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

• 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

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.