Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry
Studying marine ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles in the face of environmental change
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Archive for Slider Headlines

Applications open for OCB Working Group on Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR)

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Friday, March 10th, 2023 

As discussed in the January 2023 mCDR webinar (recording), a key outcome of the OCB mCDR workshop in Sept. 2022 will be a topical working group. Working Group members will facilitate the connection of scientists with industry representatives, entrepreneurs, foundations, nonprofits and other scientists across disciplines and career stages through the establishment ofregional node mCDR activities around the US. WG members will serve as regional team leaders who will plan and convene regional stakeholder meetings to initiate information exchange, community building, and collaboration (learn more here). We emphasize that the planning and implementation of the nodes will be open-ended, collaborative, and iterative, allowing regional nodes to learn from each other but also tailor their needs to their specific groups. We are seeking a range of expertise, career stage, and sector representation in the WG membership. We anticipate a duration of ~2 years for this WG. If you are interested in applying to serve on this Working Group, please APPLY HERE by April 14. The lead organizers will review the applications and inform applicants by the end of April.

Webinar & Benthic Ecosystem and Carbon Synthesis Working Group

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Monday, March 6th, 2023 

First webinar March 14, 11am EST:

  • Presentation by Cristina Schultz and Jessica Luo introducing the BECS working group in the context of past OCB efforts
  • Talk by Jack Middelburg, Professor of Geosciences at Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Dr. Middelburg is a Professor of General Geochemistry in the Department of Earth Sciences at  Utrecht University. He is also the current Director of Research for Earth Sciences. He is internationally recognised and awarded as a leading researcher in the aquatic sciences. Among other distinctions, he received the ASLO Hutchinson Award and the Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal by the EGU in honor of his outstanding scientific contributions. He is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences KNAW and was recently elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

Dr. Middelburg is an international leader on ocean biogeochemical cycles, particularly sedimentary inorganic cycles and benthic ecosystems. He has agreed to give the inaugural webinar of the BECS working group to provide a synthesis overview of benthic biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems.

REGISTER

Learn more about the Benthic Ecosystem and Carbon Synthesis Working Group

 

Apply to new OCB Operational Phytoplankton Observations Working Group

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Monday, March 6th, 2023 

Participate in a working group to develop standards and best practices for the collection and assessment of Operational Phytoplankton Observations (OPO) using particle imaging instruments (PII). As PII technology has matured in recent years, it is becoming a more routine sampling component of ocean observing programs and networks (e.g., Bio-GO-SHIP). We are looking to gather a broad range of subject matter experts that include phytoplankton image data producers, image and data analysts, and data users to form the core membership of the OPO Working Group.

The goal of this activity is to develop a set of standards and best practices for both the collection and downstream processing of phytoplankton images produced by PIIs. These best practices will result in consistent, quantitative observations of phytoplankton taxonomy and biomass.

The OPO Working Group will identify challenges associated with quantitative sampling of phytoplankton due to:

1) Different oceanic provinces and biomass levels (e.g., coastal, open ocean)

2) Aquatic sampling techniques (e.g., bottle, underway), profiling or towed technologies, ocean observatories (moorings)

3) Operational differences between current phytoplankton imaging instruments (PIIs) and analysis tools.

The OPO Working Group will develop recommendations for specific instruments and sampling techniques to ensure that phytoplankton measurements are consistent, robust, and quantitative. These guidelines will be published as a peer-reviewed paper for distribution to the broader community, and our goal will be to seek endorsement from the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) for the best practices recommendations that emerge from this activity. Additionally, the best practices recommendations will be archived as a document in the Ocean Best Practices System repository.

We will convene two in-person working group meetings August 2-4, 2023, and early 2024, along with asynchronous online activities in preparation for the in-person meetings. OPO Working Group members will also participate in regular synchronous virtual meetings occurring between the in-person meetings. Our intention is to create a working group that is inclusive of participants from all backgrounds and a range of career stages.

More detailed information about planned working group activities and the application form to participate in the working group are now available here. Apply by March 27th, 2023.

Application form can be accessed here.

For those who are interested in this activity and its outcomes but who are not able to commit the time to participate in this working group, we will continue to provide updates to the full community about working group progress and products, including at the in-person meeting associated with the 2024 Ocean Science meeting, and the 2024 OCB summer workshop.

Learn more

OCB to sponsor early career participation in 2023 Cornell Satellite Remote Sensing Summer Course

Posted by hbenway 
· Wednesday, February 15th, 2023 

2023 Cornell Satellite Remote Sensing Training Program

June 5-16, 2023 (Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY)

The Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry (OCB) Program will support five US-based students or postdocs to participate in this course, including tuition, housing, and a travel stipend. To apply for support, please send your 2-page CV (NSF biosketch format) and a brief statement of interest (1 page max) to the OCB Project Office (hbenway@whoi.edu) by March 17, 2023. The statement should describe your interest in the course and its potential to enhance your research and your professional development. Application materials will be reviewed by the OCB Project Office, OCB Scientific Steering Committee leadership, and the course organizer Bruce Monger (Cornell Univ.). Please bear in mind that this is a full immersion class and participation for the entire 2 weeks is required. Visit the course website (http://oceanography.eas.cornell.edu/satellite) for more information about the course content. If you have additional questions about the course, please contact course organizer Bruce Monger (bcm3@cornell.edu).

 

 

Small particles contribute significantly to the biological carbon pump in the subpolar North Atlantic

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Monday, February 13th, 2023 

The ocean’s biological carbon pump (BCP) is a collection of processes that transport organic carbon from the surface to the deep ocean where the carbon is sequestered for decades to millennia. Variations in the strength of the BCP can substantially change atmospheric CO2 levels and affect the global climate. It is important to accurately estimate this carbon flux, but direct measurement is difficult so this remains a challenge.

Figure 1. (a) A schematic illustrating the downward transport of small and large POC into the deep ocean and the subsequent remineralization and fragmentation which breaks large POC into small POC. (b) Trajectories of BGC-Argo float segments. (c) Relative contributions to the annually averaged vertical carbon flux show the dominant role of gravitational sinking flux of large POC as well as the significant contributions from small POC at 100 m due to different mechanisms and at 600 m due to fragmentation.

A recent paper published in Limnology and Oceanography performed a novel mass budget analysis using observations of dissolved oxygen and particulate organic carbon (POC) from BGC-Argo floats in the subpolar North Atlantic. The authors assessed relative importance of different mechanisms contributing to the BCP and related processes, the sinking velocity and remineralization rate of different particle size classes as well as the rate of fragmentation which breaks large particles into smaller ones. Results suggest that on annual timescales, the gravitational settling of large POC is the dominant mechanism. Small POC supplements the vertical carbon flux at 100 m significantly, through various mechanisms, and contributes to carbon sequestration below 600 m due to fragmentation of large POC. In addition, sensitivity experiments highlight the importance of considering remineralization and fragmentation when estimating the vertical carbon flux of small POC.

This novel method provides additional independent constraints on current estimates and improves our mechanistic understanding of the BCP. In addition, it demonstrates the great potential of BGC-Argo float data for studying the biological carbon pump.

 

Authors:
Bin Wang (Dalhousie University)
Katja Fennel (Dalhousie University)

An expanding understanding of Southern Ocean productivity and export

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Monday, February 13th, 2023 

Biology in the Southern Ocean is known to help regulate Earth’s climate by capturing and eventually sequestering carbon from its surface. Unfortunately, accurate estimates of the magnitude of the Southern Ocean (SO) biological carbon sink are limited and subject to ongoing debate. However, a recently published study used the expanding Southern Ocean BGC-Argo fleet to provide new estimates of SO Annual Net Community Production (ANCP) and export production.

Over long enough time and space scales (>1000 km and seasons), ANCP is equal to the amount of carbon fixed during photosynthesis that is not remineralized in the surface layer. What remains is available to be exported to depth. As this organic matter sinks out of the surface ocean, most of it is eventually remineralized by bacteria, leaving behind a signature of depleted oxygen. With enough floats, basin-scale ANCP can be estimated from the seasonal oxygen drawdown measured across their profiles. While similar studies have been carried out on single floats, here, the authors construct a composite of all available profiles and include a greater depth range than previously considered.

Figure 1. All available BGC-ARGO float profiles (25,512) were used to create an A) ensemble seasonal cycle in surface chlorophyll and sub-surface oxygen. B) Annual Net Community Production (ANCP) was then estimated by computing the depth-integrated oxygen depletion during the productive period. C) ANCP was estimated across 12 major regions, separated by the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic basins and Subantarctic (SAZ), Polar (PFZ), Antarctic (AZ), and Southern (S) frontal zones. Each region used 100s-1000s of individual float profiles (color-coded scatter points).

Results from this novel approach estimate SO ANCP (and ~export) at 3.89 GT C year-1, with basin-scale regional estimates as much as a factor 2.8 larger than previous studies. Moreover, nearly 30% of remineralization was measured at depths not typically considered, with 14% below 500 m and another 15% immediately below the euphotic depth but above 100 m. These values suggest a more critical role for the Southern Ocean in regulating oceanic carbon storage, atmospheric CO2 exchange, and climate than previously thought.

 

Authors:
Jiaoyang Su (University of Tasmania, Australia)
Christina Schallenberg (University of Tasmania, and Australian Antarctic Program Partnership)
Tyler Rohr (Australian Antarctic Program Partnership)
Peter G. Strutton (University of Tasmania, Australia)
Helen E. Phillips (University of Tasmania, and Australian Antarctic Program Partnership)

OCB2023 Plenary Sessions

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Wednesday, January 4th, 2023 

OCB2023 Summer Workshop
June 12-15, 2023

The 2023 OCB Summer Workshop will be held in person June 12-15, 2023 at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Still seeking interested students and postdocs to help organize this year's OCB summer workshop plenary sessions! https://forms.gle/HbpXKkZh2azaq2yg6  Please submit your expression of interest by Jan. 23!

The OCB2023 plenary sessions:  

  • Marginal sea carbon cycle in the Anthropocene
  • Role of deltaic sediments in regulating biogeochemical cycles
  • Quantifying marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) efficacy and uncertainty
  • Marine biodiversity and ecosystem resilience
  • Sustained observations of global ocean biology

Follow and contribute to the workshop conversation on Twitter using #OCB2023

NEW OCB-relevent meeting session list

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Sunday, December 4th, 2022 

Are you organizing a session at an ASLO, OSM, AGU, or other large meeting? Submit your OCB-relevent session via this new OCB form to share them with the community.

Are you looking to submit an abstract to present at one of these meetings? View the session compilation with descriptions, deadlines and more information here: https://tinyurl.com/OCB-related-sessions

 

Ocean Carbon Exchange

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Thursday, October 17th, 2019 

Find jobs, funding and student opps, read news from the OCB Project Office, community and partner organizations, view upcoming meeting and deadlines and more in the Ocean Carbon Exchange eNewsletter, sent every other Thursday. Read the latest issue and sign up here. Please send announcements to ocb_news@whoi.edu.

 

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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.