Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry

A new proxy for ocean iron bioavailability

In many oceanic regions, iron exerts strong control on phytoplankton growth, ecosystem structure and carbon cycling. Yet, iron bioavailability and uptake rates by phytoplankton in the ocean are poorly constrained. Recently, Shaked et al. (2020) (see GEOTRACES highlight), established a new approach for quantifying the availability of dissolved Fe (dFe) in natural seawater based on […]

Using BGC-Argo to obtain depth-resolved net primary production

Net primary production (NPP)—the organic carbon produced by the phytoplankton minus the organic carbon respired by phytoplankton themselves—serves as a major energy source of the marine ecosystem. Traditional methods for measuring NPP rely on ship-based discrete sampling and bottle incubations (e.g., 14C incubation), which introduce potential artifacts and limit the spatial and temporal data coverage […]

Draft Air-Sea Workshop Report (US SOLAS Science Plan) now available for comment

The OCB Ocean Atmosphere Interaction Committee (OAIC) recently convened a 3-day science workshop to identify US air-sea research priorities and foster new collaborations. From the discussions at the workshop, the OAIC led the assembly of a “grassroots” document to provide a common set of science goals and research priorities. The draft document is now open […]

Will temperate kelp forests persist?

Giant kelp is a highly productive foundation species that forms dense forests on temperate reefs around the world. These ecosystems have remarkably high rates of carbon fixation—giant kelp can grow half a meter a day—and the physical structure formed by kelp’s tall fronds profoundly alters the benthic habitat. However, giant kelp is regularly ripped out […]

Hydrogeology modulates carbon outwelling from tidal wetlands

Tidal wetlands are highly productive ecosystems that have the potential to sequester and bury vast quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide, making them effective blue carbon habitats. There is emerging evidence that lateral export of dissolved carbon (outwelling) can greatly exceed carbon burial in blue carbon habitats. However, little is known about the spatial and temporal […]

OCB2021 recordings and more

OCB2021 was an interactive series of online events with early career activities, interactive panel discussions, virtual poster sessions, and opportunities for networking and socializing throughout the month of June. Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, spoke, joined discussions, led topics, developed sessions, and made OCB2021 a successful summer workshop! It was our largest attendance […]

Virtual Workshop on the New Global Ocean Biogeochemistry (GO-BGC) Array Building a Community of Biogeochemistry Float Data Users

On June 28-30, 2021, MBARI, OCB, and US CLIVAR co-hosted a virtual community workshop to: Introduce the new NSF-funded GO-BGC program to the global scientific community Discuss and innovate on scientific applications of GO-BGC data Provide background information on the flow of data and archiving Deliver hands-on tutorials and computer code for accessing GO-BGC data […]

Is seaweed farming an effective method to reduce atmospheric CO2?

The world is in need of effective methods to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere, and the ocean could potentially help us to meet this objective. One idea, explored since the 1980s, is to grow seaweeds on platforms in the open ocean to fix carbon and sequester it at great depth (ocean afforestation). But would that […]

Just released: Ocean Sciences Across the Solar System

Now available: Ocean Sciences Across the Solar System NASA report. Submit your comments by July 30. SUMMARYThe discovery that there are major oceans beyond Earth is exciting for Earth oceanographers and planetary scientists alike. As life on Earth began in the ocean, these other worlds offer tantalizing possibilities of finding life beyond our own planet. […]