Journal ArticleDOI
Eddy-driven stratification initiates North Atlantic spring phytoplankton blooms.
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It is shown that the initial stratification and resulting bloom are instead caused by eddy-driven slumping of the basin-scale north-south density gradient, resulting in a patchy bloom beginning 20 to 30 days earlier than would occur by warming.Abstract:
Springtime phytoplankton blooms photosynthetically fix carbon and export it from the surface ocean at globally important rates. These blooms are triggered by increased light exposure of the phytoplankton due to both seasonal light increase and the development of a near-surface vertical density gradient (stratification) that inhibits vertical mixing of the phytoplankton. Classically and in current climate models, that stratification is ascribed to a springtime warming of the sea surface. Here, using observations from the subpolar North Atlantic and a three-dimensional biophysical model, we show that the initial stratification and resulting bloom are instead caused by eddy-driven slumping of the basin-scale north-south density gradient, resulting in a patchy bloom beginning 20 to 30 days earlier than would occur by warming.read more
Citations
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Scientists' Warning to Humanity: Microorganisms and Climate Change
Ricardo Cavicchioli,William J. Ripple,Kenneth N. Timmis,Farooq Azam,Lars R. Bakken,Matthew Baylis,Michael J. Behrenfeld,Antje Boetius,Philip W. Boyd,Aimée T. Classen,Thomas W. Crowther,Roberto Danovaro,Christine M. Foreman,Jef Huisman,David A. Hutchins,Janet K. Jansson,David M. Karl,Britt Koskella,David B. Mark Welch,Jennifer B. H. Martiny,Mary Ann Moran,Victoria J. Orphan,David S. Reay,Justin V. Remais,Virginia I. Rich,Brajesh K. Singh,Lisa Y. Stein,Frank J. Stewart,Matthew B. Sullivan,Madeleine J. H. van Oppen,Madeleine J. H. van Oppen,Scott C. Weaver,Eric A. Webb,Nicole S. Webster,Nicole S. Webster +34 more
TL;DR: This Consensus Statement documents the central role and global importance of microorganisms in climate change biology and puts humanity on notice that the impact of climate change will depend heavily on responses of micro organisms, which are essential for achieving an environmentally sustainable future.
Journal ArticleDOI
Submesoscale currents in the ocean.
TL;DR: A perspective on the recently discovered realm of submesoscale currents in the ocean, where intermediate-scale flow structures in the form of density fronts and filaments, topographic wakes and persistent coherent vortices are created from mesoscale eddies and strong currents.
Journal ArticleDOI
Mechanisms of Physical-Biological-Biogeochemical Interaction at the Oceanic Mesoscale
TL;DR: The ephemeral nature of mesoscale features in the ocean makes it difficult to elucidate the attendant mechanisms of physical-biological-biogeochemical interaction, requiring the use of multidisciplinary approaches involving in situ observations, remote sensing, and modeling.
Journal ArticleDOI
Marine Phytoplankton Temperature versus Growth Responses from Polar to Tropical Waters – Outcome of a Scientific Community-Wide Study
Philip W. Boyd,Philip W. Boyd,Tatiana A. Rynearson,Evelyn Armstrong,Fei-Xue Fu,Kendra Hayashi,Zhangxi Hu,David A. Hutchins,Raphael M. Kudela,Elena Litchman,Margaret R. Mulholland,Uta Passow,Robert F. Strzepek,Kerry A. Whittaker,Elizabeth Yu,Mridul K. Thomas +15 more
TL;DR: This study provides physiological datasets fundamental to understanding functional responses of phytoplankton growth rates to temperature that can be used to parameterise global ocean model projections of environmental change and to provide initial insights into the magnitude of regional biogeographic change in ocean biota in the coming decades.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Impact of Submesoscale Physics on Primary Productivity of Plankton.
TL;DR: In regimes with deep surface mixed layers, submesoscale instabilities can cause stratification within days, thereby increasing light exposure for phytoplankton trapped close to the surface, which has implications for interactions within the ecosystem.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
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Journal ArticleDOI
Parameterization of Mixed Layer Eddies. Part I. Theory and Diagnosis
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Mixed Layer Instabilities and Restratification
TL;DR: In this article, the authors studied the restratification of the oceanic surface mixed layer that results from lateral gradients in the surface density field, which are referred to as mixed layer instabilities.
Journal ArticleDOI
Abandoning Sverdrup's Critical Depth Hypothesis on phytoplankton blooms
TL;DR: 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.