Abandoning Sverdrup’s critical depth hypothesis on phytoplankton blooms

The Critical Depth Hypothesis formalized by Sverdrup in 1953 posits that vernal phytoplankton blooms occur when surface mixing shoals to a depth shallower than a critical depth horizon defining the point where phytoplankton growth exceeds losses. This hypothesis has since served as a cornerstone in plankton ecology and reflects the very common assumption that blooms are caused by enhanced growth rates in response to improved light, temperature, and stratification conditions, not simply correlated with them. Here, a nine-year satellite record of phytoplankton biomass in the subarctic Atlantic is used to reevaluate seasonal plankton dynamics. Results show that (1) bloom initiation occurs in the winter when mixed layer depths are maximum, not in the spring, (2) coupling between phytoplankton growth (l) and losses increases during spring stratification, rather than decreases, (3) maxima in net population growth rates (r) are as likely to occur in midwinter as in spring, and (4 ) r is generally inversely related to l. These results are incompatible with the Critical Depth Hypothesis as a functional framework for understanding bloom dynamics. In its place, a ‘‘Dilution–Recoupling Hypothesis’’ is described that focuses on the balance between phytoplankton growth and grazing, and the seasonally varying physical processes influencing this balance. This revised view derives from fundamental concepts applied during field dilution experiments, builds upon earlier modeling results, and is compatible with observed phytoplankton blooms in the absence of spring mixed layer shoaling.Key words: Critical Depth Hypothesis; grazing; growth rates; North Atlantic; phytoplankton blooms; remote sensing

Satellite observations of chlorophyll, phytoplankton biomass, and Ekman pumping in nonlinear mesoscale eddies

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2013. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 118 (2013): 6349–6370, doi:10.1002/2013JC009027.Nonlinear mesoscale eddies can influence biogeochemical cycles in the upper ocean through vertical and horizontal advection of nutrients and marine organisms. The relative importance of these two processes depends on the polarity of an eddy (cyclones versus anticyclones) and the initial biological conditions of the fluid trapped in the core of the eddy at the time of formation. Eddies originating in the eastern South Indian Ocean are unique in that anticyclones, typically associated with downwelling, contain elevated levels of chlorophyll-a, enhanced primary production and phytoplankton communities generally associated with nutrient-replete environments. From analysis of 9 years of concurrent satellite measurements of sea surface height, chlorophyll, phytoplankton carbon, and surface stress, we present observations that suggest eddy-induced Ekman upwelling as a mechanism that is at least partly responsible for sustaining positive phytoplankton anomalies in anticyclones of the South Indian Ocean. The biological response to this eddy-induced Ekman upwelling is evident only during the Austral winter. During the Austral summer, the biological response to eddy-induced Ekman pumping occurs deep in the euphotic zone, beyond the reach of satellite observations of ocean color.This work was funded by NASA grants NNX08AI80G, NNX08AR37G, NNX10AO98G, and NNX13AD78G.2014-06-0

Regional variations in the influence of mesoscale eddies on near-surface chlorophyll

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2014. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 119 (2014): 8195–8220, doi:10.1002/2014JC010111.Eddies can influence biogeochemical cycles through a variety of mechanisms, including the excitation of vertical velocities and the horizontal advection of nutrients and ecosystems, both around the eddy periphery by rotational currents and by the trapping of fluid and subsequent transport by the eddy. In this study, we present an analysis of the influence of mesoscale ocean eddies on near-surface chlorophyll (CHL) estimated from satellite measurements of ocean color. The influences of horizontal advection, trapping, and upwelling/downwelling on CHL are analyzed in an eddy-centric frame of reference by collocating satellite observations to eddy interiors, as defined by their sea surface height signatures. The influence of mesoscale eddies on CHL varies regionally. In most boundary current regions, cyclonic eddies exhibit positive CHL anomalies and anticyclonic eddies contain negative CHL anomalies. In the interior of the South Indian Ocean, however, the opposite occurs. The various mechanisms by which eddies can influence phytoplankton communities are summarized and regions where the observed CHL response to eddies is consistent with one or more of the mechanisms are discussed. This study does not attempt to link the observed regional variability definitively to any particular mechanism but provides a global overview of how eddies influence CHL anomalies.This work was funded by NASA grants NNX08AI80G, NNX08AR37G, and NNX10AO98G. DJM gratefully acknowledges NASA grant NNX13AE47G and NSF grant OCE-1048897.2015-06-0

Global Retrievals of Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence at Red Wavelengths With TROPOMI

Observations of solar‐induced chlorophyll a fluorescence (SIF) from spaceborne spectrometers can advance our understanding of terrestrial and aquatic carbon cycles. Here we present the first global retrievals of SIF at red wavelengths from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI). Despite the weak signal level, considerable uncertainties, and subtle measurement artifacts, spatial patterns and magnitudes agree with independent data sets. Over land, spatial patterns of our red SIF estimates covary with the far‐red SIF data. Red SIF over the ocean is highly consistent with the normalized fluorescence line height (nFLH) inferred from measurements of the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), even when comparing single days and fine spatial scales. Major advantages of our Fraunhofer line‐based SIF retrievals include the capability to sense SIF through optically thin cloud/aerosol layers and an insensitivity to ocean color. This opens up new avenues for studying ocean biogeochemistry from space

Global Retrievals of Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence at Red Wavelengths With TROPOMI

Observations of solar‐induced chlorophyll a fluorescence (SIF) from spaceborne spectrometers can advance our understanding of terrestrial and aquatic carbon cycles. Here we present the first global retrievals of SIF at red wavelengths from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI). Despite the weak signal level, considerable uncertainties, and subtle measurement artifacts, spatial patterns and magnitudes agree with independent data sets. Over land, spatial patterns of our red SIF estimates covary with the far‐red SIF data. Red SIF over the ocean is highly consistent with the normalized fluorescence line height (nFLH) inferred from measurements of the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), even when comparing single days and fine spatial scales. Major advantages of our Fraunhofer line‐based SIF retrievals include the capability to sense SIF through optically thin cloud/aerosol layers and an insensitivity to ocean color. This opens up new avenues for studying ocean biogeochemistry from space

Annual cycles of ecological disturbance and recovery underlying the subarctic Atlantic spring plankton bloom

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2013. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Global Biogeochemical Cycles 27 (2013): 526–540, doi:10.1002/gbc.20050.Satellite measurements allow global assessments of phytoplankton concentrations and, from observed temporal changes in biomass, direct access to net biomass accumulation rates (r). For the subarctic Atlantic basin, analysis of annual cycles in r reveals that initiation of the annual blooming phase does not occur in spring after stratification surpasses a critical threshold but rather occurs in early winter when growth conditions for phytoplankton are deteriorating. This finding has been confirmed with in situ profiling float data. The objective of the current study was to test whether satellite-based annual cycles in r are reproduced by the Biogeochemical Element Cycling–Community Climate System Model and, if so, to use the additional ecosystem properties resolved by the model to better understand factors controlling phytoplankton blooms. We find that the model gives a similar early onset time for the blooming phase, that this initiation is largely due to the physical disruption of phytoplankton-grazer interactions during mixed layer deepening, and that parallel increases in phytoplankton-specific division and loss rates during spring maintain the subtle disruption in food web equilibrium that ultimately yields the spring bloom climax. The link between winter mixing and bloom dynamics is illustrated by contrasting annual plankton cycles between regions with deeper and shallower mixing. We show that maximum water column inventories of phytoplankton vary in proportion to maximum winter mixing depth, implying that future reductions in winter mixing may dampen plankton cycles in the subarctic Atlantic. We propose that ecosystem disturbance-recovery sequences are a unifying property of global ocean plankton blooms.This work was supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program (grants NNX10AT70G, NNX09AK30G, NNX08AK70G, NNX07AL80G, and NNX08AP36A) and the Center for Microbial Oceanography Research and Education (C-MORE; grant EF-0424599), a National Science Foundation-supported Science and Technology Center

Reply to a comment by Stephen M. Chiswell on: “Annual cycles of ecological disturbance and recovery underlying the subarctic Atlantic spring plankton bloom” by M. J. Behrenfeld et al. (2013)

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, [year]. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Global Biogeochemical Cycles 27 (2013): 1294–1296, doi:10.1002/2013GB004720.2014-06-1