Stanley Rachel H. R.

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Stanley

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Rachel H. R.

ORCID

0000-0003-4860-2476

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Ephemeral surface chlorophyll enhancement at the New England shelf break driven by Ekman restratification

(American Geophysical Union, 2021-12-28) Oliver, Hilde ; Zhang, Weifeng G. ; Archibald, Kevin M. ; Hirzel, Andrew ; Smith, Walker O. ; Sosik, Heidi M. ; Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; McGillicuddy, Dennis J.

The Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) hosts a large and productive marine ecosystem supported by high phytoplankton concentrations. Enhanced surface chlorophyll concentrations at the MAB shelf-break front have been detected in synoptic measurements, yet this feature is not present in seasonal means. To understand why, we assess the conditions associated with enhanced surface chlorophyll at the shelf break. We employ in-situ and remote sensing data, and a 2-dimensional model to show that Ekman restratification driven by upfront winds drives ephemerally enhanced chlorophyll concentrations at the shelf-break front in spring. Using 8-day composite satellite-measured surface chlorophyll concentration data from 2003–2020, we constructed a daily running mean (DRM) climatology of the cross-shelf chlorophyll distribution for the northern MAB region. While the frontal enhancement of chlorophyll is apparent in the DRM climatology, it is not captured in the seasonal climatology due to its short duration of less than a week. In-situ measurements of the frontal chlorophyll enhancement reveal that chlorophyll is highest in spring when the shelf-break front slumps offshore from its steep wintertime position causing restratification in the upper part of the water column. Several restratification mechanisms are possible, but the first day of enhanced chlorophyll at the shelf break corresponds to increasing upfront winds, suggesting that the frontal restratification is driven by offshore Ekman transport of the shelf water over the denser slope water. The 2-dimensional model shows that upfront winds can indeed drive Ekman restratification and alleviate light limitation of phytoplankton growth at the shelf-break front.
Nitrogen cycling in the secondary nitrite maximum of the eastern tropical North Pacific off Costa Rica

(John Wiley & Sons, 2015-12-15) Buchwald, Carolyn ; Santoro, Alyson E. ; Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Casciotti, Karen L.

Nitrite is a central intermediate in the marine nitrogen cycle and represents a critical juncture where nitrogen can be reduced to the less bioavailable N2 gas or oxidized to nitrate and retained in a more bioavailable form. We present an analysis of rates of microbial nitrogen transformations in the oxygen deficient zone (ODZ) within the eastern tropical North Pacific Ocean (ETNP). We determined rates using a novel one-dimensional model using the distribution of nitrite and nitrate concentrations, along with their natural abundance nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) isotope profiles. We predict rate profiles for nitrate reduction, nitrite reduction, and nitrite oxidation throughout the ODZ, as well as the contributions of anammox to nitrite reduction and nitrite oxidation. Nitrate reduction occurs at a maximum rate of 25 nM d−1 at the top of the ODZ, at the same depth as the maximum rate of nitrite reduction, 15 nM d−1. Nitrite oxidation occurs at maximum rates of 10 nM d−1 above the secondary nitrite maximum, but also in the secondary nitrite maximum, within the ODZ. Anammox contributes to nitrite oxidation within the ODZ but cannot account for all of it. Nitrite oxidation within the ODZ that is not through anammox is also supported by microbial gene abundance profiles. Our results suggest the presence of nitrite oxidation within the ETNP ODZ, with implications for the distribution and physiology of marine nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, and for total nitrogen loss in the largest marine ODZ.
Impact of recently upwelled water on productivity investigated using in situ and incubation-based methods in Monterey Bay

(John Wiley & Sons, 2017-03-11) Manning, Cara C. ; Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Nicholson, David P. ; Smith, Jason M. ; Pennington, Timothy ; Fewings, Melanie R. ; Squibb, Michael E. ; Chavez, Francisco P.

Photosynthetic conversion of inline image to organic carbon and the transport of this carbon from the surface to the deep ocean is an important regulator of atmospheric inline image. To understand the controls on carbon fluxes in a productive region impacted by upwelling, we measured biological productivity via multiple methods during a cruise in Monterey Bay, California. We quantified net community production and gross primary production from measurements of inline image/Ar and inline image triple isotopes ( inline image), respectively. We simultaneously conducted incubations measuring the uptake of 14C, inline image, and inline image, and nitrification, and deployed sediment traps. At the start of the cruise (Phase 1) the carbon cycle was at steady state and the estimated net community production was 35(10) and 35(8) mmol C m−2 d−1 from inline image/Ar and 15N incubations, respectively, a remarkably good agreement. During Phase 1, net primary production was 96(27) mmol C m−2 d−1 from C uptake, and gross primary production was 209(17) mmol C m−2 d−1 from inline image. Later in the cruise (Phase 2), recently upwelled water with higher nutrient concentrations entered the study area, causing 14C and inline image uptake to increase substantially. Continuous inline image/Ar measurements revealed submesoscale variability in water mass structure and likely productivity in Phase 2 that was not evident from the incubations. These data demonstrate that inline image/Ar and inline image incubation-based NCP estimates can give equivalent results in an N-limited, coastal system, when the nonsteady state inline image fluxes are negligible or can be quantified.
Variations in rates of biological production in the Beaufort Gyre as the arctic changes: Rates from 2011 to 2016

(American Geophysical Union, 2019-04-30) Ji, Brenda Y. ; Sandwith, Zoe O. ; Williams, William J. ; Diaconescu, Oana ; Ji, Rubao ; Li, Yun ; Van Scoy, Emma ; Yamamoto-Kawai, Michiyo ; Zimmermann, Sarah ; Stanley, Rachel H. R.

The Arctic Ocean is experiencing profound environmental changes as the climate warms. Understanding how these changes will affect Arctic biological productivity is key for predicting future Arctic ecosystems and the global CO2 balance. Here we use in situ gas measurements to quantify rates of gross oxygen production (GOP, total photosynthesis) and net community production (NCP, net CO2 drawdown by the biological pump) in the mixed layer in summer or fall from 2011 to 2016 in the Beaufort Gyre. NCP and GOP show spatial and temporal variations with higher values linked with lower concentrations of sea ice and increased upper ocean stratification. Mean rates of GOP range from 8 ± 1 to 54 ± 9 mmol O2·m−2·d−1 with the highest mean rates occurring in summer of 2012. Mean rates of NCP ranged from 1.3 ± 0.2 to 2.9 ± 0.5 mmol O2·m−2·d−1. The mean ratio of NCP/GOP, a measure of how efficiently the ecosystem is recycling its nutrients, ranged from 0.04 to 0.17, similar to ratios observed at lower latitudes. Additionally, a large increase in total photosynthesis that occurred in 2012, a year of historically low sea ice coverage, persisted for many years. Taken together, these data provide one of the most complete characterizations of interannual variations of biological productivity in this climatically important region, can serve as a baseline for future changes in rates of production, and give an intriguing glimpse of how this region of the Arctic may respond to future lack of sea ice.
Quantifying photosynthetic rates of microphytobenthos using the triple isotope composition of dissolved oxygen

(Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, 2013-07) Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Howard, Evan M.

Microphytobenthos are important mediators of nutrient and carbon fluxes in coastal environments. However, quantifying production rates by microphytobenthos is difficult, and existing methods necessitate perhaps erroneous assumptions that dark respiration equals light respiration. Here we present a new method for quantifying photosynthetic rates of microphytobenthos, i.e., gross primary production, by using the triple isotope composition of dissolved oxygen in benthic flux chambers. Because the triple oxygen isotope signature is sensitive to photosynthesis, but not to respiration, this method allows quantification of gross photosynthetic oxygen fluxes by microphytobenthos without assumptions about respiration. We present results from field experiments in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts, that illustrate the method.
Shallow ponds are heterogeneous habitats within a temperate salt marsh ecosystem

(John Wiley & Sons, 2017-06-15) Spivak, Amanda C. ; Gosselin, Kelsey M. ; Howard, Evan M. ; Mariotti, Giulio ; Forbrich, Inke ; Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Sylva, Sean P.

Integrating spatial heterogeneity into assessments of salt marsh biogeochemistry is becoming increasingly important because disturbances that reduce plant productivity and soil drainage may contribute to an expansion of shallow ponds. These permanently inundated and sometimes prominent landscape features can exist for decades, yet little is known about pond biogeochemistry or their role in marsh ecosystem functioning. We characterized three ponds in a temperate salt marsh (MA, USA) over alternating periods of tidal isolation and flushing, during summer and fall, by evaluating the composition of plant communities and organic matter pools and measuring surface water oxygen, temperature, and conductivity. The ponds were located in the high marsh and had similar depths, temperatures, and salinities. Despite this, they had different levels of suspended particulate, dissolved, and sediment organic matter and abundances of phytoplankton, macroalgae, and Ruppia maritima. Differences in plant communities were reflected in pond metabolism rates, which ranged from autotrophic to heterotrophic. Integrating ponds into landcover-based estimates of marsh metabolism resulted in slower rates of net production (−8.1 ± 0.3 to −15.7 ± 0.9%) and respiration (−2.9 ± 0.5 to −10.0 ± 0.4%), compared to rates based on emergent grasses alone. Seasonality had a greater effect on pond water chemistry, organic matter pools, and algal abundances than tidal connectivity. Alternating stretches of tidal isolation and flushing did not affect pond salinities or algal communities, suggesting that exchange between ponds and nearby creeks was limited. Overall, we found that ponds are heterogeneous habitats and future expansion could reduce landscape connectivity and the ability of marshes to capture and store carbon.
Nutrient enrichment induces dormancy and decreases diversity of active bacteria in salt marsh sediments

(Nature Publishing Group, 2016-09-26) Kearns, Patrick J. ; Angell, John H. ; Howard, Evan M. ; Deegan, Linda A. ; Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Bowen, Jennifer L.

Microorganisms control key biogeochemical pathways, thus changes in microbial diversity, community structure and activity can affect ecosystem response to environmental drivers. Understanding factors that control the proportion of active microbes in the environment and how they vary when perturbed is critical to anticipating ecosystem response to global change. Increasing supplies of anthropogenic nitrogen to ecosystems globally makes it imperative that we understand how nutrient supply alters active microbial communities. Here we show that nitrogen additions to salt marshes cause a shift in the active microbial community despite no change in the total community. The active community shift causes the proportion of dormant microbial taxa to double, from 45 to 90%, and induces diversity loss in the active portion of the community. Our results suggest that perturbations to salt marshes can drastically alter active microbial communities, however these communities may remain resilient by protecting total diversity through increased dormancy.
Gross and net production during the spring bloom along the Western Antarctic Peninsula

( 2014-10) Goldman, Johanna A. L. ; Kranz, Sven A. ; Young, Jodi N. ; Tortell, Philippe D. ; Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Bender, Michael L. ; Morel, Francois M. M.

This study explores some of the physiological mechanisms responsible for high productivity near the shelf in the Western Antarctic Peninsula despite a short growing season and cold temperature. We measured gross and net primary production at Palmer Station during the summer 2012/2013 via three different techniques: 1) incubation with H218O; 2) incubation with 14CO2; and 3) in situ measurements of O2/Ar and triple oxygen isotope. Additional laboratory experiments were performed with the psychrophilic diatom Fragilariopsis cylindrus. During the spring bloom, which accounted for more than half of the seasonal gross production at Palmer Station, the ratio of net to gross production reached a maximum greater than ~60%, among the highest ever reported. The use of multiple-techniques showed that these high ratios resulted from low heterotrophic respiration and very low daylight autotrophic respiration. Laboratory experiments revealed a similar ratio of net to gross O2 production in F.cylindrus and provided the first experimental evidence for an important level of cyclic electron flow (CEF) in this organism. The low ratio of community respiration to gross primary production observed during the bloom at Palmer Station may be characteristic of high latitude coastal ecosystems and partially supported by a very active CEF in psychrophilic phytoplankton.
Submesoscale hotspots of productivity and respiration : insights from high-resolution oxygen and fluorescence sections

( 2017-10) Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; McGillicuddy, Dennis J. ; Sandwith, Zoe O. ; Pleskow, Haley M.

Modeling studies have shown that mesoscale and submesoscale processes can stimulate phytoplankton productivity and export production. Here, we present observations from an undulating, towed Video Plankton Recorder (VPR-II) in the tropical Atlantic. The VPR-II collected profiles of oxygen, fluorescence, temperature and salinity in the upper 140 m of the water column at a spatial resolution of 1 m in the vertical and <2 km in the horizontal. The data reveal remarkable "hotspots", i.e. locations 5 to 10 km wide which have elevated fluorescence and decreased oxygen, both of which are likely the result of intense submesoscale upwelling. Based on estimates of source water, estimated from identical temperature and salinity surfaces, hotspots are more often areas of net respiration than areas of net production — although the inferred changes in oxygen are subject to uncertainty in the determination of the source of the upwelled waters since the true source water may not have been sampled. We discuss the spatial distribution of these hotspots and present a conceptual model outlining their possible generation and decline. Simultaneous measurements of O2/Ar in the mixed layer from a shipboard mass spectrometer provide estimates of rates of surface net community production. We find that the subsurface biological hotspots are often expressed as an increase in mixed layer rates of net community production. Overall, the large number of these hotspots support the growing evidence that submesoscale processes are important drivers in upper ocean biological production.
Changes in gross oxygen production, net oxygen production, and air-water gas exchange during seasonal ice melt in Whycocomagh Bay, a Canadian estuary in the Bras d'or Lake system

(European Geosciences Union, 2019-09-05) Manning, Cara C. ; Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Nicholson, David P. ; Loose, Brice ; Lovely, Ann ; Schlosser, Peter ; Hatcher, Bruce G.

Sea ice is an important control on gas exchange and primary production in polar regions. We measured net oxygen production (NOP) and gross oxygen production (GOP) using near-continuous measurements of the O2∕Ar gas ratio and discrete measurements of the triple isotopic composition of O2, during the transition from ice-covered to ice-free conditions, in Whycocomagh Bay, an estuary in the Bras d'Or Lake system in Nova Scotia, Canada. The volumetric gross oxygen production was 5.4+2.8−1.6 mmol O2 m−3 d−1, similar at the beginning and end of the time series, and likely peaked at the end of the ice melt period. Net oxygen production displayed more temporal variability and the system was on average net autotrophic during ice melt and net heterotrophic following the ice melt. We performed the first field-based dual tracer release experiment in ice-covered water to quantify air–water gas exchange. The gas transfer velocity at >90 % ice cover was 6 % of the rate for nearly ice-free conditions. Published studies have shown a wide range of results for gas transfer velocity in the presence of ice, and this study indicates that gas transfer through ice is much slower than the rate of gas transfer through open water. The results also indicate that both primary producers and heterotrophs are active in Whycocomagh Bay during spring while it is covered in ice.
Quantifying air-sea gas exchange using noble gases in a coastal upwelling zone

(IOPScience, 2016) Manning, Cara C. ; Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Nicholson, David P. ; Squibb, Michael E.

The diffusive and bubble-mediated components of air-sea gas exchange can be quantified separately using time-series measurements of a suite of dissolved inert gases. We have evaluated the performance of four published air-sea gas exchange parameterizations using a five-day time-series of dissolved He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe concentration in Monterey Bay, CA. We constructed a vertical model including surface air-sea gas exchange and vertical diffusion. Diffusivity was measured throughout the cruise from profiles of turbulent microstructure. We corrected the mixed layer gas concentrations for an upwelling event that occurred partway through the cruise. All tested parameterizations gave similar results for Ar, Kr, and Xe; their air-sea fluxes were dominated by diffusive gas exchange during our study. For He and Ne, which are less soluble, and therefore more sensitive to differences in the treatment of bubble-mediated exchange, the parameterizations gave widely different results with respect to the net gas exchange flux and the bubble flux. This study demonstrates the value of using a suite of inert gases, especially the lower solubility ones, to parameterize air-sea gas exchange.
A new automated method for measuring noble gases and their isotopic ratios in water samples

(American Geophysical Union, 2009-05-29) Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Baschek, Burkard ; Lott, Dempsey E. ; Jenkins, William J.

A method is presented for precisely measuring all five noble gases and their isotopic ratios in water samples using multiple programmed multistage cryogenic traps in conjunction with quadrupole mass spectrometry and magnetic sector mass spectrometry. Multiple automated cryogenic traps, including a two-stage cryotrap used for removal of water vapor, an activated charcoal cryotrap used for helium separation, and a stainless steel cryotrap used for neon, argon, krypton, and xenon separation, allow reproducible gas purification and separation. The precision of this method for gas standards is ±0.10% for He, ±0.14% for Ne, ±0.10% for Ar, ±0.14% for Kr, and ±0.17% for Xe. The precision of the isotopic ratios of the noble gases in gas standards are ±1.9‰ for 20Ne/22Ne, ±2.0‰ for 84Kr/86Kr, ±2.5‰ for 84Kr/82Kr, ±0.9‰ for 132Xe/129Xe, and ±1.3‰ for 132Xe/136Xe. The precision of this method for water samples, determined by measurement of duplicate pairs, is ±1% for He, ±0.9% for Ne, ±0.3% for Ar, ±0.3% for Kr, and ±0.2% for Xe. An attached magnetic sector mass spectrometer measures 3He/4He with precisions of ±0.1% for air standards and ±0.14% for water samples.
Gas fluxes and steady state saturation anomalies at very high wind speeds

(American Geophysical Union, 2022-09-25) Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Kinjo, Lumi ; Smith, Andrew W. ; Aldrett, Danielle ; Alt, Helene ; Kopp, Emily ; Krevanko, Callan ; Cahill, Kevin ; Haus, Brian K.

Gas exchange at high wind speeds is not well understood—few studies have been conducted at wind speeds above 20 ms−1 and significant disagreement exists between gas exchange models at high wind speeds. In this study, noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) were measured in 35 experiments in the SUSTAIN wind‐wave tank where the wind speeds ranged from 20 to 50 m s−1 and mechanical waves were generated as monochromatic or with a short‐crested JONSWAP frequency spectrum. Bubble size spectra were determined using shadowgraph imagery and wave statistics were measured using a wave wire array. The steady state saturation anomalies and gas fluxes initially increased as wind speeds increased but then leveled off, similar to prior studies of heat and momentum flux coefficients. Noble gas fluxes and steady state saturation anomalies are correlated most strongly with bubble volumes for the less soluble noble gases and with wind speed and wave Reynolds number for the more soluble noble gases. In the JONSWAP experiments, significant wave height was the most important predictor for gas steady state saturation anomalies with correlation coefficients of greater than 0.92 for He, Ne, and Ar (P < 0.05). Furthermore, invasion fluxes were larger than evasion fluxes when other conditions were similar. Taken together, these lab‐based experiments suggest more attention should be paid to parameterizations based on wave characteristics and bubbles and that current wind‐speed based gas exchange parameterizations should not be applied to conditions with very high wind speeds.
Quantifying seasonal air-sea gas exchange processes using noble gas time-series : a design experiment

(Sears Foundation for Marine Research, 2006-03) Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Jenkins, William J. ; Doney, Scott C.

A multi-year time-series of measurements of five noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) at a subtropical ocean location may allow quantification of air-sea gas exchange parameters with tighter constraints than is currently available by other methods. We have demonstrated this using a one-dimensional upper ocean model forced by 6-hourly NCEP reanalysis winds and heat flux for the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda. We performed ensemble model runs to characterize the response of the modeled noble gas saturation anomalies to a range of air-sea gas exchange parameters. We then used inverse calculations to quantify the sensitivity of the parameters to hypothetical observations. These calculations show that with currently achievable measurement accuracies, noble gas concentrations in the Sargasso Sea could be used to constrain the magnitude of equilibrium gas exchange to ±11%, the magnitude of the total air injection flux to ±14%, and the magnitude of net photosynthetic oxygen production to ±1.5 mol O2 m−2 y−1. Additionally, we can use noble gases to quantify the relative contributions of bubbles that are partially dissolved to bubbles that are completely dissolved. These constraints are based on idealized assumptions and may not fully account for some of the uncertainties in the meteorological data, in lateral transport processes, and in the solubilities of the noble gases. As a limited demonstration, we applied this approach to a time series of He, Ne, Ar, and O2 measurements from the Sargasso Sea from 1985 to 1988 (data from Spitzer, 1989). Due to the limited number of gases measured and the lower accuracy of those measurements, the constraints in this example application are weaker than could be achieved with current capabilities.
Diatom hotspots driven by western boundary current instability

(American Geophysical Union, 2021-05-11) Oliver, Hilde ; Zhang, Weifeng G. ; Smith, Walker O. ; Alatalo, Philip ; Chappell, Phoebe Dreux ; Hirzel, Andrew ; Selden, Corday ; Sosik, Heidi M. ; Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Zhu, Yifan ; McGillicuddy, Dennis J.

Climatic changes have decreased the stability of the Gulf Stream (GS), increasing the frequency at which its meanders interact with the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) continental shelf and slope region. These intrusions are thought to suppress biological productivity by transporting low-nutrient water to the otherwise productive shelf edge region. Here we present evidence of widespread, anomalously intense subsurface diatom hotspots in the MAB slope sea that likely resulted from a GS intrusion in July 2019. The hotspots (at ∼50 m) were associated with water mass properties characteristic of GS water (∼100 m); it is probable that the hotspots resulted from the upwelling of GS water during its transport into the slope sea, likely by a GS meander directly intruding onto the continental slope east of where the hotspots were observed. Further work is required to unravel how increasingly frequent direct GS intrusions could influence MAB marine ecosystems.
A determination of air-sea gas exchange and upper ocean biological production from five noble gases and tritiugenic helium-3

(Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2007-09) Stanley, Rachel H. R.

The five noble gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon) are biologically and chemically inert, making them ideal oceanographic tracers. Additionally, the noble gases have a wide range of solubilities and molecular diffusivities, and thus respond differently to physical forcing. Tritium, an isotope of hydrogen, is useful in tandem with its daughter helium-3 as a tracer for water mass ages. In this thesis, a fourteen month time-series of the five noble gases, helium-3 and tritium was measured at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site. The time-series of five noble gases was used to develop a parameterization of air-sea gas exchange for oligotrophic waters and wind speeds between 0 and 13 m s−1 that explicitly includes bubble processes and that constrains diffusive gas exchange to ± 6% and complete and partial air injection processes to ± 15%. Additionally, the parameterization is based on weeks to seasonal time scales, matching the time scales of many relevant biogeochemical cycles. The time-series of helium isotopes, tritium, argon, and oxygen was used to constrain upper ocean biological production. Specifically, the helium flux gauge technique was used to estimate new production, apparent oxygen utilization rates were used to quantify export production, and euphotic zone seasonal cycles of oxygen and argon were used to determine net community production. The concurrent use of these three methods allows examination of the relationship between the types of production and begins to address a number of apparent inconsistencies in the elemental budgets of carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Evaluating triple oxygen isotope estimates of gross primary production at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series and Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study sites

(American Geophysical Union, 2012-05-08) Nicholson, David P. ; Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Barkan, Eugeni ; Karl, David M. ; Luz, Boaz ; Quay, Paul D. ; Doney, Scott C.

The triple oxygen isotopic composition of dissolved oxygen (17Δ) is a promising tracer of gross oxygen productivity (P) in the ocean. Recent studies have inferred a high and variable ratio of P to 14C net primary productivity (12–24 h incubations) (e.g., P:NPP(14C) of 5–10) using the 17Δ tracer method, which implies a very low efficiency of phytoplankton growth rates relative to gross photosynthetic rates. We added oxygen isotopes to a one-dimensional mixed layer model to assess the role of physical dynamics in potentially biasing estimates of P using the 17Δ tracer method at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) and Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT). Model results were compared to multiyear observations at each site. Entrainment of high 17Δ thermocline water into the mixed layer was the largest source of error in estimating P from mixed layer 17Δ. At both BATS and HOT, entrainment bias was significant throughout the year and resulted in an annually averaged overestimate of mixed layer P of 60 to 80%. When the entrainment bias is corrected for, P calculated from observed 17Δ and 14C productivity incubations results in a gross:net productivity ratio of 2.6 (+0.9 −0.8) at BATS. At HOT a gross:net ratio decreasing linearly from 3.0 (+1.0 −0.8) at the surface to 1.4 (+0.6 −0.6) at depth best reproduced observations. In the seasonal thermocline at BATS, however, a significantly higher gross:net ratio or large lateral fluxes of 17Δ must be invoked to explain 17Δ field observations.
Rates of summertime biological productivity in the Beaufort Gyre : a comparison between the low and record-low ice conditions of August 2011 and 2012

(Elsevier, 2014-04-13) Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Sandwith, Zoe O. ; Williams, William J.

The Arctic Ocean is changing rapidly as the global climate warms but it is not well known how these changes are affecting biological productivity and the carbon cycle. Here we study the Beaufort Gyre region of the Canada Basin in August and use the large reduction in summertime sea ice extent from 2011 to 2012 to investigate potential impacts of climate warming on biological productivity. We use the gas tracers O2/Ar and triple oxygen isotopes to quantify rates of net community production (NCP) and gross oxygen production (GOP) in the gyre. Comparison of the summer of 2011 with the summer of 2012, the latter of which had record low sea ice coverage, is relevant to how biological productivity might change in a seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean. We find that, in the surface waters measured here, GOP in 2012 is significantly greater than in 2011, with the mean basin-wide 2012 GOP = 38 ± 3 mmol O2 m− 2 d− 1 whereas in 2011, mean basin GOP = 16 ± 5 mmol O2 m− 2 d− 1. We hypothesize that this is because the lack of sea ice and consequent increase in light penetration allows photosynthesis to increase in 2012. However, despite the increase in GOP, NCP is the same in the two years; mean NCP in 2012 is 3.0 ± 0.2 mmol O2 m− 2 y− 1 and in 2011 is 3.1 ± 0.2 mmol O2 m− 2 y− 1. This suggests that the heterotrophic community (zooplankton and/or bacteria) increased its activity as well and thus respired the additional carbon produced by the increased photosynthetic production. In both years, stations on the shelf had GOP 3 to 5 times and NCP 2 to 10 times larger than the basin stations. Additionally, we show that in 2011, the NCP/GOP ratio is smallest in regions with highest ice cover, suggesting that the microbial loop was more efficient at recycling carbon in regions where the ice was just starting to melt. These results highlight that although satellite chlorophyll records show, and many models predict, an increase in summertime primary production in the Arctic Basin as it warms, the net amount of carbon processed by the biological pump during summer may not change as a function of ice cover. Thus, a rapid reduction in summertime ice extent may not change the net community productivity or carbon balance in the Beaufort Gyre.
Temporal deconvolution of vascular plant-derived fatty acids exported from terrestrial watersheds

( 2018-09) Vonk, Jorien E. ; Drenzek, Nicholas J. ; Hughen, Konrad A. ; Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; McIntyre, Cameron P. ; Montlucon, Daniel B. ; Giosan, Liviu ; Southon, John R. ; Santos, Guaciara M. ; Druffel, Ellen R. M. ; Andersson, August A. ; Sköld, Martin ; Eglinton, Timothy I.

Relatively little is known about the amount of time that lapses between the photosynthetic fixation of carbon by vascular land plants and its incorporation into the marine sedimentary record, yet the dynamics of terrestrial carbon sequestration have important implications for the carbon cycle. Vascular plant carbon may encounter multiple potential intermediate storage pools and transport trajectories, and the age of vascular plant carbon accumulating in marine sediments will reflect these different predepositional histories. Here, we examine down-core 14C profiles of higher plant leaf waxderived fatty acids isolated from high fidelity sedimentary sequences spanning the socalled “bomb-spike”, and encompassing a ca. 60-degree latitudinal gradient from tropical (Cariaco Basin), temperate (Saanich Inlet), and polar (Mackenzie Delta) watersheds to constrain integrated vascular plant carbon storage/transport times (“residence times”). Using a modeling framework, we find that, in addition to a "young" (conditionally defined as < 50 y) carbon pool, an old pool of compounds comprises 49 to 78 % of the fractional contribution of organic carbon (OC) and exhibits variable ages reflective of the environmental setting. For the Mackenzie Delta sediments, we find a mean age of the old pool of 28 ky (±9.4, standard deviation), indicating extensive pre-aging in permafrost soils, whereas the old pools in Saanich Inlet and Cariaco Basin sediments are younger, 7.9 (±5.0) and 2.4 (±0.50) to 3.2 (±0.54) ky, respectively, indicating less protracted storage in terrestrial reservoirs. The "young" pool showed clear annual contributions for Saanich Inlet and Mackenzie Delta sediments (comprising 24% and 16% of this pool, respectively), likely reflecting episodic transport of OC from steep hillside slopes surrounding Saanich Inlet and annual spring flood deposition in the Mackenzie Delta, respectively. Contributions of 5-10 year old OC to the Cariaco Basin show a short delay of OC inflow, potentially related to transport time to the offshore basin. Modeling results also indicate that the Mackenzie Delta has an influx of young but decadal material (20-30 years of age), pointing to the presence of an intermediate reservoir. Overall, these results show that a significant fraction of vascular plant C undergoes pre-aging in terrestrial reservoirs prior to accumulation in deltaic and marine sediments. The age distribution, reflecting both storage and transport times, likely depends on landscape-specific factors such as local topography, hydrographic characteristics, and mean annual temperature of the catchment, all of which affect the degree of soil buildup and preservation. We show that catchment-specific carbon residence times across landscapes can vary by an order of magnitude, with important implications both for carbon cycle studies and for the interpretation of molecular terrestrial paleoclimate records preserved in sedimentary sequences.
Noble gas constraints on air-sea gas exchange and bubble fluxes

(American Geophysical Union, 2009-11-19) Stanley, Rachel H. R. ; Jenkins, William J. ; Lott, Dempsey E. ; Doney, Scott C.

Air-sea gas exchange is an important part of the biogeochemical cycles of many climatically and biologically relevant gases including CO2, O2, dimethyl sulfide and CH4. Here we use a three year observational time series of five noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) at the Bermuda Atlantic Time series Study (BATS) site in tandem with a one-dimensional upper ocean model to develop an improved parameterization for air-sea gas exchange that explicitly includes separate components for diffusive gas exchange and bubble processes. Based on seasonal timescale noble gas data, this parameterization, which has a 1σ uncertainty of ±14% for diffusive gas exchange and ±29% for bubble fluxes, is more tightly constrained than previous parameterizations. Although the magnitude of diffusive gas exchange is within errors of that of Wanninkhof (1992), a commonly used parameterization, we find that bubble-mediated exchange, which is not explicitly included by Wanninkhof (1992) or many other formulations, is significant even for soluble gases. If one uses observed saturation anomalies of Ar (a gas with similar characteristics to O2) and a parameterization of gas exchange to calculate gas exchange fluxes, then the calculated fluxes differ by ∼240% if the parameterization presented here is used compared to using the Wanninkhof (1992) parameterization. If instead one includes the gas exchange parameterization in a model, then the calculated fluxes differ by ∼35% between using this parameterization and that of Wanninkhof (1992). These differences suggest that the bubble component should be explicitly included in a range of marine biogeochemical calculations that incorporate air-sea gas fluxes.

Stanley Rachel H. R.

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