Airborne Lidar Observations of a Spring Phytoplankton Bloom in the Western Arctic Ocean

One of the most notable effects of climate change is the decrease in sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. This is expected to affect the distribution of phytoplankton as the ice retreats earlier. We were interested in the vertical and horizontal distribution of phytoplankton in the Chukchi Sea in May. Measu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Remote Sensing
Main Authors: James H. Churnside, Richard D. Marchbanks, Nathan Marshall
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021
Subjects:
Arctic Ocean
Chukchi Sea
phytoplankton
airborne lidar
ocean lidar
Science
Q
Arctic
Chukchi
Climate change
Phytoplankton
Sea ice
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13132512
https://doaj.org/article/82fa86037d0849c2ba4ce0a7cf3eb8fc
Description
Summary:One of the most notable effects of climate change is the decrease in sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. This is expected to affect the distribution of phytoplankton as the ice retreats earlier. We were interested in the vertical and horizontal distribution of phytoplankton in the Chukchi Sea in May. Measurements were made with an airborne profiling lidar that allowed us to cover large areas. The lidar profiles showed a uniform distribution of attenuation and scattering from the surface to the limit of lidar penetration at a depth of about 30 m. Both parameters were greater in open water than under the ice. Depolarization of the lidar decreased as attenuation and scattering increased. A cluster analysis of the 2019 data revealed four distinct clusters based on depolarization and lidar ratio. One cluster was associated with open water, one with pack ice, one with the waters along the land-fast ice, and one that appeared to be scattered throughout the region. The first three were likely the result of different assemblages of phytoplankton, while the last may have been an artifact of thin fog in the atmosphere.

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