Author Archive for mmaheigan

Ocean iron fertilization commercialization: bad idea; Continued research: good idea

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Tuesday, January 21st, 2020 

Amidst little to no substantive global action on climate change mitigation, individuals and companies have been exploring various geoengineering strategies as a possible alternative. Ocean Iron Fertilization (OIF) is an ocean-based strategy that involves the addition of iron to the sunlit upper layers of the ocean in iron-limited areas such as the Southern Ocean in order to stimulate marine phytoplankton growth and increase drawdown of carbon dioxide. Authors of a recent technology review in the Journal of Science Policy & Governance argue that a market-based approach to Southern Ocean iron fertilization is not advisable, but recommends continued research into the matter.

Figure 1: Idealized schematic of carbon cycling and the biological in a natural High Nutrient Low Chlorophyll Region (HNLC) and an iron fertilized HLNC. White arrows represent carbon transport. The addition of iron may dramatically increase surface biomass but only a small fraction of that is additional sequestered in the deep ocean or the sea floor.

This study begins by asking whether or not fertilizing the Southern Ocean could actually create a sustainable carbon sink. A comprehensive literature review revealed that while iron fertilization almost certainly will stimulate new primary production, what is much less clear is how much of that carbon will sink out of the surface ocean and be sequestered long-term. Given the scientific uncertainty, it would be ill-advised to commercialize iron fertilization in emerging carbon offset markets. In addition to concerns about the fundamental feasibility and potential adverse side effect of fertilization, the study argues that any market framework would be corrupted by perverse incentives created by the inability to establish reliable baselines or to accurately and comprehensively document and quantify the effects of fertilization, thus making it impossible to provide fair and consistent compensation. Nevertheless, recent history shows that fertilization activity on unregulated voluntary offset markets motivated by the promise of an easy fix can and will continue to emerge. This study concludes that continued research is needed to constrain the public perception and clarify the reality of an iron bullet.

Author:
Tyler Rohr (MIT/WHOI, currently at US Department of Energy)

The past, present, and future of the ocean carbon cycle: A global data product with regional insights

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Tuesday, January 21st, 2020 

A new study published in Scientific Reports debuts a global data product of ocean acidification (OA) and buffer capacity from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to the end of the century (1750-2100 C.E.). To develop this product, the authors linked one of the richest observational carbon dioxide (CO2) data products (6th version of the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas, 1991-2018, ~23 million observations) with temporal trends modeled at individual locations in the global ocean. By linking the modeled pH trends to the observed modern pH distribution, the climatology benefits from recent improvements in both model design and observational data coverage, and is likely to provide more accurate regional OA trajectories than the model output alone. The authors also show that air-sea CO2 disequilibrium is the dominant mode of spatial variability for surface pH, and discuss why pH and calcium carbonate mineral saturation states (Omega), two important metrics for OA, show contrasting spatial variability. They discover that sea surface temperature (SST) imposes two large but cancelling effects on surface ocean pH and Omega, i.e., the effects of SST on (a) chemical speciation of the carbonic system; and (b) air-sea exchange of CO2 and the subsequent DIC/TA ratio of the seawater. These two processes act in concert for Omega but oppose each other for pH. As a result, while Omega is markedly lower in the colder polar regions than in the warmer subtropical and tropical regions, surface ocean pH shows little latitudinal variation.

Figure 1. Spatial distribution of global surface ocean pHT (total hydrogen scale, annually averaged) in past (1770), present (2000) and future (2100) under the IPCC RCP8.5 scenario.

This data product, which extends from the pre-Industrial era (1750 C.E.) to the end of this century under historical atmospheric CO2 concentrations (pre-2005) and the Representative Concentrations Pathways (post-2005) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 5th Assessment Report, may be helpful to policy-makers and managers who are developing regional adaptation strategies for ocean acidification.

The published paper is available here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-55039-4

The data product is available here: https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/oads/data/0206289.xml

 

Authors:
Li-Qing Jiang (University of Maryland and NOAA NCEI)
Brendan Carter (NOAA PMEL and University of Washington JISAO)
Richard Feely (NOAA PMEL)
Siv Lauvset, Are Olsen (University of Bergen and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Norway)

Surface bacterial communities respond to rapid changes in the western Arctic

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Tuesday, January 7th, 2020 

During the western Arctic summer open water season, latitudinal differences in the physical and biogeochemical features of the surface water are apparent from the Bering Strait to the Chukchi Borderland. Lower latitude regions (i.e. Bering Strait to Chukchi Shelf) are primarily driven by the inflow of Pacific waters that supply nutrients and heat, leading to high primary production. Conversely, the higher latitude regions (i.e. Chukchi Borderland and Canada Basin) are relatively cold, fresh, and oligotrophic because the surface layer is influenced by freshwater inputs from melting ice and rivers via the Beaufort Gyre. Mixing of the two surface water masses in the western Arctic produces a physicochemical frontal zone (FZ) in the Chukchi Sea.

In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, authors used observations from summer 2017 to investigate latitudinal variations in bacterial community composition in surface waters between the Bering Strait and Chukchi Borderland and the underlying processes driving the changes. Results indicate three distinctive communities: 1) Southern Chukchi (SC) bacterial communities are associated with nutrient-rich conditions, including genera such as Sulfitobacter; 2) a northern Chukchi (NC) bacterial community that dominated by SAR clades, Flavobacterium, Paraglaciecola, and Polaribacter, genera associated with low nutrients and sea ice conditions. If climate-driven changes in the western Arctic continue along the same trajectory, it’s likely we will see altered bacterial communities. If the impact of warm, nutrient-rich Pacific water inflows dominates, it is likely that the productive SC region will expand ­­and the FZ will move northward, leading to nutrient enrichment in the western Arctic (Figure 1). In response, bacterial communities would be dominated by organic matter decomposers, such as Sulfitobacter, due to high primary productivity. However, if the impact of sea-ice meltwater dominates, then the oligotrophic NC region will expand and the FZ will move southward, leading to nutrient depletion in western Arctic surface waters (Figure 1). Continued monitoring in this region will enhance our understanding of how bacterial communities respond (Figure 1b) to a rapidly changing western Arctic Ocean.

Figure 1. (a) Map of the August 2017 Ice Breaker RV Araon western Arctic Ocean sampling stations used in this study. The basemap shows the Chl-a concentration contour (blue to red background colors). Pink, green, and blue circles represent stations in the South Chukchi (SC), Frontal Zone (FZ), and Northern Chukchi (NC) regions. (b) Schematic diagram of surface bacterial community distribution in response to future western Arctic Ocean changes.

Authors:
Il-Nam Kim (Department of Marine Science, Incheon National University)
Sung-Ho Kang (Korea Polar Research Institute)
Eun Jin Yang (Korea Polar Research Institute)

Unexpected DOC additions in the deep Atlantic

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Tuesday, January 7th, 2020 

Oceanic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) ultimately exchanges with atmospheric CO2 and thus represents an important carbon source/sink with consequence for climate. Most of the DOC is recalcitrant to microbial degradation, with some fractions surviving for thousands of years. Therefore, DOC in the deep ocean was thought to be stable or to decrease slowly over decades to centuries due to biotic and abiotic sinks. However, a study published in Global Biogeochemical Cycles shows that there are some zones of the deep Atlantic Ocean where recalcitrant DOC experiences net production. Using data from oceanographic cruises across the Atlantic Ocean, the authors first identified the major water masses in the basin and the percentage of each in every sample taken for DOC analysis. The study revealed net additions of 27 million tons of dissolved organic carbon per year in the deep South Atlantic. On the other hand, the North Atlantic serves as a net sink, removing 298 million tons of carbon annually. DOC production observed in the deep Atlantic is probably due to the sinking particles that solubilize into DOC, since DOC enrichment was most evident at latitudes characterized as elevated productivity divergence zones.

Figure 1. Water masses along GO-SHIP line A16 (colored dots) and recalcitrant DOC variations due to biogeochemical processes (black dots within each water mass) in the deep Atlantic Ocean. Water mass domains are defined as the set of samples with the corresponding water mass proportion ≥50%. Recalcitrant DOC latitudinal variations per water stratum due to biogeochemical processes (ΔDOC) is in μmol kg-1. Numbers on the plots are DOC values for the corresponding dots. Scales (not shown) are the same for all the plots, from -4 to 6 μmol kg-1. Positive (negative) ΔDOC indicates values higher (lower) than the average DOC calculated for each water mass using an optimum multiparameter (OMP) analysis. DOC = dissolved organic carbon. AAIW = Antarctic Intermediate Water; UNADW = upper North Atlantic Deep Water; ISOW = Iceland Scotland Overflow Water; CDW = Circumpolar Deep Water; WSDW = Weddell Sea Deep Water. Figure created with Ocean Data View (Schlitzer, 2015).

Considering that the net DOC production over the entire Atlantic basin euphotic zone is 0.70–0.75 Pg C year-1, the authors estimated that 30–39% of that DOC is consumed in the deep Atlantic subsequent to its export by overturning circulation. The upper North Atlantic Deep Water (UNADW) acts as the primary sink, accounting for 66% of the recalcitrant DOC removal in the North Atlantic. Conversely, the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) is the primary recipient, with 45% of recalcitrant DOC production in the South Atlantic, closely followed by the old UNADW that gains 44% of the recalcitrant DOC in the southern basin.

The Atlantic works as a mosaic of water masses, where both removal and addition of recalcitrant DOC occurs, with the dominant term dependent on the origin, temperature, age and depth of the water masses. The production of recalcitrant DOC in the deep ocean should be considered in biogeochemical models dealing with the carbon cycle and climate.

Authors:
C. Romera-Castillo and J. L. Pelegrí (Instituto de Ciencias del Mar, CSIC, Spain)
M. Álvarez (Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Spain)
D. A. Hansell (University of Miami, USA)
X. A. Álvarez-Salgado (Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas, CSIC, Spain)

Welcoming new 2020 SSC members!

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Tuesday, January 7th, 2020 

We would like to thank the OCB community for submitting so many high-quality nominations for the OCB Scientific Steering Committee. Our new SSC members are

  • Charlie Stock (NOAA/GFDL) – interactions between climate and marine ecosystems using global early system models
  • Dreux Chappell (ODU) – molecular microbial ecology, phytoplankton cultivation/physiology, and trace metal biogeochemistry
  • Jaime Palter (URI) – physics-biogeochemistry, ocean C and heat uptake, WBCs, autonomous assets
  • Patrick Rafter (UCI) -chemical oceanography, paleoceanography
  • Seth Bushinsky (UH) (early career) – chemical oceanography, carbon cycle, oxygen cycle, air-sea gas exchange, autonomous vehicles

We thank outgoing members Jessica Cross (NOAA/PMEL), Bethany Jenkins (URI), Uta Passow (Memorial Univ.), Alyson Santoro (Univ. California, Santa Barbara) and Benjamin Twining (Bigelow) for their dedicated service!

 

In Case You Missed It: Supplemental NSF Funding to Support Graduate Student Internships Outside Academia

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Tuesday, December 17th, 2019 

A new NSF supplemental funding opportunity (INTERN) allows students to test out non-academic career paths while in graduate school. PIs can request up to six months of additional support for current graduate students supported on active NSF grants. These supplemental awards allow students to pursue internships that will broaden their professional experience and enable them to apply their scientific training in a variety of environments.

Melissa McCutcheon, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Coastal and Marine System Science program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi studying with Dr. Xinping Hu just used this opportunity to intern at Ocean Conservancy and work on ocean acidification policy in Washington, DC. Looking back on her experience, Melissa shared the following thoughts:

“Prior to interning here, I honestly had no idea the role environmental advocacy groups play in the translation of scientific knowledge to environmentally smart policy. The INTERN award is unique in that the graduate student is responsible for contacting potential mentors at prospective host-organizations; as long as someone agrees to serve as a mentor, the internship can be with any non-academic organization. It doesn’t have to be ocean-focused, or tightly tied to students’ existing research.

During my [internship], I have used the skills that I have gained through my scientific training to synthesize information and create products that will be used in direct communications with decision-makers as they consider how to confront the growing threat of ocean acidification…The most interesting thing that I have learned is how to strategize about who, when, and how to appeal to people about ocean issues in relation to policy. No matter where my next career stage takes me, I think that this will continue to influence the way that I think about effective science communication to any audience.”

Melissa earned a Master of Science in Environmental Science from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 2015 and is an Executive Board Student Representative for the Gulf Estuarine Research Society. Additionally, she is the Managing Editor for Third Coast Science For You, a magazine that she co-launched, and works in Hu’s Carbon Cycle Lab. Read more about her experience here.

 

A New Approach to Chemical Speciation Modeling – Join us for a Test Drive at Ocean Sciences 2020

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Tuesday, December 17th, 2019 

Salinity-based equilibrium constants are widely used to estimate trace element speciation and solve the marine carbonate system. However, this approach is necessarily limited to solutions with seawater stoichiometry. As part of SCOR Working Group 145 and a collaborative NERC/NSF-funded project, we have been developing models that use thermodynamic equilibrium constants, together with activity coefficients, taking into account the concentration-dependent effects of individual solutes on speciation. Consequently, these models are applicable to waters that depart from standard seawater composition. Total uncertainties, as well as uncertainty contributions from each individual element of the model, are calculated. Recent Ocean Sciences Meetings have provided opportunities to query the oceanographic community on model priorities and features and provide updates on progress. A draft model will be ready to share with the community at Ocean Sciences 2020!

Lunchtime event (box lunch provided) at Ocean Sciences 2020
Thursday, 20 February: 12:45 – 13:45
At the lunchtime event, we will review this approach and discuss necessary steps for further development and adoption by oceanographers. We will also describe and demonstrate draft software to highlight key capabilities of this approach:

  1. Calculate the change in pH of a seawater Tris/TrisH+ buffer when the composition is altered by adding or removing different salts (web-based application)
  2. Calculate how the three stoichiometric equilibrium constants for the carbonate system (K0, K1, and K2) vary in response to composition changes of the seawater medium (web-based application)
  3. A Python environment in which some of these types of calculations can be done interactively

SCOR Exhibit Booth at Ocean Sciences 2020

Tuesday 18 February to Thursday 20 February:  See times below 

At the SCOR booth (Booth 341) in the OSM exhibit hall, attendees will be able to have a guided hands-on experience with running the draft speciation modeling software and an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback to the authors.
The tentative schedule for demonstration times at the SCOR booth are as follows – any updates/changes to this will be announced in the OCB and SCOR newsletters closer to OSM 2020:

  • Tuesday, February 18: 11:00-12:00, 16:00-17:00
  • Wednesday, February 19: 11:00-12:00, 13:00-14:00
  • Thursday, February 20: 10:00-11:00, 14:00-16:00

If you are interested in learning more and/or attending these events, please fill out this expression of interest form by January 15. This will enable us to develop our booth demonstration schedule, order enough box lunches, and provide you with updates/information and access to the draft models.

Relevant science presentations at Ocean Sciences 2020

For more information, please contact: Simon Clegg (s.clegg@uea.ac.uk) or David Turner (david.turner@marine.gu.se). Simon and David are both members of SCOR Working Group 145.

Collaborative approaches to Big Data questions in Earth system science

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Tuesday, December 17th, 2019 

Human actions are driving changes in Earth’s atmosphere, ocean, and land surface at unprecedented rates. Fully-coupled Earth system models (ESMs) simulate physical aspects of the climate system, their interactions with terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and biogeochemical cycles. In this sense, ESMs are extremely valuable to understanding and managing planetary-scale human-environment interactions. Over the past few years, modeling centers around the world have prepared their state-of-the-art ESMs to participate in the 6th phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). The World Climate Research Program (WCRP) coordinates the design and distribution of ESM simulations, aiming to assess the Earth system response to various forcing trajectories—inclusive of internal climate variability and uncertainty estimates—and to understand the origins and consequences of systematic model biases.

CMIP represents a cutting-edge, collective capacity to understand and model the Earth system. The CMIP enterprise had modest beginnings in the early 1990s, with a handful of participating models each archiving a limited set of output from their simulations—growing to the present CMIP6, which includes participation of dozens of models and modeling centers, contributing many more variables at higher spatial resolution and temporal frequencies. These factors have driven a massive increase in the volume and diversity of CMIP data, making it increasingly difficult to effectively analyze. Meanwhile, the potential for connectivity among scientists has increased as collaborative platforms have emerged. However, the scientific culture could become more effective at developing community-oriented approaches to addressing the large-scale problems defining the present era, leveraging resources like CMIP to advance scientific understanding and actionable information. The complexity of the Earth system and our models of it demands deep collaboration, integrating knowledge across diverse communities. Earth system science is data intensive; barriers to the effective synthesis and interpretation of large and diverse data form a critical rate-limiting step in establishing actionable science.

It was in this context that we organized the CMIP6 Hackathon, a joint OCB/US-CLIVAR activity. The Hackathon took place 16–18 October, 2019 at three locations simultaneously: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO; Palisades, NY), NCAR (Boulder, CO), and informally at the University of Washington (UW; Seattle, WA). In addition to these primary nodes, a handful of people participated remotely, some having expressed reluctance to travel due to personal carbon-conscious no-fly commitments. Participants were primarily graduate students and postdocs at U.S. universities. We structured the CMIP6 Hackathon around group projects; there was very limited direct instruction, but rather project teams worked solidly for three days on group projects with regular check-ins that established a sense of shared purpose. Rapid learning was fostered via the intense collaborations within the project teams; the groups learned from each other as they overcame technical and scientific challenges.

We invested substantial effort in advance planning of the group projects and staging of the relevant CMIP6 data. Prior to the event, we provided instructions and made use of collaborative platforms (Slack, Discourse, Google Drive, GitHub). Participants were asked to propose projects via a post on discourse.pangeo.io and ensuing discussion enabled formation of teams. Project themes spanned many sub-disciplines, including ocean physics and biogeochemistry, climate sensitivity, atmospheric circulation, and the efficacy of data compression techniques. We pre-staged CMIP6 data for the projects in two locations; (1) the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s CMIP Analysis Platform (CMIP-AP), which provides a 10 PB central data repository connected to the NCAR supercomputer, Cheyenne; and (2) the Google Cloud, taking advantage of efforts within the Pangeo Project to coordinate hosting of CMIP6 data under a Google’s Public Dataset Program. To facilitate data access within computational workflows, we developed a data cataloging utility Intake-esm, a Python package that supports data discovery and access. The hackathon focused on the application of a suite of software tools that have been a focal point of the Pangeo community: Xarray, which enables working with labeled, multi-dimensional arrays; Dask, which provides a flexible approach to enabling parallel computation; and Jupyter Notebooks, which provide an interactive computing platform supporting sharing and publication of computational narratives. Each project team worked in a GitHub repository and developed a set of Jupyter Notebooks performing and documenting computation related to their research objectives.

The CMIP6 Hackathon represented one small step toward an envisioned transformation, building communities of practice around specific problems, using effective approaches to analysis workflows to stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration and accelerated science.

The ocean’s smallest phytoplankton may be bigger than we thought

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Tuesday, December 17th, 2019 

Flow cytometry can sort hundreds of thousands of phytoplankton cells in minutes, a tool that has been exploited for over thirty years in marine science. However, skilled analysts are still needed for manual interpretation of these cells into different types and then further into size distributions and optical properties.

In a recent study published in Applied Optics, the authors developed and implemented an automated scheme on the large Atlantic Meridional Transect flow cytometric database, which contains around 104 samples and 109 cells (the entire AMT flowcytometric dataset which spans a decade of transects (AMT18 – AMT27). This unique, well-calibrated dataset spans 100° of latitude between the UK and the Falklands, with multiple samples between 0-200m. The results clearly show that Prochlorococcus, very small marine cyanobacteria, are consistently larger than previously thought (>0.65 µm), and their size distribution reveals a distinctive double peak (0.75 µm and 1.75 µm) that varies strongly with depth. This is coupled with changes in Prochlorococcus optical properties, a term we have coined “opto-types.”  By contrast, Synechococcus are typically 1.5 µm in diameter and more homogeneously dispersed.

Figure 1: North to South transect (bottom left) of the Atlantic Ocean showing the variability in the abundance (top left), size (top right) and refractive index (bottom right) of Prochlorococcus

This work has uncovered new information regarding the size distribution of the ocean’s smallest phytoplankton, which has implications for how energy is transferred between different biological organisms.

 

Authors:
Tim Smyth (Plymouth Marine Laboratory)
Glen Tarran (Plymouth Marine Laboratory)
Shubha Sathyendranath (Plymouth Marine Laboratory)

What really controls deep-seafloor calcite dissolution?

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Monday, December 16th, 2019 

On time scales of tens to millions of years, seawater acidity is primarily controlled by biogenic calcite (CaCO3) dissolution on the seafloor. Our quantitative understanding of future oceanic pH and carbonate system chemistry requires knowledge of what controls this dissolution. Past experiments on the dissolution rate of suspended calcite grains have consistently suggested a high-order, nonlinear dependence on undersaturation that is independent of fluid flow rate. This form of kinetics has been extensively adopted in models of deep-sea calcite dissolution and pH of benthic sediments. However, stirred-chamber and rotating-disc dissolution experiments have consistently demonstrated linear kinetics of dissolution and a strong dependence on fluid flow velocity. This experimental discrepancy surrounding the kinetic control of seafloor calcite dissolution precludes robust predictions of oceanic response to anthropogenic acidification.

In a recent study published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, authors have reconciled these divergent experimental results through an equation for the mass balance of the carbonate ion at the sediment-water interface (SWI), which equates the rate of production of that ion via dissolution and its diffusion in sediment porewaters to the transport across the diffusive sublayer (DBL) at the SWI. If the rate constant derived from suspended-grain experiments is inserted into this balance equation, the rate of carbonate ion supply to the SWI from the sediment (sediment-side control) is much greater in the oceans than the rate of transfer across the DBL (water-side control). Thus, calcite dissolution at the seafloor, while technically under mixed control, is strongly water-side dominated. Consequently, a model that neglects boundary-layer transport (sediment-side control alone) invariably predicts CaCO3-versus-depth profiles that are too shallow compared to available data (Figure 1). These new findings will inform future attempts to model the ocean’s response to acidification.

Figure 1: Plots of the calcite (CaCO3) content of deep-sea sediments as a function of oceanic depth. Left panel: data from the Northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Right panel: data from the Southwest Pacific Ocean. The blue line represents predicted CaCO3 content assuming no boundary-layer effects (pure sediment-side control). The red line is the prediction that includes both sediment and water effects (mixed control), and the green line is the prediction with pure water-side control. The agreement between the red and green lines signifies that calcite dissolution is essentially water-side controlled at the seafloor. These results are duplicated for all tested regions of the oceans.

Authors:
Bernard P. Boudreau (Dalhousie University)
Olivier Sulpis (University of Utrecht)
Alfonso Mucci (McGill University)

Next Page »

Filter by Keyword

acidification air-sea interactions allometry AMOC Antarctica anthropogenic carbon aragonite saturation aragonite saturation state arctic argo arsenic Atlantic Atlantic modeling atmospheric CO2 atmospheric nitrogen deposition autonomous observing autonomous platforms bacteria BATS bcg-argo biogeochemical cycles biogeochemical models biological pump biological uptake biophysics bloom blooms blue carbon bottom water boundary layer CaCO3 calcification calcite carbon-climate feedback carbon cycle carbon sequestration Caribbean CCS changing marine ecosystems changing ocean chemistry chemoautotroph chl a chlorophyll circulation climate change CO2 coastal and estuarine coastal carbon fluxes coastal ocean coastal oceans cobalt community composition conservation cooling effect copepod coral reefs currents DCM decomposers deep convection deep ocean deep sea coral depth diatoms DIC dimethylsulfide DOC domoic acid dust earth system models eddy Education Ekman transport emissions ENSO enzyme equatorial regions estuarine and coastal carbon fluxes estuary EXPORTS filter feeders filtration rates fish Fish carbon fisheries floats fluid dynamics fluorescence food web food webs forams freshening frontal zone future oceans geochemistry geoengineering GEOTRACES glaciers gliders global carbon budget global warming go-ship greenhouse gas Greenland Gulf of Maine Gulf of Mexico Gulf Stream gyre harmful algal bloom high latitude human impact hydrothermal hypoxia ice age ice ages ice cores ice cover industrial onset iron iron fertilization isotopes katabatic winds kelvin waves kuroshio larvaceans lateral transport lidar ligands mangroves marine boundary layer marine snowfall marshes meltwater mesopelagic mesoscale metagenome metals methane microbes microlayer microorganisms microscale microzooplankton midwater mixed layer mixotrophy modeling models mode water formation molecular diffusion MPT multi-decade NASA net community production new technology nitrogen nitrogen fixation nitrous oxide north atlantic north pacific nutricline nutrient budget nutrient cycling nutrient flux nutrient limitation nutrients OA ocean-atmosphere ocean acidification ocean carbon uptake & storage ocean carbon uptake and storage ocean color ocean observatories ODZ oligotrophic omics OMZ open ocean optics organic particles overturning circulation oxygen pacific pacific ocean paleoceanography particle flux particulate organic carbon pCO2 PDO pH phosphorus photosynthesis physical processes physiology phytoplankton plankton POC polar regions pollutants prediction primary production primary productivity productivity pteropods radioisotopes remineralization remote sensing residence time resource management respiration rivers Rossby waves Ross Sea ROV salinity salt marsh satellite scale seafloor seagrass sea ice sea level rise seasonal patterns sediments sensors shelf system ship-based observations sinking particles size SOCCOM sources and sinks southern ocean south pacific speciation species oscillations subduction submesoscale subpolar subtropical subtropical gyres subtropical mode water surface ocean surface water teleconnections temperature thermohaline thorium tidal time-series time of emergence top predators trace element trace elements trace metals trait-based transfer efficiency transient features trophic transfer tropical turbulence twilight zone upper ocean upper water column upwelling US CLIVAR validation velocity gradient ventilation vertical flux vertical migration vertical transport vertical transport/flux volcano western boundary currents wetlands winter mixing zooplankton

Copyright © 2020 - OCB Project Office, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Rd, MS #25, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA Phone: 508-289-2838  •  Fax: 508-457-2193  •  Email: ocb_news@us-ocb.org

link to nsflink to noaalink to WHOI

Funding for the Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry Project Office is provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The OCB Project Office is housed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.