scholarly journals Modelling the processes driving <i>Trichodesmium</i> sp. spatial distribution and biogeochemical impact in the tropical Pacific Ocean

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyril Dutheil ◽  
Olivier Aumont ◽  
Thomas Gorguès ◽  
Anne Lorrain ◽  
Sophie Bonnet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Dinitrogen Fixation ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Biogeochemical Models

Abstract. Dinitrogen fixation is now recognized as one of the major sources of bio-available nitrogen in the ocean. Thus, nitrogen fixation sustains a significant part of the global primary production by providing an input of the most common limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth. Evidences of the Western Tropical South Pacific being a hotspot of nitrogen fixation, and a data coverage complemented by OUTPACE, lead us to develop an explicit nitrogen fixation compartment based on the Trichodesmium physiology (the most studied nitrogen fixer) within a 3D coupled dynamical-biogeochemical model (ROMS-PISCES). We performed a first 20-year tropical Pacific simulation that is able to reproduce the main physical (e.g. Sea Surface Temperature) and biogeochemical conditions (nutrients, and chlorophyll concentrations as well as dinitrogen fixation). This simulation showed a possible Trichodesmium regional distribution that extends from 150° E to 120° W in the south tropical Pacific, and from 120° E to 140° W in the north tropical Pacific. The local simulated maximums were around islands (Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, New Caledonia, Vanuatu). We assessed that 15 % of the total primary production may be due to Trichodesmium in the Low Nutrient, Low Chlorophyll regions (LNLC). We also argue that implicit parameterization of N2 fixation (often used in biogeochemical models) leads to underestimate nitrogen fixation rates by about 25% in LNLC regions compared to our explicit formulation. Finally, we showed that iron fluxes from island sediments control the spatial distribution and the abundance of Trichodesmium in the western tropical south Pacific. Noteworthy, this last result does not take into account the iron supply from rivers and hydrothermal sources, which may well be of importance in a region known for its strong precipitation rates and volcanic activity.

scholarly journals Modelling N<sub>2</sub> fixation related to <i>Trichodesmium</i> sp.: driving processes and impacts on primary production in the tropical Pacific Ocean

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (14) ◽  
pp. 4333-4352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyril Dutheil ◽  
Olivier Aumont ◽  
Thomas Gorguès ◽  
Anne Lorrain ◽  
Sophie Bonnet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
N2 Fixation ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Available Nitrogen ◽  
Biogeochemical Models ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

Abstract. Dinitrogen fixation is now recognized as one of the major sources of bio-available nitrogen in the ocean. Thus, N2 fixation sustains a significant part of the global primary production by supplying the most common limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth. The “Oligotrophy to UlTra-oligotrophy PACific Experiment” (OUTPACE) improved the data coverage of the western tropical South Pacific, an area recently recognized as a hotspot of N2 fixation. This new development leads us to develop and test an explicit N2 fixation formulation based on the Trichodesmium physiology (the most studied nitrogen fixer) within a 3-D coupled dynamical–biogeochemical model (ROMS-PISCES). We performed a climatological numerical simulation that is able to reproduce the main physical (e.g. sea surface temperature) and biogeochemical patterns (nutrient and chlorophyll concentrations, as well as N2 fixation) in the tropical Pacific. This simulation displayed a Trichodesmium regional distribution that extends from 150∘ E to 120∘ W in the south tropical Pacific, and from 120∘ E to 140∘ W in the north tropical Pacific. The local simulated maximuma were found around islands (Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, New Caledonia, Vanuatu). We assessed that 15 % of the total primary production may be due to Trichodesmium in the low-nutrient low-chlorophyll regions (LNLC) of the tropical Pacific. Comparison between our explicit and the often used (in biogeochemical models) implicit parameterization of N2 fixation showed that the latter leads to an underestimation of N2 fixation rates by about 25 % in LNLC regions. Finally, we established that iron fluxes from island sediments control the spatial distribution of Trichodesmium biomasses in the western tropical South Pacific. Note, this last result does not take into account the iron supply from rivers and hydrothermal sources, which may well be of importance in a region known for its strong precipitation rates and volcanic activity.

scholarly journals Mesozooplankton structure and functioning in the western tropical South Pacific along the 20° parallel south during the OUTPACE survey (February–April 2015)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Carlotti ◽  
Marc Pagano ◽  
Loïc Guilloux ◽  
Katty Donoso ◽  
Valentina Valdés ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Grazing Impact ◽  
Coral Sea ◽  
Carbon Demand ◽  
Excretion Rates ◽  
Density And Biomass

Abstract. This paper presents results on the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of mesozooplankton in the western tropical South Pacific along the 20 °S south visited during austral summer (February–April 2015). By contributing to the interdisciplinary OUTPACE (Oligotrophy to UlTra-oligotrophy PACific Experiment) project (Moutin et al., 2017), the specific aims of this study dedicated to mesozooplankton observations were (1) to document the responses of zooplankton in terms of species diversity, density and biomass along the transect, and (2) to characterize the trophic pathways from primary production to large mesozooplanktonic organisms. Along a West-East transect of 4000 km from New Caledonia to the French Polynesia, 15 short-duration stations (SD-1 to SD-15, 8 hours each) dedicated to a large-scale description, and three long-duration stations (LD-A to LD-C, 5days each), respectively positioned (1) in offshore northern waters of New Caledonia, (2) near Niue Island, and (3) in the subtropical Pacific gyre near the Cook Islands, were sampled with a Bongo Net with 120 μm mesh size net for quantifying mesozooplankton abundance, biomass, community taxonomy and size structure, and size fractionated content of δ15N. Subsequently, the contribution of Diazotroph Derived Nitrogen (DDN (%) to zooplankton δ15N (ZDDN) values at each station was calculated, as well as an estimation of zooplankton carbon demand and grazing impact and of zooplankton excretion rates. The mesozooplankton community showed a general decreasing trend in abundance and biomass from West to East, with a clear drop in the ultra-oligotrophic waters of the subtropical Pacific gyre (LD-C, SD-14 and SD-15). Higher abundance and biomass corresponded to higher primary production of more or less ephemeral blooms linked to complex mesoscale circulation in the Coral Sea and between the longitudes 170–180 °W. Copepods were the most abundant group (68 to 86 % of total abundance), slightly increasing in contribution from west to east while, in parallel, gelatinous plankton decreased (dominated by appendicularians) and other holoplankton. Detritus in the net tow samples represented 20–50 % of the biomass, the lowest and the highest values being obtained in the subtropical Pacific gyre and in the Coral Sea, respectively, linked to the local primary production and the biomass and growth rates of zooplanktonic populations. Taxonomic compositions showed a high degree of similarity across the whole region, however, with a moderate difference in subtropical Pacific gyre. Several copepod taxa, known to have trophic links with Trichodesmium, presented positive relationships with Trichodesmium abundance, such as the Harpacticoids Macrosetella, Microsetella and Miracia, and the Poecilostomatoids Corycaeus and Oncaea. At the LD stations, the populations initially responded to local spring blooms with a large production of larval forms, reflected in increasing abundances but with limited (station LD-A) or no (station LD-A) biomass changes. Diazotrophs contributed up to 67 and 75 % to zooplankton biomass in the western and central Melanesian Archipelago regions respectively, but strongly decreased to an average of 22 % in the subtropical Pacific gyre (GY) and down to 7 % occurring in the most eastern station (SD-15). Using allometric relationships, specific zooplankton ingestion rates were estimated between 0.55 and 0.64 d−1 with the highest mean value at the bloom station (LD-B) and the lowest in GY, whereas estimated weight specific excretion rates ranged between 0.1 and 0.15 d−1 for NH4 and between 0.09 and 9.12 d−1 for PO4. Daily grazing pressure on phytoplankton stocks and daily regeneration by zooplankton were as well estimated for the different regions showing contrasted impacts between MA and GY regions. For the 3 LD stations, it was not possible to find any relationship between the abundance and biomass in the water column and swimmers found in sediment traps. Diel vertical migration of zooplankton, which obviously occurs from observed differences in day and night samples, might strongly influence the community of swimmers in traps.

scholarly journals Seasonal patterns in phytoplankton biomass across the northern and deep Gulf of Mexico: a numerical model study

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 3561-3576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian A. Gomez ◽  
Sang-Ki Lee ◽  
Yanyun Liu ◽  
Frank J. Hernandez Jr. ◽  
Frank E. Muller-Karger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Phytoplankton Biomass ◽  
Mississippi Delta ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Seasonal Patterns ◽  
Biogeochemical Models

Abstract. Biogeochemical models that simulate realistic lower-trophic-level dynamics, including the representation of main phytoplankton and zooplankton functional groups, are valuable tools for improving our understanding of natural and anthropogenic disturbances in marine ecosystems. Previous three-dimensional biogeochemical modeling studies in the northern and deep Gulf of Mexico (GoM) have used only one phytoplankton and one zooplankton type. To advance our modeling capability of the GoM ecosystem and to investigate the dominant spatial and seasonal patterns of phytoplankton biomass, we configured a 13-component biogeochemical model that explicitly represents nanophytoplankton, diatoms, micro-, and mesozooplankton. Our model outputs compare reasonably well with observed patterns in chlorophyll, primary production, and nutrients over the Louisiana–Texas shelf and deep GoM region. Our model suggests silica limitation of diatom growth in the deep GoM during winter and near the Mississippi delta during spring. Model nanophytoplankton growth is weakly nutrient limited in the Mississippi delta year-round and strongly nutrient limited in the deep GoM during summer. Our examination of primary production and net phytoplankton growth from the model indicates that the biomass losses, mainly due to zooplankton grazing, play an important role in modulating the simulated seasonal biomass patterns of nanophytoplankton and diatoms. Our analysis further shows that the dominant physical process influencing the local rate of change of model phytoplankton is horizontal advection in the northern shelf and vertical mixing in the deep GoM. This study highlights the need for an integrated analysis of biologically and physically driven biomass fluxes to better understand phytoplankton biomass phenologies in the GoM.

scholarly journals What prevents nitrogen depletion in the oxygen minimum zone of the eastern tropical South Pacific?

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1113-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Su ◽  
M. Pahlow ◽  
H. Wagner ◽  
A. Oschlies
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Open Ocean ◽  
Nitrogen Depletion ◽  
Biogeochemical Models ◽  
Model Domain ◽  
Limiting Nutrient ◽  
Oxygen Minimum

Abstract. Local coupling between nitrogen fixation and denitrification in current biogeochemical models could result in runaway feedback in open-ocean oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), eventually stripping OMZ waters of all fixed nitrogen. This feedback does not seem to operate at full strength in the ocean, as nitrate does not generally become depleted in open-ocean OMZs. To explore in detail the possible mechanisms that prevent nitrogen depletion in the OMZ of the eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP), we develop a box model with fully prognostic cycles of carbon, nutrients and oxygen in the upwelling region and its adjacent open ocean. Ocean circulation is calibrated with Δ14C data of the ETSP. The sensitivity of the simulated nitrogen cycle to nutrient and oxygen exchange and ventilation from outside the model domain and to remineralization scales inside an OMZ is analysed. For the entire range of model configurations explored, we find that the fixed-N inventory can be stabilized at non-zero levels in the ETSP OMZ only if the remineralization rate via denitrification is slower than that via aerobic respiration. In our optimum model configuration, lateral oxygen supply into the model domain is required at rates sufficient to oxidize at least about one fifth of the export production in the model domain to prevent anoxia in the deep ocean. Under these conditions, our model is in line with the view of phosphate as the ultimate limiting nutrient for phytoplankton, and implies that for the current notion of nitrogen fixation being favoured in N-deficit waters, the water column of the ETSP could even be a small net source of nitrate.

scholarly journals Evolution of primary production and its drivers on the Lebanese coast between 1986 and 2013

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 207-217
Author(s):  
Ali Fadel ◽  
Lama Salameh ◽  
Malak Kanj ◽  
Ahmad Kobaissi
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Controlling Factors ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
Biogeochemical Models ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
Production Dynamics ◽  
Lebanese Coast

AbstractPhysical-biogeochemical models help us to understand the dynamics and the controlling factors of primary production. In this study, the outputs of a validated hydrodynamic and biogeochemical model were used to elucidate the primary production dynamics between 1992 and 2012 for three studied sites on the Lebanese coast: Naqoura, Beirut, and Tripoli. The results showed that primary production presents a homogeneous spatial distribution along the Lebanese coastline. The phytoplankton community has a low optimal temperature. The thermocline develops in March, with maximum stratification in August and fades in October. Chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen and salinity were positively correlated throughout the water column. A significant increasing trend of sea surface temperature was found on the Lebanese coast over 27 years, between 1986 and 2013. Annual averages increased from 22°C in 1986 to 23.1°C in 2013 with the highest recorded average temperature of 23.7 °C in 2010.

scholarly journals Box-modeling of the impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition and benthic remineralization on the nitrogen cycle of the eastern tropical South Pacific

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 14441-14479
Author(s):  
B. Su ◽  
M. Pahlow ◽  
A. Oschlies
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Atmospheric Deposition ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Nitrogen Deposition ◽  
Nitrogen Cycle ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition ◽  
Atmospheric Nitrogen ◽  
Model Domain

Abstract. Both atmospheric deposition and benthic remineralization influence the marine nitrogen cycle, and hence ultimately also marine primary production. The biological and biogeochemical relations of the eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP) to nitrogen deposition, benthic denitrification and phosphate regeneration are analysed in a prognostic box model of the oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in the ETSP. In the model, atmospheric nitrogen deposition based on estimates for the years 2000–2009 is offset by half by reduced N2 fixation, with the other half transported out of the model domain. Both model- and data-based benthic denitrification are found to trigger nitrogen fixation, partly compensating for the NO3− loss. Since phosphate is the ultimate limiting nutrient in the model, enhanced sedimentary phosphate regeneration under suboxic conditions stimulates primary production and subsequent export production and NO3− loss in the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). A sensitivity analysis of the local response to both atmospheric deposition and benthic remineralization indicates dominant stabilizing feedbacks in the ETSP, which tend to keep a balanced nitrogen inventory, i.e., nitrogen input by atmospheric deposition is counteracted by decreasing nitrogen fixation; NO3− loss via benthic denitrification is partly compensated by increased nitrogen fixation; enhanced nitrogen fixation stimulated by phosphate regeneration is partly removed by the stronger water-column denitrification. Even though the water column in our model domain acts as a NO3− source, the ETSP including benthic denitrification might become a NO3− sink.

scholarly journals Linkage Between Dinitrogen Fixation and Primary Production in the Oligotrophic South Pacific Ocean

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 1028-1044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takuhei Shiozaki ◽  
Deniz Bombar ◽  
Lasse Riemann ◽  
Mitsuhide Sato ◽  
Fuminori Hashihama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Dinitrogen Fixation ◽  
South Pacific Ocean

scholarly journals Biogeochemical versus ecological consequences of modeled ocean physics

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Clayton ◽  
Stephanie Dutkiewicz ◽  
Oliver Jahn ◽  
Christopher Hill ◽  
Patrick Heimbach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Phytoplankton Biomass ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Zooplankton Biomass ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Biogeochemical Models

Abstract. Regional and idealized modeling studies have shown that increasing the physical resolution of biogeochemical models to include mesoscale and submesoscale dynamics can result in both increases and decreases in phytoplankton biomass and primary production, as well as changes in phytoplankton community structure. Here we present a systematic study of the differences generated by coupling the same ecological-biogeochemical model to a 1°, coarse-resolution, and 1/6°, eddy-permitting, global ocean circulation model. Surprisingly, we find that the modeled phytoplankton community is largely unchanged, with the same phenotypes dominating in both cases. Conversely, there are large regional variations in integrated primary production, phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass. In the subtropics, mixed layer depths are, on average, deeper in the eddy-permitting model, resulting in higher nutrient supply driving increases in primary production and phytoplankton biomass. In the higher latitudes, deeper spring mixed layer depths in the eddy-permitting model result in increased light limitation during the spring bloom. Counter-intuitively, this does not drive a decrease in phytoplankton biomass, but is reflected in decreased primary production and zooplankton biomass. We explain these similarities and differences in the model using the framework of resource competition theory, and find that they are the consequence of changes in the regional and seasonal nutrient supply and light environment, mediated by differences in the modeled mixed layer depths. Although previous work has suggested that complex models may respond chaotically and unpredictably to changes in forcing, we find that our model responds in a predictable way to different ocean circulation forcing, despite its complexity.

scholarly journals Silicon cycle in the Tropical South Pacific: evidence for an active pico-sized siliceous plankton

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Leblanc ◽  
Véronique Cornet ◽  
Peggy Rimmelin-Maury ◽  
Olivier Grosso ◽  
Sandra Hélias-Nunige ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chlorophyll A ◽  
Biogenic Silica ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Biogeochemical Cycle ◽  
Silicon Cycle ◽  
Standing Stocks ◽  
Negligible Contribution

Abstract. This article presents data regarding the Si biogeochemical cycle during two oceanographic cruises conducted in the Southern Tropical Pacific (BIOSOPE and OUTPACE cruises) in 2005 and 2015. It involves the first Si stock measurements in this understudied region, encompassing various oceanic systems from New Caledonia to the Chilean upwelling between 8 and 34° S. Some of the lowest levels of biogenic silica standing stocks ever measured were found in this area, notably in the Southern Pacific Gyre, where Chlorophyll a concentrations are most depleted worldwide. Integrated biogenic silica stocks are as low as 1.08 ± 0.95 mmol m−2, and are the lowest stocks measured in the Southern Pacific. Size-fractionated biogenic silica concentrations revealed a non-negligible contribution of the pico-sized fraction (

scholarly journals A skill assessment of the biogeochemical model REcoM2 coupled to the finite element sea-ice ocean model (FESOM 1.3)

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 4153-4249
Author(s):  
V. Schourup-Kristensen ◽  
D. Sidorenko ◽  
D. A. Wolf-Gladrow ◽  
C. Völker
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Biogeochemical Models ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean

Abstract. In coupled ocean-biogeochemical models, the choice of numerical schemes in the ocean circulation component can have a large influence on the distribution of the biological tracers. Biogeochemical models are traditionally coupled to ocean general circulation models (OGCMs), which are based on dynamical cores employing quasi regular meshes, and therefore utilize limited spatial resolution in a global setting. An alternative approach is to use an unstructured-mesh ocean model, which allows variable mesh resolution. Here, we present initial results of a coupling between the Finite Element Sea-ice Ocean Model (FESOM) and the biogeochemical model REcoM2, with special focus on the Southern Ocean. Surface fields of nutrients, chlorophyll a and net primary production were compared to available data sets with focus on spatial distribution and seasonal cycle. The model produced realistic spatial distributions, especially regarding net primary production and chlorophyll a, whereas the iron concentration became too low in the Pacific Ocean. The modelled net primary production was 32.5 Pg C yr−1 and the export production 6.1 Pg C yr−1. This is lower than satellite-based estimates, mainly due to the excessive iron limitation in the Pacific along with too little coastal production. Overall, the model performed better in the Southern Ocean than on the global scale, though the assessment here is hindered by the lower availability of observations. The modelled net primary production was 3.1 Pg C yr−1 in the Southern Ocean and the export production 1.1 Pg C yr−1. All in all, the combination of a circulation model on an unstructured grid with an ocean biogeochemical model shows similar performance to other models at non-eddy-permitting resolution. It is well suited for studies of the Southern Ocean, but on the global scale deficiencies in the Pacific Ocean would have to be taken into account.

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