Arrigo
Kevin R.
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Kevin R.
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PreprintRole of shelfbreak upwelling in the formation of a massive under-ice bloom in the Chukchi Sea( 2014-02) Spall, Michael A. ; Pickart, Robert S. ; Brugler, Eric T. ; Moore, G. W. K. ; Thomas, Leif N. ; Arrigo, Kevin R.In the summer of 2011, an oceanographic survey carried out by the Impacts of Climate on EcoSystems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment (ICESCAPE) program revealed the presence of a massive phytoplankton bloom under the ice near the shelfbreak in the central Chukchi Sea. For most of the month preceding the measurements there were relatively strong easterly winds, providing upwelling favorable conditions along the shelfbreak. Analysis of similar hydrographic data from summer 2002, in which there were no persistent easterly winds, found no evidence of upwelling near the shelfbreak. A two-dimensional ocean circulation model is used to show that sufficiently strong winds can result not only in upwelling of high nutrient water from offshore onto the shelf, but it can also transport the water out of the bottom boundary layer into the surface Ekman layer at the shelf edge. The extent of upwelling is determined by the degree of overlap between the surface Ekman layer and the bottom boundary layer on the outer shelf. Once in the Ekman layer, this high nutrient water is further transported to the surface through mechanical mixing driven by the surface stress. Two model tracers, a nutrient tracer and a chlorophyll tracer, reveal distributions very similar to that observed in the data. These results suggest that the biomass maximum near the shelfbreak during the massive bloom in summer 2011 resulted from an enhanced supply of nutrients upwelled from the halocline seaward of the shelf. The decade long trend in summertime surface winds suggest that easterly winds in this region are increasing in strength and that such bloom events will become more common.
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ArticleLate spring nitrate distributions beneath the ice-covered northeastern Chukchi Shelf(John Wiley & Sons, 2017-09-18) Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Mills, Matthew M. ; Van Dijken, Gert ; Lowry, Kate E. ; Pickart, Robert S. ; Schlitzer, ReinerMeasurements of late springtime nutrient concentrations in Arctic waters are relatively rare due to the extensive sea ice cover that makes sampling difficult. During the SUBICE (Study of Under-ice Blooms In the Chukchi Ecosystem) cruise in May–June 2014, an extensive survey of hydrography and prebloom concentrations of inorganic macronutrients, oxygen, particulate organic carbon and nitrogen, and chlorophyll a was conducted in the northeastern Chukchi Sea. Cold (<−1.5°C) winter water was prevalent throughout the study area, and the water column was weakly stratified. Nitrate (NO3−) concentration averaged 12.6 ± 1.92 μM in surface waters and 14.0 ± 1.91 μM near the bottom and was significantly correlated with salinity. The highest NO3− concentrations were associated with winter water within the Central Channel flow path. NO3− concentrations were much reduced near the northern shelf break within the upper halocline waters of the Canada Basin and along the eastern side of the shelf near the Alaskan coast. Net community production (NCP), estimated as the difference in depth-integrated NO3− content between spring (this study) and summer (historical), varied from 28 to 38 g C m−2 a−1. This is much lower than previous NCP estimates that used NO3− concentrations from the southeastern Bering Sea as a baseline. These results demonstrate the importance of using profiles of NO3− measured as close to the beginning of the spring bloom as possible when estimating local NCP. They also show that once the snow melts in spring, increased light transmission through the sea ice to the waters below the ice could fuel large phytoplankton blooms over a much wider area than previously known.
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DatasetNetCDF model output of 4 circum-Antartic model simulations covering the Antarctic Continental Shelf from ADD TIME(Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2023-02-07) Dinniman, Michael ; Hofmann, Eileen E. ; Arrigo, Kevin R.NetCDF model output of 4 circum-Antartic model simulations covering the Antarctic Continental Shelf from ADD TIME For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/887777
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DatasetNetCDF output for 8 stations using the circum-Antarctic biological model (CIAO) using model output of dFe dyes & physics as input.(Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2021-08-30) Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Hofmann, Eileen E. ; Dinniman, MichaelNetCDF output for 8 stations using the circum-Antarctic biological model (CIAO). Two different scenarios were run, one where meltwater from ice shelves were a source of iron (20 nM) and one where meltwater from ice shelves were set to 0. A previous calculated model (see related dataset) was used as input. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/858663
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ArticleCharacteristics and transformation of Pacific winter water on the Chukchi Sea shelf in late spring(American Geophysical Union, 2019-10-14) Pacini, Astrid ; Moore, G. W. K. ; Pickart, Robert S. ; Nobre, Carolina ; Bahr, Frank B. ; Vage, Kjetil ; Arrigo, Kevin R.Data from a late spring survey of the northeast Chukchi Sea are used to investigate various aspects of newly ventilated winter water (NVWW). More than 96% of the water sampled on the shelf was NVWW, the saltiest (densest) of which tended to be in the main flow pathways on the shelf. Nearly all of the hydrographic profiles on the shelf displayed a two‐layer structure, with a surface mixed layer and bottom boundary layer separated by a weak density interface (on the order of 0.02 kg/m3). Using a polynya model to drive a one‐dimensional mixing model, it was demonstrated that, on average, the profiles would become completely homogenized within 14–25 hr when subjected to the March and April heat fluxes. A subset of the profiles would become homogenized when subjected to the May heat fluxes. Since the study domain contained numerous leads within the pack ice—many of them refreezing—and since some of the measured profiles were vertically uniform in density, this suggests that NVWW is formed throughout the Chukchi shelf via convection within small openings in the ice. This is consistent with the result that the salinity signals of the NVWW along the central shelf pathway cannot be explained solely by advection from Bering Strait or via modification within large polynyas. The local convection would be expected to stir nutrients into the water column from the sediments, which explains the high nitrate concentrations observed throughout the shelf. This provides a favorable initial condition for phytoplankton growth on the Chukchi shelf.
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PreprintThe influence of winter water on phytoplankton blooms in the Chukchi Sea( 2015-06) Lowry, Kate E. ; Pickart, Robert S. ; Mills, Matthew M. ; Brown, Zachary W. ; van Dijken, Gert L. ; Bates, Nicholas R. ; Arrigo, Kevin R.The flow of nutrient-rich winter water (WW) through the Chukchi Sea plays an important and previously uncharacterized role in sustaining summer phytoplankton blooms. Using hydrographic and biogeochemical data collected as part of the ICESCAPE program (June-July 2010-11), we examined phytoplankton bloom dynamics in relation to the distribution and circulation of WW (defined as water with potential temperature ≤ -1.6°C) across the Chukchi shelf. Characterized by high concentrations of nitrate (mean: 12.3 ± 5.13 μmol L-1) that typically limits primary production in this region, WW was correlated with extremely high phytoplankton biomass, with mean chlorophyll a concentrations that were three-fold higher in WW (8.64 ± 9.75 μg L-1) than in adjacent warmer water (2.79 ± 5.58 μg L-1). Maximum chlorophyll a concentrations (~30 μg L-1) were typically positioned at the interface between nutrient-rich WW and shallower, warmer water with more light availability. Comparing satellite-based calculations of open water duration to phytoplankton biomass, nutrient concentrations, and oxygen saturation revealed widespread evidence of under-ice blooms prior to our sampling, with biogeochemical properties indicating that blooms had already terminated in many places where WW was no longer present. Our results suggest that summer phytoplankton blooms are sustained for a longer duration along the pathways of nutrient-rich WW and that biological hotspots in this region (e.g. the mouth of Barrow Canyon) are largely driven by the flow and confluence of these extremely productive pathways of WW that flow across the Chukchi shelf.
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ArticleASPIRE : the Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition(The Oceanography Society, 2012-09) Yager, Patricia L. ; Sherrell, Robert M. ; Stammerjohn, Sharon E. ; Alderkamp, Anne-Carlijn ; Schofield, Oscar M. E. ; Abrahamsen, E. Povl ; Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Bertilsson, Stefan ; Garay, D. Lollie ; Guerrero, Raul ; Lowry, Kate E. ; Moksnes, Per-Olav ; Ndungu, Kuria ; Post, Anton F. ; Randall-Goodwin, Evan ; Riemann, Lasse ; Severmann, Silke ; Thatje, Sven ; van Dijken, Gert L. ; Wilson, StephanieIn search of an explanation for some of the greenest waters ever seen in coastal Antarctica and their possible link to some of the fastest melting glaciers and declining summer sea ice, the Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition (ASPIRE) challenged the capabilities of the US Antarctic Program and RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer during Austral summer 2010–2011. We were well rewarded by both an extraordinary research platform and a truly remarkable oceanic setting. Here we provide further insights into the key questions that motivated our sampling approach during ASPIRE and present some preliminary findings, while highlighting the value of the Palmer for accomplishing complex, multifaceted oceanographic research in such a challenging environment.
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ArticleEarly season depletion of dissolved iron in the Ross Sea polynya : implications for iron dynamics on the Antarctic continental shelf(American Geophysical Union, 2011-12-15) Sedwick, Peter N. ; Marsay, Christopher M. ; Sohst, Bettina M. ; Aguilar-Islas, Ana M. ; Lohan, Maeve C. ; Long, Matthew C. ; Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Dunbar, Robert B. ; Saito, Mak A. ; Smith, Walker O. ; DiTullio, Giacomo R.The Ross Sea polynya is among the most productive regions in the Southern Ocean and may constitute a significant oceanic CO2 sink. Based on results from several field studies, this region has been considered seasonally iron limited, whereby a “winter reserve” of dissolved iron (dFe) is progressively depleted during the growing season to low concentrations (~0.1 nM) that limit phytoplankton growth in the austral summer (December–February). Here we report new iron data for the Ross Sea polynya during austral summer 2005–2006 (27 December–22 January) and the following austral spring 2006 (16 November–3 December). The summer 2005–2006 data show generally low dFe concentrations in polynya surface waters (0.10 ± 0.05 nM in upper 40 m, n = 175), consistent with previous observations. Surprisingly, our spring 2006 data reveal similar low surface dFe concentrations in the polynya (0.06 ± 0.04 nM in upper 40 m, n = 69), in association with relatively high rates of primary production (~170–260 mmol C m−2 d−1). These results indicate that the winter reserve dFe may be consumed relatively early in the growing season, such that polynya surface waters can become “iron limited” as early as November; i.e., the seasonal depletion of dFe is not necessarily gradual. Satellite observations reveal significant biomass accumulation in the polynya during summer 2006–2007, implying significant sources of “new” dFe to surface waters during this period. Possible sources of this new dFe include episodic vertical exchange, lateral advection, aerosol input, and reductive dissolution of particulate iron.
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ArticleThe Atlantic Water boundary current in the Chukchi Borderland and Southern Canada Basin(American Geophysical Union, 2020-07-27) Li, Jianqiang ; Pickart, Robert S. ; Lin, Peigen ; Bahr, Frank B. ; Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Juranek, Laurie W. ; Yang, Xiao‐YiSynoptic shipboard measurements, together with historical hydrographic data and satellite data, are used to elucidate the detailed structure of the Atlantic Water (AW) boundary current system in the southern Canada Basin and its connection to the upstream source of AW in the Chukchi Borderland. Nine high‐resolution occupations of a transect extending from the Beaufort shelf to the deep basin near 152°W, taken between 2003 and 2018, reveal that there are two branches of the AW boundary current that flow beneath and counter to the Beaufort Gyre. Each branch corresponds to a warm temperature core and transports comparable amounts of Fram Strait Branch Water between roughly 200–700 m depth, although they are characterized by a different temperature/salinity (T/S) structure. The mean volume flux of the combined branches is 0.87 ± 0.13 Sv. Using the historical hydrographic data, the two branches are tracked upstream by their temperature cores and T/S signatures. This sheds new light on how the AW negotiates the Chukchi Borderland and why two branches emerge from this region. Lastly, the propagation of warm temperature anomalies through the region is quantified and shown to be consistent with the deduced circulation scheme.
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ArticleUnder-ice phytoplankton blooms inhibited by spring convective mixing in refreezing leads(John Wiley & Sons, 2018-01-07) Lowry, Kate E. ; Pickart, Robert S. ; Selz, Virginia ; Mills, Matthew M. ; Pacini, Astrid ; Lewis, Kate M. ; Joy-Warren, Hannah L. ; Nobre, Carolina ; van Dijken, Gert L. ; Grondin, Pierre-Luc ; Ferland, Joannie ; Arrigo, Kevin R.Spring phytoplankton growth in polar marine ecosystems is limited by light availability beneath ice-covered waters, particularly early in the season prior to snowmelt and melt pond formation. Leads of open water increase light transmission to the ice-covered ocean and are sites of air-sea exchange. We explore the role of leads in controlling phytoplankton bloom dynamics within the sea ice zone of the Arctic Ocean. Data are presented from spring measurements in the Chukchi Sea during the Study of Under-ice Blooms In the Chukchi Ecosystem (SUBICE) program in May and June 2014. We observed that fully consolidated sea ice supported modest under-ice blooms, while waters beneath sea ice with leads had significantly lower phytoplankton biomass, despite high nutrient availability. Through an analysis of hydrographic and biological properties, we attribute this counterintuitive finding to springtime convective mixing in refreezing leads of open water. Our results demonstrate that waters beneath loosely consolidated sea ice (84–95% ice concentration) had weak stratification and were frequently mixed below the critical depth (the depth at which depth-integrated production balances depth-integrated respiration). These findings are supported by theoretical model calculations of under-ice light, primary production, and critical depth at varied lead fractions. The model demonstrates that under-ice blooms can form even beneath snow-covered sea ice in the absence of mixing but not in more deeply mixed waters beneath sea ice with refreezing leads. Future estimates of primary production should account for these phytoplankton dynamics in ice-covered waters.
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ArticleWater mass evolution and circulation of the northeastern Chukchi Sea in summer: Implications for nutrient distributions(American Geophysical Union, 2019-06-07) Lin, Peigen ; Pickart, Robert S. ; McRaven, Leah T. ; Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Bahr, Frank ; Lowry, Kate E. ; Stockwell, Dean A. ; Mordy, Calvin W.Synoptic and historical shipboard data, spanning the period 1981–2017, are used to investigate the seasonal evolution of water masses on the northeastern Chukchi shelf and quantify the circulation patterns and their impact on nutrient distributions. We find that Alaskan coastal water extends to Barrow Canyon along the coastal pathway, with peak presence in September, while the Pacific Winter Water (WW) continually drains off the shelf through the summer. The depth‐averaged circulation under light winds is characterized by a strong Alaskan Coastal Current (ACC) and northward flow through Central Channel. A portion of the Central Channel flow recirculates anticyclonically to join the ACC, while the remainder progresses northeastward to Hanna Shoal where it bifurcates around both sides of the shoal. All of the branches converge southeast of the shoal and eventually join the ACC. The wind‐forced response has two regimes: In the coastal region the circulation depends on wind direction, while on the interior shelf the circulation is sensitive to wind stress curl. In the most common wind‐forced state—northeasterly winds and anticyclonic wind stress curl—the ACC reverses, the Central Channel flow penetrates farther north, and there is mass exchange between the interior and coastal regions. In September and October, the region southeast of Hanna Shoal is characterized by elevated amounts of WW, a shallower pycnocline, and higher concentrations of nitrate. Sustained late‐season phytoplankton growth spurred by this pooling of nutrients could result in enhanced vertical export of carbon to the seafloor, contributing to the maintenance of benthic hotspots in this region.
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ArticleWater properties, heat and volume fluxes of Pacific water in Barrow Canyon during summer 2010(Elsevier, 2015-04-25) Itoh, Motoyo ; Pickart, Robert S. ; Kikuchi, Takashi ; Fukamachi, Yasushi ; Ohshima, Kay I. ; Simizu, Daisuke ; Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Vagle, Svein ; He, Jianfeng ; Ashjian, Carin J. ; Mathis, Jeremy T. ; Nishino, Shigeto ; Nobre, CarolinaOver the past few decades, sea ice retreat during summer has been enhanced in the Pacific sector of the Arctic basin, likely due in part to increasing summertime heat flux of Pacific-origin water from the Bering Strait. Barrow Canyon, in the northeast Chukchi Sea, is a major conduit through which the Pacific-origin water enters the Arctic basin. This paper presents results from 6 repeat high-resolution shipboard hydrographic/velocity sections occupied across Barrow Canyon in summer 2010. The different Pacific water masses feeding the canyon – Alaskan coastal water (ACW), summer Bering Sea water (BSW), and Pacific winter water (PWW) – all displayed significant intra-seasonal variability. Net volume transports through the canyon were between 0.96 and 1.70 Sv poleward, consisting of 0.41–0.98 Sv of warm Pacific water (ACW and BSW) and 0.28–0.65 Sv of PWW. The poleward heat flux also varied strongly, ranging from 8.56 TW to 24.56 TW, mainly due to the change in temperature of the warm Pacific water. Using supplemental mooring data from the core of the warm water, along with wind data from the Pt. Barrow weather station, we derive and assess a proxy for estimating heat flux in the canyon for the summer time period, which is when most of the heat passes northward towards the basin. The average heat flux for 2010 was estimated to be 3.34 TW, which is as large as the previous record maximum in 2007. This amount of heat could melt 315,000 km2 of 1-meter thick ice, which likely contributed to significant summer sea ice retreat in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean.
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ArticleHigh concentrations and turnover rates of DMS, DMSP and DMSO in Antarctic sea ice(American Geophysical Union, 2011-12-14) Asher, Elizabeth C. ; Dacey, John W. H. ; Mills, Matthew M. ; Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Tortell, Philippe D.The vast Antarctic sea-ice zone (SIZ) is a potentially significant source of the climate-active gas dimethylsulfide (DMS), yet few data are available on the concentrations and turnover rates of DMS and the related compounds dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) in sea ice environments. Here we present new measurements characterizing the spatial variability of DMS, DMSP, and DMSO concentrations across the Antarctic SIZ, and results from tracer experiments quantifying the production rates of DMS from various sources. We observed extremely high concentrations (>200 nM) and turnover rates (>100 nM d−1) of DMS in sea-ice brines, indicating intense cycling of DMS/P/O. Our results demonstrate a previously unrecognized role for DMSO reduction as a major pathway of DMS production in Antarctic sea ice.
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ArticleNitrogen limitation of the summer phytoplankton and heterotrophic prokaryote communities in the Chukchi Sea(Frontiers Media, 2018-10-15) Mills, Matthew M. ; Brown, Zachary W. ; Laney, Samuel R. ; Ortega-Retuerta, Eva ; Lowry, Kate E. ; van Dijken, Gert L. ; Arrigo, Kevin R.Major changes to Arctic marine ecosystems have resulted in longer growing seasons with increased phytoplankton production over larger areas. In the Chukchi Sea, the high productivity fuels intense benthic denitrification creating a nitrogen (N) deficit that is transported through the Arctic to the Atlantic Ocean, where it likely fuels N fixation. Given the rapid pace of environmental change and the potentially globally significant N deficit, we conducted experiments aimed at understanding phytoplankton and microbial N utilization in the Chukchi Sea. Ship-board experiments tested the effect of nitrate (NO3-) additions on both phytoplankton and heterotrophic prokaryote abundance, community composition, photophysiology, carbon fixation and NO3- uptake rates. Results support the critical role of NO3- in limiting summer phytoplankton communities to small cells with low production rates. NO3- additions increased particulate concentrations, abundance of large diatoms, and rates of carbon fixation and NO3- uptake by cells >1 μm. Increases in the quantum yield and electron turnover rate of photosystem II in +NO3- treatments suggested that phytoplankton in the ambient dissolved N environment were N starved and unable to build new, or repair damaged, reaction centers. While some increases in heterotrophic prokaryote abundance and production were noted with NO3- amendments, phytoplankton competition or grazers likely dampened these responses. Trends toward a warmer more stratified Chukchi Sea will likely enhance summer oligotrophic conditions and further N starve Chukchi Sea phytoplankton communities.
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ArticleIron supply and demand in an Antarctic shelf ecosystem(John Wiley & Sons, 2015-10-08) McGillicuddy, Dennis J. ; Sedwick, Peter N. ; Dinniman, M. S. ; Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Bibby, Thomas S. ; Greenan, Blair J. W. ; Hofmann, Eileen E. ; Klinck, John M. ; Smith, Walker O. ; Mack, Stefanie L. ; Marsay, Christopher M. ; Sohst, Bettina M. ; van Dijken, Gert L.The Ross Sea sustains a rich ecosystem and is the most productive sector of the Southern Ocean. Most of this production occurs within a polynya during the November–February period, when the availability of dissolved iron (dFe) is thought to exert the major control on phytoplankton growth. Here we combine new data on the distribution of dFe, high-resolution model simulations of ice melt and regional circulation, and satellite-based estimates of primary production to quantify iron supply and demand over the Ross Sea continental shelf. Our analysis suggests that the largest sources of dFe to the euphotic zone are wintertime mixing and melting sea ice, with a lesser input from intrusions of Circumpolar Deep Water and a small amount from melting glacial ice. Together these sources are in approximate balance with the annual biological dFe demand inferred from satellite-based productivity algorithms, although both the supply and demand estimates have large uncertainties.
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DatasetNetCDF model output of the entire state of the surface layer, including simulated dFe dyes, of the circum-Antarctic(Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2020-04-28) Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Dinniman, Michael ; Hofmann, Eileen E.For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/782848
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ArticlePlanetary oceanography: leveraging expertise among earth and planetary science(Oceanography Society, 2022-08-09) German, Christopher R. ; Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Murray, Alison E. ; Rhoden, Alyssa R.The study of planetary oceanography is a new and exciting field of research. While humanity’s formal scientific studies of Earth’s ocean began nearly 150 years ago with the launch of the Challenger Expedition (Thomson et al., 1873), the study of oceans beyond Earth commenced only in this millennium. The first confirmation of an extensive saltwater ocean anywhere beyond Earth came relatively late within the lifetime of NASA’s Galileo mission (1989–2003; Kivelson et al., 2000), but continuing exploration has now revealed compelling evidence for large-volume watery oceans on five ice-covered moons of our outer solar system (Figure 1), with as many as 10–20 candidate moons and dwarf planets also under consideration (Hendrix et al., 2019). Of the five confirmed ocean worlds (Jupiter’s moons Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede; Saturn’s moons Enceladus and Titan), three have oceans so deep that a high-pressure form of ice develops deep within the ocean, beneath the liquid water but overlying any rocky interior (Nimmo and Papallardo, 2016). As a consequence, the watery ocean is trapped within an “ice sandwich.” By contrast, the other two confirmed ocean worlds (Europa and Enceladus) have oceans that are in direct contact with a rocky interior.
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ArticlePhysical controls on the macrofaunal benthic biomass in Barrow Canyon, Chukchi Sea(American Geophysical Union, 2021-04-15) Pickart, Robert S. ; Spall, Michael A. ; Lin, Peigen ; Bahr, Frank B. ; McRaven, Leah T. ; Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Grebmeier, Jacqueline M.A region of exceptionally high macrofaunal benthic biomass exists in Barrow Canyon, implying a carbon export process that is locally concentrated. Here we offer an explanation for this benthic “hotspot” using shipboard data together with a set of dynamical equations. Repeat occupations of the Distributed Biological Observatory transect in Barrow Canyon reveal that when the northward flow is strong and the density front in the canyon is sharp, plumes of fluorescence and oxygen extend from the pycnocline to the seafloor in the vicinity of the hotspot. By solving the quasi-geostrophic omega equation with an analytical flow field fashioned after the observations, we diagnose the vertical velocity in the canyon. This reveals that, as the along stream flow converges into the canyon, it drives a secondary circulation cell with strong downwelling on the cyclonic side of the northward flow. The downwelling quickly advects material from the pycnocline to the seafloor in a vertical plume analogous to those seen in the observations. The plume occurs only when the phytoplankton reside in the pycnocline, since the near-surface vertical velocity is weak, also consistent with the observations. Using a wind-based proxy to represent the strength of the northward flow and hence the pumping, in conjunction with a satellite-derived phytoplankton source function, we construct a time series of carbon supply to the bottom of Barrow Canyon.
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ArticleSatellite sensor requirements for monitoring essential biodiversity variables of coastal ecosystems(John Wiley & Sons, 2018-03-06) Muller-Karger, Frank E. ; Hestir, Erin ; Ade, Christiana ; Turpie, Kevin ; Roberts, Dar A. ; Siegel, David A. ; Miller, Robert J. ; Humm, David ; Izenberg, Noam ; Keller, Mary ; Morgan, Frank ; Frouin, Robert ; Dekker, Arnold G. ; Gardner, Royal ; Goodman, James ; Schaeffer, Blake ; Franz, Bryan A. ; Pahlevan, Nima ; Mannino, Antonio ; Concha, Javier A. ; Ackleson, Steven G. ; Cavanaugh, Kyle C. ; Romanou, Anastasia ; Tzortziou, Maria ; Boss, Emmanuel S. ; Pavlick, Ryan ; Freeman, Anthony ; Rousseaux, Cecile S. ; Dunne, John P. ; Long, Matthew C. ; Salas, Eduardo Klein ; McKinley, Galen A. ; Goes, Joachim I. ; Letelier, Ricardo M. ; Kavanaugh, Maria T. ; Roffer, Mitchell ; Bracher, Astrid ; Arrigo, Kevin R. ; Dierssen, Heidi M. ; Zhang, Xiaodong ; Davis, Frank W. ; Best, Benjamin D. ; Guralnick, Robert P. ; Moisan, John R. ; Sosik, Heidi M. ; Kudela, Raphael M. ; Mouw, Colleen B. ; Barnard, Andrew H. ; Palacios, Sherry ; Roesler, Collin S. ; Drakou, Evangelia G. ; Appeltans, Ward ; Jetz, WalterThe biodiversity and high productivity of coastal terrestrial and aquatic habitats are the foundation for important benefits to human societies around the world. These globally distributed habitats need frequent and broad systematic assessments, but field surveys only cover a small fraction of these areas. Satellite‐based sensors can repeatedly record the visible and near‐infrared reflectance spectra that contain the absorption, scattering, and fluorescence signatures of functional phytoplankton groups, colored dissolved matter, and particulate matter near the surface ocean, and of biologically structured habitats (floating and emergent vegetation, benthic habitats like coral, seagrass, and algae). These measures can be incorporated into Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), including the distribution, abundance, and traits of groups of species populations, and used to evaluate habitat fragmentation. However, current and planned satellites are not designed to observe the EBVs that change rapidly with extreme tides, salinity, temperatures, storms, pollution, or physical habitat destruction over scales relevant to human activity. Making these observations requires a new generation of satellite sensors able to sample with these combined characteristics: (1) spatial resolution on the order of 30 to 100‐m pixels or smaller; (2) spectral resolution on the order of 5 nm in the visible and 10 nm in the short‐wave infrared spectrum (or at least two or more bands at 1,030, 1,240, 1,630, 2,125, and/or 2,260 nm) for atmospheric correction and aquatic and vegetation assessments; (3) radiometric quality with signal to noise ratios (SNR) above 800 (relative to signal levels typical of the open ocean), 14‐bit digitization, absolute radiometric calibration <2%, relative calibration of 0.2%, polarization sensitivity <1%, high radiometric stability and linearity, and operations designed to minimize sunglint; and (4) temporal resolution of hours to days. We refer to these combined specifications as H4 imaging. Enabling H4 imaging is vital for the conservation and management of global biodiversity and ecosystem services, including food provisioning and water security. An agile satellite in a 3‐d repeat low‐Earth orbit could sample 30‐km swath images of several hundred coastal habitats daily. Nine H4 satellites would provide weekly coverage of global coastal zones. Such satellite constellations are now feasible and are used in various applications.
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ArticleThe Pacific water flow branches in the eastern Chukchi Sea(Elsevier, 2023-11-10) Pickart, Robert S. ; Lin, Peigen ; Bahr, Frank B. ; McRaven, Leah T. ; Huang, Jie ; Pacini, Astrid ; Arrigo, Kevin Robert ; Ashjian, Carin J. ; Berchok, Catherine L. ; Baumgartner, Mark F. ; Cho, Kyoungho ; Cooper, Lee W. ; Danielson, Seth L. ; Dasher, Doug H. ; Fuiwara, Amane ; Gann, Jeanette C. ; Grebmeier, Jacqueline M. ; He, Jiangfeng ; Hirawake, Toru ; Itoh, Motoyo ; Juranek, Laurie ; Kikuchi, Takashi ; Moore, G. W. Kent ; Napp, Jeffrey M. ; John Nelson, R. ; Nishino, Shigeto ; Statscewich, Hank ; Stabeno, Phyllis J. ; Stafford, Kathleen M. ; Ueno, Hiromichi ; Vagle, Svein ; Weingartner, Thomas J. ; Williams, Bill ; Zimmermann, Sarah L.The flow of Pacific-origin water across the Chukchi Sea shelf impacts the regional ecosystem in profound ways, yet the two current branches on the eastern shelf that carry the water from Bering Strait to Barrow Canyon – the Alaskan Coastal Current (ACC) and Central Channel (CC) Branch – have not been clearly distinguished or quantified. In this study we use an extensive collection of repeat hydrographic sections occupied at three locations on the Chukchi shelf, together with data from a climatology of shipboard velocity data, to accomplish this. The data were collected predominantly between 2010 and 2020 during the warm months of the year as part of the Distributed Biological Observatory and Arctic Observing Network. The mean sections show that mass is balanced for both currents at the three locations: Bering Strait, Point Hope, and Barrow Canyon. The overall mean ACC transport is 0.34 ± 0.04 Sv, and that of the CC Branch is 0.86 ± 0.11 Sv. The dominant hydrographic variability at Bering Strait is seasonal, but this becomes less evident to the north. At Barrow Canyon, the dominant hydrographic signal is associated with year-to-year variations in sea-ice melt. Farther south there is pronounced mesoscale variability: an empirical orthogonal function analysis at Bering Strait and Point Hope reveals a distinct ACC mode and CC Branch mode in hydrography and baroclinic transport, where the former is wind-driven. Finally, the northward evolution in properties of the two currents is investigated. The poleward increase in salinity of the ACC can be explained by lateral mixing alone, but solar heating together with wind mixing play a large role in the temperature evolution. This same atmospheric forcing also impacts the northward evolution of the CC Branch.