Control of phytoplankton bloom inception in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, by Ekman restratification
Observations from November 2006 in the southwestern Ross Sea indicate that stratification developed in a localized fashion, proximal to upper ocean fronts. These regions were hotspots for biological productivity, exhibiting greater drawdown of CO₂ and accumulation of oxygen, indicative of enhanced p...
Published in: | Global Biogeochemical Cycles |
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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American Geophysical Union
2012
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Online Access: | http://nldr.library.ucar.edu/repository/collections/OSGC-000-000-010-762 https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GB003982 |
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ftncar:oai:drupal-site.org:articles_11995 2023-09-05T13:13:22+02:00 Control of phytoplankton bloom inception in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, by Ekman restratification Long, Matthew (author) Thomas, Leif (author) Dunbar, Robert (author) 2012-01-18 application/pdf http://nldr.library.ucar.edu/repository/collections/OSGC-000-000-010-762 https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GB003982 en eng American Geophysical Union Global Biogeochemical Cycles http://nldr.library.ucar.edu/repository/collections/OSGC-000-000-010-762 doi:10.1029/2010GB003982 ark:/85065/d73x879b Copyright 2012 American Geophysical Union. Text article 2012 ftncar https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GB003982 2023-08-14T18:42:52Z Observations from November 2006 in the southwestern Ross Sea indicate that stratification developed in a localized fashion, proximal to upper ocean fronts. These regions were hotspots for biological productivity, exhibiting greater drawdown of CO₂ and accumulation of oxygen, indicative of enhanced photosynthesis and air-sea gas exchange. While the effect of stratification is clear, the reasons for its development was not; air temperatures were unseasonably cold, sea-ice melt and sea surface warming were not significant. By comparing a one-dimensional mixed layer model with two-dimensional numerical simulations that include horizontal density gradients characteristic of the region, it is shown that Ekman advection is critical to structuring early season stratification. Where fronts are forced by winds that oppose the surface frontal current, Ekman advection displaces lighter water over dense. As biological productivity is light limited in the Ross Sea, and thus sensitive to the depth of the mixed layer, Ekman restratification plays an important role in determining the spatial distribution and development of the annual phytoplankton bloom in the region. The presence of fronts is therefore of first-order importance to the restratification and bloom dynamics of the Ross Sea in the early spring. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Ross Sea Sea ice OpenSky (NCAR/UCAR - National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) Ross Sea Global Biogeochemical Cycles 26 1 n/a n/a |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
OpenSky (NCAR/UCAR - National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) |
op_collection_id |
ftncar |
language |
English |
description |
Observations from November 2006 in the southwestern Ross Sea indicate that stratification developed in a localized fashion, proximal to upper ocean fronts. These regions were hotspots for biological productivity, exhibiting greater drawdown of CO₂ and accumulation of oxygen, indicative of enhanced photosynthesis and air-sea gas exchange. While the effect of stratification is clear, the reasons for its development was not; air temperatures were unseasonably cold, sea-ice melt and sea surface warming were not significant. By comparing a one-dimensional mixed layer model with two-dimensional numerical simulations that include horizontal density gradients characteristic of the region, it is shown that Ekman advection is critical to structuring early season stratification. Where fronts are forced by winds that oppose the surface frontal current, Ekman advection displaces lighter water over dense. As biological productivity is light limited in the Ross Sea, and thus sensitive to the depth of the mixed layer, Ekman restratification plays an important role in determining the spatial distribution and development of the annual phytoplankton bloom in the region. The presence of fronts is therefore of first-order importance to the restratification and bloom dynamics of the Ross Sea in the early spring. |
author2 |
Long, Matthew (author) Thomas, Leif (author) Dunbar, Robert (author) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
title |
Control of phytoplankton bloom inception in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, by Ekman restratification |
spellingShingle |
Control of phytoplankton bloom inception in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, by Ekman restratification |
title_short |
Control of phytoplankton bloom inception in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, by Ekman restratification |
title_full |
Control of phytoplankton bloom inception in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, by Ekman restratification |
title_fullStr |
Control of phytoplankton bloom inception in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, by Ekman restratification |
title_full_unstemmed |
Control of phytoplankton bloom inception in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, by Ekman restratification |
title_sort |
control of phytoplankton bloom inception in the ross sea, antarctica, by ekman restratification |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://nldr.library.ucar.edu/repository/collections/OSGC-000-000-010-762 https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GB003982 |
geographic |
Ross Sea |
geographic_facet |
Ross Sea |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Ross Sea Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Ross Sea Sea ice |
op_relation |
Global Biogeochemical Cycles http://nldr.library.ucar.edu/repository/collections/OSGC-000-000-010-762 doi:10.1029/2010GB003982 ark:/85065/d73x879b |
op_rights |
Copyright 2012 American Geophysical Union. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GB003982 |
container_title |
Global Biogeochemical Cycles |
container_volume |
26 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
n/a |
op_container_end_page |
n/a |
_version_ |
1776204671438815232 |