B. Hales, N. J. Hardman-Mountford, M. Hoppema, W.-J. Huang, C. W. Hunt, B. Huss, T. Ichikawa, T. Johannessen, E. M. Jones, S. D. Jones, S. Jutterström, V. Kitidis, A. Körtzinger, P. Landschützer, S. K. Lauvset, N. Lefèvre, A. B. Manke, J. T. Mathis, L. Merlivat, N. Metzl, A. Murata, T. Newberger, A. M. Omar, T. Ono, G.-H. Park, K. Paterson, D. Pierrot, A. F. Ríos, C. L. Sabine, S. Saito, J. Salisbury, V. V. S. S. Sarma, R. Schlitzer, R. Sieger, I. Skjelvan, T. Steinhoff, K. F. Sullivan, H. Sun, A. J. Sutton, T. Suzuki, C. Sweeney, T. Takahashi, J. Tjiputra, N. Tsurushima, S. M. A. C. van Heuven, D. Vandemark, P. Vlahos, D. W. R. Wallace, R. Wanninkhof, and A. J. Watson
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 6, 69–90, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-6-69-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-6-69-2014, 2014
X. Yao and R. Schlitzer
Geosci. Model Dev., 6, 1575–1590, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-6-1575-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-6-1575-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Open Ocean
Underestimation of multi-decadal global O2 loss due to an optimal interpolation method
Reviews and syntheses: expanding the global coverage of gross primary production and net community production measurements using Biogeochemical-Argo floats
Loss of nitrogen via anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in the California current system during the Quaternary
Characteristics of surface physical and biogeochemical parameters within mesoscale eddies in the Southern Ocean
Seasonal dynamics and annual budget of dissolved inorganic carbon in the northwestern Mediterranean deep-convection region
The fingerprint of climate variability on the surface ocean cycling of iron and its isotopes
Reconstructing the ocean's mesopelagic zone carbon budget: sensitivity and estimation of parameters associated with prokaryotic remineralization
Seasonal cycles of biogeochemical fluxes in the Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean: a stable isotope approach
Linking northeastern North Pacific oxygen changes to upstream surface outcrop variations
Absence of photophysiological response to iron addition in autumn phytoplankton in the Antarctic sea-ice zone
Optimal parameters for the ocean's nutrient, carbon, and oxygen cycles compensate for circulation biases but replumb the biological pump
Importance of multiple sources of iron for the upper-ocean biogeochemistry over the northern Indian Ocean
Exploring the role of different data types and timescales in the quality of marine biogeochemical model calibration
All about nitrite: exploring nitrite sources and sinks in the eastern tropical North Pacific oxygen minimum zone
Technical note: Enhancement of float-pH data quality control methods: A study case in the Subpolar Northwestern Atlantic region
Fossil coccolith morphological attributes as a new proxy for deep ocean carbonate chemistry
Reconstructing ocean carbon storage with CMIP6 Earth system models and synthetic Argo observations
Testing the influence of light on nitrite cycling rates in eastern tropical North Pacific
Using machine learning and Biogeochemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) floats to assess biogeochemical models and optimize observing system design
The representation of alkalinity and the carbonate pump from CMIP5 to CMIP6 Earth system models and implications for the carbon cycle
North Atlantic patterns of primary production and phenology in two Earth System Models
Model estimates of metazoans' contributions to the biological carbon pump
Tracing differences in iron supply to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge valley between hydrothermal vent sites: implications for the addition of iron to the deep ocean
Nitrite cycling in the primary nitrite maxima of the eastern tropical North Pacific
Hotspots and drivers of compound marine heatwaves and low net primary production extremes
Ecosystem impacts of marine heat waves in the northeast Pacific
Tracing the role of Arctic shelf processes in Si and N cycling and export through the Fram Strait: insights from combined silicon and nitrate isotopes
Controls on the relative abundances and rates of nitrifying microorganisms in the ocean
The response of diazotrophs to nutrient amendment in the South China Sea and western North Pacific
Influence of GEOTRACES data distribution and misfit function choice on objective parameter retrieval in a marine zinc cycle model
Physiological flexibility of phytoplankton impacts modelled chlorophyll and primary production across the North Pacific Ocean
Observation-constrained estimates of the global ocean carbon sink from Earth system models
Early winter barium excess in the southern Indian Ocean as an annual remineralisation proxy (GEOTRACES GIPr07 cruise)
Controlling factors on the global distribution of a representative marine non-cyanobacterial diazotroph phylotype (Gamma A)
Summer trends and drivers of sea surface fCO2 and pH changes observed in the southern Indian Ocean over the last two decades (1998–2019)
Global nutrient cycling by commercially targeted marine fish
Major processes of the dissolved cobalt cycle in the North and equatorial Pacific Ocean
The impact of the South-East Madagascar Bloom on the oceanic CO2 sink
Nitrite regeneration in the oligotrophic Atlantic Ocean
Bridging the gaps between particulate backscattering measurements and modeled particulate organic carbon in the ocean
Biological production in two contrasted regions of the Mediterranean Sea during the oligotrophic period: an estimate based on the diel cycle of optical properties measured by BioGeoChemical-Argo profiling floats
Acidification of the Nordic Seas
Reconstruction of global surface ocean pCO2 using region-specific predictors based on a stepwise FFNN regression algorithm
Biogeochemical controls on ammonium accumulation in the surface layer of the Southern Ocean
Oxygen export to the deep ocean following Labrador Sea Water formation
N2 fixation in the Mediterranean Sea related to the composition of the diazotrophic community and impact of dust under present and future environmental conditions
Dissolution of a submarine carbonate platform by a submerged lake of acidic seawater
Seasonal flux patterns and carbon transport from low-oxygen eddies at the Cape Verde Ocean Observatory: lessons learned from a time series sediment trap study (2009–2016)
Subsurface iron accumulation and rapid aluminum removal in the Mediterranean following African dust deposition
Long-distance particle transport to the central Ionian Sea
Takamitsu Ito, Hernan E. Garcia, Zhankun Wang, Shoshiro Minobe, Matthew C. Long, Just Cebrian, James Reagan, Tim Boyer, Christopher Paver, Courtney Bouchard, Yohei Takano, Seth Bushinsky, Ahron Cervania, and Curtis A. Deutsch
Biogeosciences, 21, 747–759, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-747-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-747-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study aims to estimate how much oceanic oxygen has been lost and its uncertainties. One major source of uncertainty comes from the statistical gap-filling methods. Outputs from Earth system models are used to generate synthetic observations where oxygen data are extracted from the model output at the location and time of historical oceanographic cruises. Reconstructed oxygen trend is approximately two-thirds of the true trend.
Robert W. Izett, Katja Fennel, Adam C. Stoer, and David P. Nicholson
Biogeosciences, 21, 13–47, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-13-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-13-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This paper provides an overview of the capacity to expand the global coverage of marine primary production estimates using autonomous ocean-going instruments, called Biogeochemical-Argo floats. We review existing approaches to quantifying primary production using floats, provide examples of the current implementation of the methods, and offer insights into how they can be better exploited. This paper is timely, given the ongoing expansion of the Biogeochemical-Argo array.
Zoë Rebecca van Kemenade, Zeynep Erdem, Ellen C. Hopmans, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, and Darci Rush
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2915, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2915, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The California current system (CCS) hosts one of the largest oxygen minimum zones (OMZ) in the world. Here, anaerobic bacteria cause a loss of bioavailable nitrogen (N). This study shows N-loss occurred in the CCS throughout the Quaternary during both glacial and interglacial periods, and was driven by the supply of organic matter and changes in ocean currents. These findings may have important consequences for biogeochemical models of the CCS.
Qian Liu, Yingjie Liu, and Xiaofeng Li
Biogeosciences, 20, 4857–4874, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4857-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4857-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In the Southern Ocean, abundant eddies behave opposite to our expectations. That is, anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddies are cold (warm). By investigating the variations of physical and biochemical parameters in eddies, we find that abnormal eddies have unique and significant effects on modulating the parameters. This study fills a gap in understanding the effects of abnormal eddies on physical and biochemical parameters in the Southern Ocean.
Caroline Ulses, Claude Estournel, Patrick Marsaleix, Karline Soetaert, Marine Fourrier, Laurent Coppola, Dominique Lefèvre, Franck Touratier, Catherine Goyet, Véronique Guglielmi, Fayçal Kessouri, Pierre Testor, and Xavier Durrieu de Madron
Biogeosciences, 20, 4683–4710, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4683-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4683-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Deep convection plays a key role in the circulation, thermodynamics, and biogeochemical cycles in the Mediterranean Sea, considered to be a hotspot of biodiversity and climate change. In this study, we investigate the seasonal and annual budget of dissolved inorganic carbon in the deep-convection area of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea.
Daniela König and Alessandro Tagliabue
Biogeosciences, 20, 4197–4212, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4197-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4197-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Using model simulations, we show that natural and anthropogenic changes in the global climate leave a distinct fingerprint in the isotopic signatures of iron in the surface ocean. We find that these climate effects on iron isotopes are often caused by the redistribution of iron from different external sources to the ocean, due to changes in ocean currents, and by changes in algal growth, which take up iron. Thus, isotopes may help detect climate-induced changes in iron supply and algal uptake.
Chloé Baumas, Robin Fuchs, Marc Garel, Jean-Christophe Poggiale, Laurent Memery, Frédéric A. C. Le Moigne, and Christian Tamburini
Biogeosciences, 20, 4165–4182, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4165-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4165-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Through the sink of particles in the ocean, carbon (C) is exported and sequestered when reaching 1000 m. Attempts to quantify C exported vs. C consumed by heterotrophs have increased. Yet most of the conducted estimations have led to C demands several times higher than C export. The choice of parameters greatly impacts the results. As theses parameters are overlooked, non-accurate values are often used. In this study we show that C budgets can be well balanced when using appropriate values.
Anna Belcher, Sian F. Henley, Katharine Hendry, Marianne Wootton, Lisa Friberg, Ursula Dallman, Tong Wang, Christopher Coath, and Clara Manno
Biogeosciences, 20, 3573–3591, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3573-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3573-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The oceans play a crucial role in the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide, particularly the Southern Ocean. The biological pumping of carbon from the surface to the deep ocean is key to this. Using sediment trap samples from the Scotia Sea, we examine biogeochemical fluxes of carbon, nitrogen, and biogenic silica and their stable isotope compositions. We find phytoplankton community structure and physically mediated processes are important controls on particulate fluxes to the deep ocean.
Sabine Mecking and Kyla Drushka
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2023-132, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2023-132, 2023
Revised manuscript accepted for BG
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates whether northeastern North Pacific oxygen changes may be caused by surface density changes in the northwest as water moves along density horizons from the surface into the subsurface ocean. A correlation is found with a lag that matches about the travel time of water from the northwest to the northeast. Salinity is the main driver causing decadal changes in surface density whereas salinity and temperature contribute about equally to long-term declining density trends.
Asmita Singh, Susanne Fietz, Sandy J. Thomalla, Nicolas Sanchez, Murat V. Ardelan, Sébastien Moreau, Hanna M. Kauko, Agneta Fransson, Melissa Chierici, Saumik Samanta, Thato N. Mtshali, Alakendra N. Roychoudhury, and Thomas J. Ryan-Keogh
Biogeosciences, 20, 3073–3091, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3073-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3073-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Despite the scarcity of iron in the Southern Ocean, seasonal blooms occur due to changes in nutrient and light availability. Surprisingly, during an autumn bloom in the Antarctic sea-ice zone, the results from incubation experiments showed no significant photophysiological response of phytoplankton to iron addition. This suggests that ambient iron concentrations were sufficient, challenging the notion of iron deficiency in the Southern Ocean through extended iron-replete post-bloom conditions.
Benoît Pasquier, Mark Holzer, Matthew A. Chamberlain, Richard J. Matear, Nathaniel L. Bindoff, and François W. Primeau
Biogeosciences, 20, 2985–3009, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2985-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2985-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Modeling the ocean's carbon and oxygen cycles accurately is challenging. Parameter optimization improves the fit to observed tracers but can introduce artifacts in the biological pump. Organic-matter production and subsurface remineralization rates adjust to compensate for circulation biases, changing the pathways and timescales with which nutrients return to the surface. Circulation biases can thus strongly alter the system’s response to ecological change, even when parameters are optimized.
Priyanka Banerjee
Biogeosciences, 20, 2613–2643, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2613-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2613-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows that atmospheric deposition is the most important source of iron to the upper northern Indian Ocean for phytoplankton growth. This is followed by iron from continental-shelf sediment. Phytoplankton increase following iron addition is possible only with high background levels of nitrate. Vertical mixing is the most important physical process supplying iron to the upper ocean in this region throughout the year. The importance of ocean currents in supplying iron varies seasonally.
Iris Kriest, Julia Getzlaff, Angela Landolfi, Volkmar Sauerland, Markus Schartau, and Andreas Oschlies
Biogeosciences, 20, 2645–2669, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2645-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2645-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Global biogeochemical ocean models are often subjectively assessed and tuned against observations. We applied different strategies to calibrate a global model against observations. Although the calibrated models show similar tracer distributions at the surface, they differ in global biogeochemical fluxes, especially in global particle flux. Simulated global volume of oxygen minimum zones varies strongly with calibration strategy and over time, rendering its temporal extrapolation difficult.
John C. Tracey, Andrew R. Babbin, Elizabeth Wallace, Xin Sun, Katherine L. DuRussel, Claudia Frey, Donald E. Martocello III, Tyler Tamasi, Sergey Oleynik, and Bess B. Ward
Biogeosciences, 20, 2499–2523, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2499-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2499-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrogen (N) is essential for life; thus, its availability plays a key role in determining marine productivity. Using incubations of seawater spiked with a rare form of N measurable on a mass spectrometer, we quantified microbial pathways that determine marine N availability. The results show that pathways that recycle N have higher rates than those that result in its loss from biomass and present new evidence for anaerobic nitrite oxidation, a process long thought to be strictly aerobic.
Cathy Wimart-Rousseau, Tobias Steinhoff, Birgit Klein, Henry Bittig, and Arne Körtzinger
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2023-76, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2023-76, 2023
Revised manuscript accepted for BG
Short summary
Short summary
The marine CO2 system can be measured independently and continuously by BGC-Argo floats since numerous pH sensors have been developed to suit on these autonomous measurements platforms. By applying the Argo correction routines to float-pH data acquired in the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean, we report the uncertainty and lack of objective criteria associated with the choice of the reference method as well the reference depth for the pH correction.
Amanda Gerotto, Hongrui Zhang, Renata Hanae Nagai, Heather M. Stoll, Rubens César Lopes Figueira, Chuanlian Liu, and Iván Hernández-Almeida
Biogeosciences, 20, 1725–1739, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1725-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1725-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Based on the analysis of the response of coccolithophores’ morphological attributes in a laboratory dissolution experiment and surface sediment samples from the South China Sea, we proposed that the thickness shape (ks) factor of fossil coccoliths together with the normalized ks variation, which is the ratio of the standard deviation of ks (σ) over the mean ks (σ/ks), is a robust and novel proxy to reconstruct past changes in deep ocean carbon chemistry.
Katherine E. Turner, Doug M. Smith, Anna Katavouta, and Richard G. Williams
Biogeosciences, 20, 1671–1690, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1671-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1671-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new method for reconstructing ocean carbon using climate models and temperature and salinity observations. To test this method, we reconstruct modelled carbon using synthetic observations consistent with current sampling programmes. Sensitivity tests show skill in reconstructing carbon trends and variability within the upper 2000 m. Our results indicate that this method can be used for a new global estimate for ocean carbon content.
Nicole M. Travis, Colette L. Kelly, and Karen L. Casciotti
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2023-64, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2023-64, 2023
Revised manuscript accepted for BG
Short summary
Short summary
We conducted experimental manipulations of light level on microbial communities from the primary nitrite maximum. Overall, while individual microbial processes have different directions and magnitudes in their response to increasing light, the net community response is a decline in nitrite production with increasing light. We conclude that while increased light may decrease net nitrite production, high light conditions alone do not exclude nitrification from occurring in the surface ocean.
Alexandre Mignot, Hervé Claustre, Gianpiero Cossarini, Fabrizio D'Ortenzio, Elodie Gutknecht, Julien Lamouroux, Paolo Lazzari, Coralie Perruche, Stefano Salon, Raphaëlle Sauzède, Vincent Taillandier, and Anna Teruzzi
Biogeosciences, 20, 1405–1422, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1405-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1405-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Numerical models of ocean biogeochemistry are becoming a major tool to detect and predict the impact of climate change on marine resources and monitor ocean health. Here, we demonstrate the use of the global array of BGC-Argo floats for the assessment of biogeochemical models. We first detail the handling of the BGC-Argo data set for model assessment purposes. We then present 23 assessment metrics to quantify the consistency of BGC model simulations with respect to BGC-Argo data.
Alban Planchat, Lester Kwiatkowski, Laurent Bopp, Olivier Torres, James R. Christian, Momme Butenschön, Tomas Lovato, Roland Séférian, Matthew A. Chamberlain, Olivier Aumont, Michio Watanabe, Akitomo Yamamoto, Andrew Yool, Tatiana Ilyina, Hiroyuki Tsujino, Kristen M. Krumhardt, Jörg Schwinger, Jerry Tjiputra, John P. Dunne, and Charles Stock
Biogeosciences, 20, 1195–1257, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1195-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1195-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Ocean alkalinity is critical to the uptake of atmospheric carbon and acidification in surface waters. We review the representation of alkalinity and the associated calcium carbonate cycle in Earth system models. While many parameterizations remain present in the latest generation of models, there is a general improvement in the simulated alkalinity distribution. This improvement is related to an increase in the export of biotic calcium carbonate, which closer resembles observations.
Jenny Hieronymus, Magnus Hieronymus, Matthias Gröger, Jörg Schwinger, Raffaele Bernadello, Etienne Tourigny, Valentina Sicardi, Itzel Ruvalcaba Baroni, and Klaus Wyser
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2023-54, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2023-54, 2023
Revised manuscript accepted for BG
Short summary
Short summary
Changes in the seasonality of primary production has been examined using daily data from two earth system models covering the period 1750–2100. The daily data made it possible to detect shifts in the day of the year during which the net primary production reaches its peak value. It was found that the day of peak primary production occurs earlier and earlier during the 21st century and that a major change in the time series occurs in the beginning of the 21st century.
Jérôme Pinti, Tim DeVries, Tommy Norin, Camila Serra-Pompei, Roland Proud, David A. Siegel, Thomas Kiørboe, Colleen M. Petrik, Ken H. Andersen, Andrew S. Brierley, and André W. Visser
Biogeosciences, 20, 997–1009, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-997-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-997-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Large numbers of marine organisms such as zooplankton and fish perform daily vertical migration between the surface (at night) and the depths (in the daytime). This fascinating migration is important for the carbon cycle, as these organisms actively bring carbon to depths where it is stored away from the atmosphere for a long time. Here, we quantify the contributions of different animals to this carbon drawdown and storage and show that fish are important to the biological carbon pump.
Alastair J. M. Lough, Alessandro Tagliabue, Clément Demasy, Joseph A. Resing, Travis Mellett, Neil J. Wyatt, and Maeve C. Lohan
Biogeosciences, 20, 405–420, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-405-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-405-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Iron is a key nutrient for ocean primary productivity. Hydrothermal vents are a source of iron to the oceans, but the size of this source is poorly understood. This study examines the variability in iron inputs between hydrothermal vents in different geological settings. The vents studied release different amounts of Fe, resulting in plumes with similar dissolved iron concentrations but different particulate concentrations. This will help to refine modelling of iron-limited ocean productivity.
Nicole M. Travis, Colette L. Kelly, Margaret R. Mulholland, and Karen L. Casciotti
Biogeosciences, 20, 325–347, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-325-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-325-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The primary nitrite maximum is a ubiquitous upper ocean feature where nitrite accumulates, but we still do not understand its formation and the co-occurring microbial processes involved. Using correlative methods and rates measurements, we found strong spatial patterns between environmental conditions and depths of the nitrite maxima, but not the maximum concentrations. Nitrification was the dominant source of nitrite, with occasional high nitrite production from phytoplankton near the coast.
Natacha Le Grix, Jakob Zscheischler, Keith B. Rodgers, Ryohei Yamaguchi, and Thomas L. Frölicher
Biogeosciences, 19, 5807–5835, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5807-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5807-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Compound events threaten marine ecosystems. Here, we investigate the potentially harmful combination of marine heatwaves with low phytoplankton productivity. Using satellite-based observations, we show that these compound events are frequent in the low latitudes. We then investigate the drivers of these compound events using Earth system models. The models share similar drivers in the low latitudes but disagree in the high latitudes due to divergent factors limiting phytoplankton production.
Abigale M. Wyatt, Laure Resplandy, and Adrian Marchetti
Biogeosciences, 19, 5689–5705, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5689-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5689-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Marine heat waves (MHWs) are a frequent event in the northeast Pacific, with a large impact on the region's ecosystems. Large phytoplankton in the North Pacific Transition Zone are greatly affected by decreased nutrients, with less of an impact in the Alaskan Gyre. For small phytoplankton, MHWs increase the spring small phytoplankton population in both regions thanks to reduced light limitation. In both zones, this results in a significant decrease in the ratio of large to small phytoplankton.
Margot C. F. Debyser, Laetitia Pichevin, Robyn E. Tuerena, Paul A. Dodd, Antonia Doncila, and Raja S. Ganeshram
Biogeosciences, 19, 5499–5520, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5499-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5499-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We focus on the exchange of key nutrients for algae production between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans through the Fram Strait. We show that the export of dissolved silicon here is controlled by the availability of nitrate which is influenced by denitrification on Arctic shelves. We suggest that any future changes in the river inputs of silica and changes in denitrification due to climate change will impact the amount of silicon exported, with impacts on Atlantic algal productivity and ecology.
Emily J. Zakem, Barbara Bayer, Wei Qin, Alyson E. Santoro, Yao Zhang, and Naomi M. Levine
Biogeosciences, 19, 5401–5418, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5401-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5401-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We use a microbial ecosystem model to quantitatively explain the mechanisms controlling observed relative abundances and nitrification rates of ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing microorganisms in the ocean. We also estimate how much global carbon fixation can be associated with chemoautotrophic nitrification. Our results improve our understanding of the controls on nitrification, laying the groundwork for more accurate predictions in global climate models.
Zuozhu Wen, Thomas J. Browning, Rongbo Dai, Wenwei Wu, Weiying Li, Xiaohua Hu, Wenfang Lin, Lifang Wang, Xin Liu, Zhimian Cao, Haizheng Hong, and Dalin Shi
Biogeosciences, 19, 5237–5250, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5237-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5237-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Fe and P are key factors controlling the biogeography and activity of marine N2-fixing microorganisms. We found lower abundance and activity of N2 fixers in the northern South China Sea than around the western boundary of the North Pacific, and N2 fixation rates switched from Fe–P co-limitation to P limitation. We hypothesize the Fe supply rates and Fe utilization strategies of each N2 fixer are important in regulating spatial variability in community structure across the study area.
Claudia Eisenring, Sophy E. Oliver, Samar Khatiwala, and Gregory F. de Souza
Biogeosciences, 19, 5079–5106, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5079-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5079-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Given the sparsity of observational constraints on micronutrients such as zinc (Zn), we assess the sensitivities of a framework for objective parameter optimisation in an oceanic Zn cycling model. Our ensemble of optimisations towards synthetic data with varying kinds of uncertainty shows that deficiencies related to model complexity and the choice of the misfit function generally have a greater impact on the retrieval of model Zn uptake behaviour than does the limitation of data coverage.
Yoshikazu Sasai, Sherwood Lan Smith, Eko Siswanto, Hideharu Sasaki, and Masami Nonaka
Biogeosciences, 19, 4865–4882, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4865-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4865-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We have investigated the adaptive response of phytoplankton growth to changing light, nutrients, and temperature over the North Pacific using two physical-biological models. We compare modeled chlorophyll and primary production from an inflexible control model (InFlexPFT), which assumes fixed carbon (C):nitrogen (N):chlorophyll (Chl) ratios, to a recently developed flexible phytoplankton functional type model (FlexPFT), which incorporates photoacclimation and variable C:N:Chl ratios.
Jens Terhaar, Thomas L. Frölicher, and Fortunat Joos
Biogeosciences, 19, 4431–4457, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4431-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4431-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Estimates of the ocean sink of anthropogenic carbon vary across various approaches. We show that the global ocean carbon sink can be estimated by three parameters, two of which approximate the ocean ventilation in the Southern Ocean and the North Atlantic, and one of which approximates the chemical capacity of the ocean to take up carbon. With observations of these parameters, we estimate that the global ocean carbon sink is 10 % larger than previously assumed, and we cut uncertainties in half.
Natasha René van Horsten, Hélène Planquette, Géraldine Sarthou, Thomas James Ryan-Keogh, Nolwenn Lemaitre, Thato Nicholas Mtshali, Alakendra Roychoudhury, and Eva Bucciarelli
Biogeosciences, 19, 3209–3224, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3209-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3209-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The remineralisation proxy, barite, was measured along 30°E in the southern Indian Ocean during early austral winter. To our knowledge this is the first reported Southern Ocean winter study. Concentrations throughout the water column were comparable to observations during spring to autumn. By linking satellite primary production to this proxy a possible annual timescale is proposed. These findings also suggest possible carbon remineralisation from satellite data on a basin scale.
Zhibo Shao and Ya-Wei Luo
Biogeosciences, 19, 2939–2952, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2939-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2939-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs (NCDs) may be an important player in fixing N2 in the ocean. By conducting meta-analyses, we found that a representative marine NCD phylotype, Gamma A, tends to inhabit ocean environments with high productivity, low iron concentration and high light intensity. It also appears to be more abundant inside cyclonic eddies. Our study suggests a niche differentiation of NCDs from cyanobacterial diazotrophs as the latter prefers low-productivity and high-iron oceans.
Coraline Leseurre, Claire Lo Monaco, Gilles Reverdin, Nicolas Metzl, Jonathan Fin, Claude Mignon, and Léa Benito
Biogeosciences, 19, 2599–2625, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2599-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2599-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Decadal trends of fugacity of CO2 (fCO2), total alkalinity (AT), total carbon (CT) and pH in surface waters are investigated in different domains of the southern Indian Ocean (45°S–57°S) from ongoing and station observations regularly conducted in summer over the period 1998–2019. The fCO2 increase and pH decrease are mainly driven by anthropogenic CO2 estimated just below the summer mixed layer, as well as by a warming south of the polar front or in the fertilized waters near Kerguelen Island.
Priscilla Le Mézo, Jérôme Guiet, Kim Scherrer, Daniele Bianchi, and Eric Galbraith
Biogeosciences, 19, 2537–2555, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2537-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2537-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study quantifies the role of commercially targeted fish biomass in the cycling of three important nutrients (N, P, and Fe), relative to nutrients otherwise available in water and to nutrients required by primary producers, and the impact of fishing. We use a model of commercially targeted fish biomass constrained by fish catch and stock assessment data to assess the contributions of fish at the global scale, at the time of the global peak catch and prior to industrial fishing.
Rebecca Chmiel, Nathan Lanning, Allison Laubach, Jong-Mi Lee, Jessica Fitzsimmons, Mariko Hatta, William Jenkins, Phoebe Lam, Matthew McIlvin, Alessandro Tagliabue, and Mak Saito
Biogeosciences, 19, 2365–2395, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2365-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2365-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Dissolved cobalt is present in trace amounts in seawater and is a necessary nutrient for marine microbes. On a transect from the Alaskan coast to Tahiti, we measured seawater concentrations of dissolved cobalt. Here, we describe several interesting features of the Pacific cobalt cycle including cobalt sources along the Alaskan coast and Hawaiian vents, deep-ocean particle formation, cobalt activity in low-oxygen regions, and how our samples compare to a global biogeochemical model’s predictions.
Nicolas Metzl, Claire Lo Monaco, Coraline Leseurre, Céline Ridame, Jonathan Fin, Claude Mignon, Marion Gehlen, and Thi Tuyet Trang Chau
Biogeosciences, 19, 1451–1468, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1451-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1451-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
During an oceanographic cruise conducted in January 2020 in the south-western Indian Ocean, we observed very low CO2 concentrations associated with a strong phytoplankton bloom that occurred south-east of Madagascar. This biological event led to a strong regional CO2 ocean sink not previously observed.
Darren R. Clark, Andrew P. Rees, Charissa M. Ferrera, Lisa Al-Moosawi, Paul J. Somerfield, Carolyn Harris, Graham D. Quartly, Stephen Goult, Glen Tarran, and Gennadi Lessin
Biogeosciences, 19, 1355–1376, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1355-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1355-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Measurements of microbial processes were made in the sunlit open ocean during a research cruise (AMT19) between the UK and Chile. These help us to understand how microbial communities maintain the function of remote ecosystems. We find that the nitrogen cycling microbes which produce nitrite respond to changes in the environment. Our insights will aid the development of models that aim to replicate and ultimately project how marine environments may respond to ongoing climate change.
Martí Galí, Marcus Falls, Hervé Claustre, Olivier Aumont, and Raffaele Bernardello
Biogeosciences, 19, 1245–1275, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1245-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1245-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Part of the organic matter produced by plankton in the upper ocean is exported to the deep ocean. This process, known as the biological carbon pump, is key for the regulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide and global climate. However, the dynamics of organic particles below the upper ocean layer are not well understood. Here we compared the measurements acquired by autonomous robots in the top 1000 m of the ocean to a numerical model, which can help improve future climate projections.
Marie Barbieux, Julia Uitz, Alexandre Mignot, Collin Roesler, Hervé Claustre, Bernard Gentili, Vincent Taillandier, Fabrizio D'Ortenzio, Hubert Loisel, Antoine Poteau, Edouard Leymarie, Christophe Penkerc'h, Catherine Schmechtig, and Annick Bricaud
Biogeosciences, 19, 1165–1194, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1165-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1165-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study assesses marine biological production in two Mediterranean systems representative of vast desert-like (oligotrophic) areas encountered in the global ocean. We use a novel approach based on non-intrusive high-frequency in situ measurements by two profiling robots, the BioGeoChemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) floats. Our results indicate substantial yet variable production rates and contribution to the whole water column of the subsurface layer, typically considered steady and non-productive.
Filippa Fransner, Friederike Fröb, Jerry Tjiputra, Nadine Goris, Siv K. Lauvset, Ingunn Skjelvan, Emil Jeansson, Abdirahman Omar, Melissa Chierici, Elizabeth Jones, Agneta Fransson, Sólveig R. Ólafsdóttir, Truls Johannessen, and Are Olsen
Biogeosciences, 19, 979–1012, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-979-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-979-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Ocean acidification, a direct consequence of the CO2 release by human activities, is a serious threat to marine ecosystems. In this study, we conduct a detailed investigation of the acidification of the Nordic Seas, from 1850 to 2100, by using a large set of samples taken during research cruises together with numerical model simulations. We estimate the effects of changes in different environmental factors on the rate of acidification and its potential effects on cold-water corals.
Guorong Zhong, Xuegang Li, Jinming Song, Baoxiao Qu, Fan Wang, Yanjun Wang, Bin Zhang, Xiaoxia Sun, Wuchang Zhang, Zhenyan Wang, Jun Ma, Huamao Yuan, and Liqin Duan
Biogeosciences, 19, 845–859, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-845-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-845-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A predictor selection algorithm was constructed to decrease the predicting error in the surface ocean partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) mapping by finding better combinations of pCO2 predictors in different regions. Compared with previous research using the same combination of predictors in all regions, using different predictors selected by the algorithm in different regions can effectively decrease pCO2 predicting errors.
Shantelle Smith, Katye E. Altieri, Mhlangabezi Mdutyana, David R. Walker, Ruan G. Parrott, Sedick Gallie, Kurt A. M. Spence, Jessica M. Burger, and Sarah E. Fawcett
Biogeosciences, 19, 715–741, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-715-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-715-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Ammonium is a crucial yet poorly understood component of the Southern Ocean nitrogen cycle. We attribute our finding of consistently high ammonium concentrations in the winter mixed layer to limited ammonium consumption and sustained ammonium production, conditions under which the Southern Ocean becomes a source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. From similar data collected over an annual cycle, we propose a seasonal cycle for ammonium in shallow polar waters – a first for the Southern Ocean.
Jannes Koelling, Dariia Atamanchuk, Johannes Karstensen, Patricia Handmann, and Douglas W. R. Wallace
Biogeosciences, 19, 437–454, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-437-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-437-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we investigate oxygen variability in the deep western boundary current in the Labrador Sea from multiyear moored records. We estimate that about half of the oxygen taken up in the interior Labrador Sea by air–sea gas exchange during deep water formation is exported southward the same year. Our results underline the complexity of the oxygen uptake and export in the Labrador Sea and highlight the important role this region plays in supplying oxygen to the deep ocean.
Céline Ridame, Julie Dinasquet, Søren Hallstrøm, Estelle Bigeard, Lasse Riemann, France Van Wambeke, Matthieu Bressac, Elvira Pulido-Villena, Vincent Taillandier, Fréderic Gazeau, Antonio Tovar-Sanchez, Anne-Claire Baudoux, and Cécile Guieu
Biogeosciences, 19, 415–435, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-415-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-415-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We show that in the Mediterranean Sea spatial variability in N2 fixation is related to the diazotrophic community composition reflecting different nutrient requirements among species. Nutrient supply by Saharan dust is of great importance to diazotrophs, as shown by the strong stimulation of N2 fixation after a simulated dust event under present and future climate conditions; the magnitude of stimulation depends on the degree of limitation related to the diazotrophic community composition.
Matthew P. Humphreys, Erik H. Meesters, Henk de Haas, Szabina Karancz, Louise Delaigue, Karel Bakker, Gerard Duineveld, Siham de Goeyse, Andreas F. Haas, Furu Mienis, Sharyn Ossebaar, and Fleur C. van Duyl
Biogeosciences, 19, 347–358, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-347-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-347-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A series of submarine sinkholes were recently discovered on Luymes Bank, part of Saba Bank, a carbonate platform in the Caribbean Netherlands. Here, we investigate the waters inside these sinkholes for the first time. One of the sinkholes contained a body of dense, low-oxygen and low-pH water, which we call the
acid lake. We use measurements of seawater chemistry to work out what processes were responsible for forming the acid lake and discuss the consequences for the carbonate platform.
Gerhard Fischer, Oscar E. Romero, Johannes Karstensen, Karl-Heinz Baumann, Nasrollah Moradi, Morten Iversen, Götz Ruhland, Marco Klann, and Arne Körtzinger
Biogeosciences, 18, 6479–6500, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6479-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6479-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Low-oxygen eddies in the eastern subtropical North Atlantic can form an oasis for phytoplankton growth. Here we report on particle flux dynamics at the oligotrophic Cape Verde Ocean Observatory. We observed consistent flux patterns during the passages of low-oxygen eddies. We found distinct flux peaks in late winter, clearly exceeding background fluxes. Our findings suggest that the low-oxygen eddies sequester higher organic carbon than expected for oligotrophic settings.
Matthieu Bressac, Thibaut Wagener, Nathalie Leblond, Antonio Tovar-Sánchez, Céline Ridame, Vincent Taillandier, Samuel Albani, Sophie Guasco, Aurélie Dufour, Stéphanie H. M. Jacquet, François Dulac, Karine Desboeufs, and Cécile Guieu
Biogeosciences, 18, 6435–6453, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6435-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6435-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Phytoplankton growth is limited by the availability of iron in about 50 % of the ocean. Atmospheric deposition of desert dust represents a key source of iron. Here, we present direct observations of dust deposition in the Mediterranean Sea. A key finding is that the input of iron from dust primarily occurred in the deep ocean, while previous studies mainly focused on the ocean surface. This new insight will enable us to better represent controls on global marine productivity in models.
Léo Berline, Andrea Michelangelo Doglioli, Anne Petrenko, Stéphanie Barrillon, Boris Espinasse, Frederic A. C. Le Moigne, François Simon-Bot, Melilotus Thyssen, and François Carlotti
Biogeosciences, 18, 6377–6392, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6377-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6377-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
While the Ionian Sea is considered a nutrient-depleted and low-phytoplankton biomass area, it is a crossroad for water mass circulation. In the central Ionian Sea, we observed a strong contrast in particle distribution across a ~100 km long transect. Using remote sensing and Lagrangian simulations, we suggest that this contrast finds its origin in the long-distance transport of particles from the north, west and east of the Ionian Sea, where phytoplankton production was more intense.
Cited articles
Ardelan, M. V., Holm-Hansen, O., Hewes, C. D., Reiss, C. S., Silva, N. S., Dulaiova, H., Steinnes, E., and Sakshaug, E.: Natural iron enrichment around the Antarctic Peninsula in the Southern Ocean, Biogeosciences, 7, 11–25, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-7-11-2010, 2010.
Arrigo, K. R., Robinson, D. H., Worthen, D. L., Dunbar, R. B., DiTullio, G. R., VanWoert, M., and Lizotte, M. P.: Phytoplankton Community Structure and the Drawdown of Nutrients and CO2 in the Southern Ocean, Science, 283, 365–367, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.283.5400.365, 1999.
Arrigo, K. R., van Dijken, G. L., and Bushinsky, S.: Primary production in the Southern Ocean, 1997-2006, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C08004, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007jc004551, 2008.
Atkinson, A., Whitehouse, M. J., Priddle, J., Cripps, G. C., Ward, P., and Brandon, M. A.: South Georgia, Antarctica: a productive, cold water, pelagic ecosystem, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 216, 279–308, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps216279, 2001.
Bakker, D. C. E., Nielsdóttir, M. C., Morris, P. J., Venables, H. J., and Watson, A. J.: The island mass effect and biological carbon uptake for the subantarctic Crozet Archipelago, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 54, 2174–2190, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2007.06.009, 2007.
Blain, S., Sarthou, G., and Laan, P.: Distribution of dissolved iron during the natural iron-fertilization experiment KEOPS (Kerguelen Plateau, Southern Ocean), Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 55, 594–605, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2007.12.028, 2008.
Boehme, L., Meredith, M. P., Thorpe, S. E., Biuw, M., and Fedak, M.: Antarctic Circumpolar Current frontal system in the South Atlantic: Monitoring using merged Argo and animal-borne sensor data, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C09012, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007jc004647, 2008.
Boutin, J. and Merlivat, L.: New in situ estimates of carbon biological production rates in the Southern Ocean from CARIOCA drifter measurements, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L13608, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009gl038307, 2009.
Boyd, P. W., Jickells, T., Law, C. S., Blain, S., Boyle, E. A., Buesseler, K. O., Coale, K. H., Cullen, J. J., de Baar, H. J. W., Follows, M., Harvey, M., Lancelot, C., Levasseur, M., Owens, N. P. J., Pollard, R., Rivkin, R. B., Sarmiento, J., Schoemann, V., Smetacek, V., Takeda, S., Tsuda, A., Turner, S., and Watson, A. J.: Mesoscale Iron Enrichment Experiments 1993–2005: Synthesis and Future Directions, Science, 315, 612–617, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1131669, 2007.
Boyer, T. P., Antonov, J. I., Baranova, O. K., Garcia, H. E., Johnso, D. R., Locarnini, R. A., Mishonov, A. V., O'Brien, T. D., Seidov, D., Smolyar, I. V., and M. M. Zweng, DVDs.: World Ocean Database 2009, edited by: Levitus, S., NOAA Atlas NESDIS 66, US Gov. Printing Office, Washington, DC, 216 pp., DVDs, 2009.
Chever, F., Sarthou, G., Bucciarelli, E., Blain, S., and Bowie, A. R.: An iron budget during the natural iron fertilisation experiment KEOPS (Kerguelen Islands, Southern Ocean), Biogeosciences, 7, 455–468, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-7-455-2010, 2010.
Comiso, J. C., McClain, C. R., Sullivan, C. W., Ryan, J. P., and Leonard, C. L.: Coastal Zone Color Scanner Pigment Concentrations in the Southern Ocean and Relationships to Geophysical Surface Features, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 2419–2451, https://doi.org/10.1029/92jc02505, 1993.
de Jong, J., Schoemann, V., Lannuzel, D., Croot, P., de Baar, H., and Tison, J.-L.: Natural iron fertilization of the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean by continental shelf sources of the Antarctic Peninsula, J. Geophys. Res., 117, G01029, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011jg001679, 2012.
Dong, S., Sprintall, J., Gille, S. T., and Talley, L.: Southern Ocean mixed-layer depth from Argo float profiles, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C06013, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JC004051, 2008.
Dulaiova, H., Ardelan, M. V., Henderson, P. B., and Charette, M. A.: Shelf-derived iron inputs drive biological productivity in the southern Drake Passage, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 23, GB4014, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008gb003406, 2009.
Falkowski, P. G., Barber, R. T., and Smetacek, V.: Biogeochemical Controls and Feedbacks on Ocean Primary Production, Science, 281, 200–206, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.281.5374.200, 1998.
Fitch, D. T. and Moore, J. K.: Wind speed influence on phytoplankton bloom dynamics in the Southern Ocean Marginal Ice Zone, J. Geophys. Res., 112, C08006, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006jc004061, 2007.
Garcia, C. A. E., Garcia, V. M. T., and McClain, C. R.: Evaluation of SeaWiFS chlorophyll algorithms in the Southwestern Atlantic and Southern Oceans, Remote Sens. Environ., 95, 125–137, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2004.12.006, 2005.
Gassó, S. and Stein, A. F.: Does dust from Patagonia reach the sub-Antarctic Atlantic Ocean?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L01801, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006gl027693, 2007.
Gassó, S., Stein, A., Marino, F., Castellano, E., Udisti, R., and Ceratto, J.: A combined observational and modeling approach to study modern dust transport from the Patagonia desert to East Antarctica, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 8287–8303, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-8287-2010, 2010.
Hewes, C. D., Reiss, C. S., Kahru, M., Mitchell, B. G., and Holm-Hansen, O.: Control of phytoplankton biomass by dilution and mixed layer depth in the western Weddell-Scotia Confluence, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 366, 15–19, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07515, 2008.
Hinz, D. J., Nielsdóttir, M. C., Korb, R. E., Whitehouse, M. J., Poulton, A. J., Moore, C. M., Achterberg, E. P., and Bibby, T. S.: Responses of microplankton community structure to iron addition in the Scotia Sea, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 59–60, 36–46, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2011.08.006, 2012.
Hogg, O. T., Barnes, D. K. A., and Griffiths, H. J.: Highly Diverse, Poorly Studied and Uniquely Threatened by Climate Change: An Assessment of Marine Biodiversity on South Georgia's Continental Shelf, PLoS ONE, 6, e19795, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0019795, 2011.
Holeton, C., Nédélec, F., Sanders, R., Brown, L., Moore, C., Stevens, D., Heywood, K., Statham, P., and Lucas, C.: Physiological state of phytoplankton communities in the Southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, as measured by fast repetition rate fluorometry, Polar Biol., 29, 44–52, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-005-0028-y, 2005.
Holm-Hansen, O., Kahru, M., Hewes, C. D., Kawaguchi, S., Kameda, T., Sushin, V. A., Krasovski, I., Priddle, J., Korb, R., Hewitt, R. P., and Mitchell, B. G.: Temporal and spatial distribution of chlorophyll-a in surface waters of the Scotia Sea as determined by both shipboard measurements and satellite data, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 51, 1323–1331, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2004.06.004, 2004.
Hopkinson, B. M., Mitchell, B. G., Reynolds, R. A., Wang, H., Selph, K. E., Measures, C. I., Hewes, C. D., Holm-Hansen, O., and Barbeau, K. A.: Iron Limitation across Chlorophyll Gradients in the Southern Drake Passage: Phytoplankton Responses to Iron Addition and Photosynthetic Indicators of Iron Stress, Limnol. Oceanogr., 52, 2540–2554, 2007.
Jones, E. M., Bakker, D. C. E., Venables, H. J., and Watson, A. J.: Dynamic seasonal cycling of inorganic carbon downstream of South Georgia, Southern Ocean, Deep-Sea Res. Pt II, 59–60, 25–35, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2011.08.001, 2012.
Jouandet, M. P., Blain, S., Metzl, N., Brunet, C., Trull, T. W., and Obernosterer, I.: A seasonal carbon budget for a naturally iron-fertilized bloom over the Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Ocean, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 55, 856–867, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2007.12.037, 2008.
Jouandet, M. P., Blain, S., Metzl, N., and Mongin, M.: Interannual variability of net community production and air-sea CO2 flux in a naturally iron fertilized region of the Southern Ocean (Kerguelen Plateau), Antarct. Sci., 23, 589–596, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102011000411, 2011.
Kahru, M., Mitchell, B. G., Gille, S. T., Hewes, C. D., and Holm-Hansen, O.: Eddies enhance biological production in the Weddell-Scotia Confluence of the Southern Ocean, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L14603, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007gl030430, 2007.
Korb, R. E. and Whitehouse, M.: Contrasting primary production regimes around South Georgia, Southern Ocean: large blooms versus high nutrient, low chlorophyll waters, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 51, 721–738, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2004.02.006, 2004.
Korb, R. E., Whitehouse, M. J., and Ward, P.: SeaWiFS in the southern ocean: spatial and temporal variability in phytoplankton biomass around South Georgia, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 51, 99–116, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2003.04.002, 2004.
Korb, R. E., Whitehouse, M. J., Atkinson, A., and Thorpe, S. E.: Magnitude and maintenance of the phytoplankton bloom at South Georgia: a naturally iron-replete environment, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 368, 75–91, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07525, 2008.
Korb, R. E., Whitehouse, M. J., Gordon, M., Ward, P., and Poulton, A. J.: Summer microplankton community structure across the Scotia Sea: implications for biological carbon export, Biogeosciences, 7, 343–356, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-7-343-2010, 2010.
Korb, R. E., Whitehouse, M. J., Ward, P., Gordon, M., Venables, H. J., and Poulton, A. J.: Regional and seasonal differences in microplankton biomass, productivity, and structure across the Scotia Sea: Implications for the export of biogenic carbon, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 59–60, 67–77, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2011.06.006, 2012.
Lannuzel, D., Schoemann, V., de Jong, J., Tison, J.-L., and Chou, L.: Distribution and biogeochemical behaviour of iron in the East Antarctic sea ice, Mar. Chem., 106, 18–32, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2006.06.010, 2007.
Lin, H., Rauschenberg, S., Hexel, C. R., Shaw, T. J., and Twining, B. S.: Free-drifting icebergs as sources of iron to the Weddell Sea, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 58, 1392–1406, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.11.020, 2011.
Lourantou, A. and Metzl, N.: Decadal evolution of carbon sink within a strong bloom area in the subantarctic zone, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L23608, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011gl049614, 2011.
Lutz, V. A., Segura, V., Dogliotti, A. I., Gagliardini, D. A., Bianchi, A. A., and Balestrini, C. F.: Primary production in the Argentine Sea during spring estimated by field and satellite models, J. Plankton Res., 32, 181–195, https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbp117, 2010.
Martin, J. H., Fitzwater, S. E., and Gordon, R. M.: Iron deficiency limits phytoplankton growth in antarctic waters, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 4, 5–12, https://doi.org/10.1029/GB004i001p00005, 1990.
Martinez, E., Antoine, D., D'Ortenzio, F., and de Boyer Montégut, C.: Phytoplankton spring and fall blooms in the North Atlantic in the 1980s and 2000s, J. Geophys. Res., 116, C11029, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010jc006836, 2011.
McClain, C. R., Cleave, M. L., Feldman, G. C., Gregg, W. W., Hooker, S. B., and Kuring, N.: Science quality SeaWiFS data for global biosphere research, Sea Technol., 39, 10–16, 1998.
Meredith, M. P., Watkins, J. L., Murphy, E. J., Cunningham, N. J., Wood, A. G., Korb, R., Whitehouse, M. J., Thorpe, S. E., and Vivier, F.: An anticyclonic circulation above the Northwest Georgia Rise, Southern Ocean, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30, 2061, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003gl018039, 2003.
Mongin, M., Molina, E., and Trull, T. W.: Seasonality and scale of the Kerguelen plateau phytoplankton bloom: A remote sensing and modeling analysis of the influence of natural iron fertilization in the Southern Ocean, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 55, 880–892, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2007.12.039, 2008.
Monterey, G. and Levitus, S.: Seasonal Variability of Mixed Layer Depth for the World Ocean, NOAA Atlas NESDIS 14, US Gov. Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1997.
Moore, J. K. and Abbott, M. R.: Phytoplankton chlorophyll distributions and primary production in the Southern Ocean, J. Geophys. Res., 105, 28709–28722, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999jc000043, 2000.
Moore, J. K., Abbott, M. R., and Richman, J. G.: Location and dynamics of the Antarctic Polar Front from satellite sea surface temperature data, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 3059–3073, https://doi.org/10.1029/1998jc900032, 1999.
Nielsdóttir, M. C., Bibby, T. S., Moore, C. M., Hinz, D. J., Sanders, R., Whitehouse, M., Korb, R., and Achterberg, E. P.: Seasonal and spatial dynamics of iron availability in the Scotia Sea, Mar. Chem., 130–131, 62–72, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2011.12.004, 2012.
Nishioka, J., Ono, T., Saito, H., Sakaoka, K., and Yoshimura, T.: Oceanic iron supply mechanisms which support the spring diatom bloom in the Oyashio region, western subarctic Pacific, J. Geophys. Res., 116, C02021, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010jc006321, 2011.
Orsi, A. H., Whitworth, T., and Nowlin, W. D.: On the meridional extent and fronts of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 42, 641–673, https://doi.org/10.1016/0967-0637(95)00021-W, 1995.
Park, J., Oh, I.-S., Kim, H.-C., and Yoo, S.: Variability of SeaWiFS chlorophyll-a in the southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean: Strong topographic effects and weak seasonality, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 57, 604–620, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2010.01.004, 2010.
Planquette, H., Statham, P. J., Fones, G. R., Charette, M. A., Moore, C. M., Salter, I., Nédélec, F. H., Taylor, S. L., French, M., Baker, A. R., Mahowald, N., and Jickells, T. D.: Dissolved iron in the vicinity of the Crozet Islands, Southern Ocean, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 54, 1999–2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2007.06.019, 2007.
Pollard, R. T., Salter, I., Sanders, R. J., Lucas, M. I., Moore, C. M., Mills, R. A., Statham, P. J., Allen, J. T., Baker, A. R., Bakker, D. C. E., Charette, M. A., Fielding, S., Fones, G. R., French, M., Hickman, A. E., Holland, R. J., Hughes, J. A., Jickells, T. D., Lampitt, R. S., Morris, P. J., Nedelec, F. H., Nielsdottir, M., Planquette, H., Popova, E. E., Poulton, A. J., Read, J. F., Seeyave, S., Smith, T., Stinchcombe, M., Taylor, S., Thomalla, S., Venables, H. J., Williamson, R., and Zubkov, M. V.: Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization, Nature, 457, 577–580, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07716, 2009.
Poulton, A. J., Mark Moore, C., Seeyave, S., Lucas, M. I., Fielding, S., and Ward, P.: Phytoplankton community composition around the Crozet Plateau, with emphasis on diatoms and Phaeocystis, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 54, 2085–2105, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2007.06.005, 2007.
Schlitzer, R.: Ocean Data View, http://odv.awi.de, 2012.
Smetacek, V. and Naqvi, S. W. A.: The next generation of iron fertilization experiments in the Southern Ocean, Philos. T. R. Soc. A., 366, 3947–3967, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2008.0144, 2008.
Smetacek, V., Assmy, P., and Henjes, J.: The role of grazing in structuring Southern Ocean pelagic ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles, Antarct. Sci., 16, 541–558, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102004002317, 2004.
Smith, R. C., Martinson, D. G., Stammerjohn, S. E., Iannuzzi, R. A., and Ireson, K.: Bellingshausen and western Antarctic Peninsula region: Pigment biomass and sea-ice spatial/temporal distributions and interannual variabilty, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 55, 1949–1963, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2008.04.027, 2008.
Szeto, M., Werdell, P. J., Moore, T. S., and Campbell, J. W.: Are the world's oceans optically different?, J. Geophys. Res., 116, C00H04, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011jc007230, 2011.
Thomalla, S. J., Fauchereau, N., Swart, S., and Monteiro, P. M. S.: Regional scale characteristics of the seasonal cycle of chlorophyll in the Southern Ocean, Biogeosciences, 8, 2849–2866, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-2849-2011, 2011.
Thorpe, S. E., Heywood, K. J., Brandon, M. A., and Stevens, D. P.: Variability of the southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current front north of South Georgia, J. Mar. Syst., 37, 87–105, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-7963(02)00197-5, 2002.
Trull, T. W., Bray, S. G., Manganini, S. J., Honjo, S., and François, R.: Moored sediment trap measurements of carbon export in the Subantarctic and Polar Frontal Zones of the Southern Ocean, south of Australia, J. Geophys. Res., 106, 31489–31509, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000jc000308, 2001.
Venables, H. and Moore, C. M.: Phytoplankton and light limitation in the Southern Ocean: Learning from high-nutrient, high-chlorophyll areas, J. Geophys. Res., 115, C02015, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009jc005361, 2010.
Venables, H., Meredith, M. P., Atkinson, A., and Ward, P.: Fronts and habitat zones in the Scotia Sea, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 59–60, 14–24, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2011.08.012, 2012.
Ward, P., Shreeve, R., Whitehouse, M., Korb, B., Atkinson, A., Meredith, M., Pond, D., Watkins, J., Goss, C., and Cunningham, N.: Phyto- and zooplankton community structure and production around South Georgia (Southern Ocean) during Summer 2001/02, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 52, 421–441, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2004.10.003, 2005.
Whitehouse, M. J., Korb, R. E., Atkinson, A., Thorpe, S. E., and Gordon, M.: Formation, transport and decay of an intense phytoplankton bloom within the High-Nutrient Low-Chlorophyll belt of the Southern Ocean, J. Mar. Syst., 70, 150–167, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2007.05.003, 2008a.
Whitehouse, M. J., Meredith, M. P., Rothery, P., Atkinson, A., Ward, P., and Korb, R. E.: Rapid warming of the ocean around South Georgia, Southern Ocean, during the 20th century: Forcings, characteristics and implications for lower trophic levels, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 55, 1218–1228, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2008.06.002, 2008b.
Whitehouse, M. J., Atkinson, A., Ward, P., Korb, R. E., Rothery, P., and Fielding, S.: Role of krill versus bottom-up factors in controlling phytoplankton biomass in the northern Antarctic waters of South Georgia, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 393, 69–82, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08288, 2009.
Whitehouse, M. J., Atkinson, A., Korb, R. E., Venables, H. J., Pond, D. W., and Gordon, M.: Substantial primary production in the land-remote region of the central and northern Scotia Sea, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 59–60, 47–56, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2011.05.010, 2012.
Young, E. F., Meredith, M. P., Murphy, E. J., and Carvalho, G. R.: High-resolution modelling of the shelf and open ocean adjacent to South Georgia, Southern Ocean, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 58, 1540–1552, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2009.11.003, 2011.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint