A Conceptual Approach to Partitioning a Vertical Profile of Phytoplankton Biomass Into Contributions From Two Communities.
Robert J W Brewin, Giorgio Dall'Olmo, John Gittings, Xuerong Sun, Priscila K Lange, Dionysios E Raitsos, Heather A Bouman, Ibrahim Hoteit, Jim Aiken, Shubha Sathyendranath
Author Information
Robert J W Brewin: Centre for Geography and Environmental Science College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Cornwall UK. ORCID
Giorgio Dall'Olmo: Plymouth Marine Laboratory Plymouth UK. ORCID
John Gittings: Program of Earth Science and Engineering King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal Saudi Arabia. ORCID
Xuerong Sun: Centre for Geography and Environmental Science College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Cornwall UK. ORCID
Priscila K Lange: Departamento de Meteorologia Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Rio de Janeiro Brazil. ORCID
Dionysios E Raitsos: Department of Biology National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Athens Greece. ORCID
Heather A Bouman: Department of Earth Sciences University of Oxford Oxford UK. ORCID
Ibrahim Hoteit: Program of Earth Science and Engineering King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal Saudi Arabia. ORCID
Jim Aiken: Plymouth Marine Laboratory Plymouth UK.
We describe an approach to partition a vertical profile of chlorophyll-a concentration into contributions from two communities of phytoplankton: one (community 1) that resides principally in the turbulent mixed-layer of the upper ocean and is observable through satellite visible radiometry; the other (community 2) residing below the mixed-layer, in a stably stratified environment, hidden from the eyes of the satellite. The approach is tuned to a time-series of profiles from a Biogeochemical-Argo float in the northern Red Sea, selected as its location transitions from a deep mixed layer in winter (characteristic of vertically well-mixed systems) to a shallow mixed layer in the summer with a deep chlorophyll-a maximum (characteristic of vertically stratified systems). The approach is extended to reproduce profiles of particle backscattering, by deriving the chlorophyll-specific backscattering coefficients of the two communities and a background coefficient assumed to be dominated by non-algal particles in the region. Analysis of the float data reveals contrasting phenology of the two communities, with community 1 blooming in winter and 2 in summer, community 1 negatively correlated with epipelagic stratification, and 2 positively correlated. We observe a dynamic chlorophyll-specific backscattering coefficient for community 1 (stable for community 2), positively correlated with light in the mixed-layer, suggesting seasonal changes in photoacclimation and/or taxonomic composition within community 1. The approach has the potential for monitoring vertical changes in epipelagic biogeography and for combining satellite and ocean robotic data to yield a three-dimensional view of phytoplankton distribution.
