Satellite-detected fluorescence reveals global physiology of ocean phytoplankton

dc.contributor.author Behrenfeld, Michael J.
dc.contributor.author Westberry, Toby K.
dc.contributor.author Boss, Emmanuel S.
dc.contributor.author O'Malley, Robert T.
dc.contributor.author Siegel, David A.
dc.contributor.author Wiggert, Jerry D.
dc.contributor.author Franz, Bryan A.
dc.contributor.author McClain, Charles R.
dc.contributor.author Feldman, G. C.
dc.contributor.author Doney, Scott C.
dc.contributor.author Moore, J. Keith
dc.contributor.author Dall'Olmo, Giorgio
dc.contributor.author Milligan, A. J.
dc.contributor.author Lima, Ivan D.
dc.contributor.author Mahowald, Natalie M.
dc.date.accessioned 2009-06-22T13:19:00Z
dc.date.available 2009-06-22T13:19:00Z
dc.date.issued 2009-05-08
dc.description © 2009 The Authors. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. The definitive version was published in Biogeosciences 6 (2009): 779-794, doi: 10.5194/bg-6-779-2009 en
dc.description.abstract Phytoplankton photosynthesis links global ocean biology and climate-driven fluctuations in the physical environment. These interactions are largely expressed through changes in phytoplankton physiology, but physiological status has proven extremely challenging to characterize globally. Phytoplankton fluorescence does provide a rich source of physiological information long exploited in laboratory and field studies, and is now observed from space. Here we evaluate the physiological underpinnings of global variations in satellite-based phytoplankton chlorophyll fluorescence. The three dominant factors influencing fluorescence distributions are chlorophyll concentration, pigment packaging effects on light absorption, and light-dependent energy-quenching processes. After accounting for these three factors, resultant global distributions of quenching-corrected fluorescence quantum yields reveal a striking consistency with anticipated patterns of iron availability. High fluorescence quantum yields are typically found in low iron waters, while low quantum yields dominate regions where other environmental factors are most limiting to phytoplankton growth. Specific properties of photosynthetic membranes are discussed that provide a mechanistic view linking iron stress to satellite-detected fluorescence. Our results present satellite-based fluorescence as a valuable tool for evaluating nutrient stress predictions in ocean ecosystem models and give the first synoptic observational evidence that iron plays an important role in seasonal phytoplankton dynamics of the Indian Ocean. Satellite fluorescence may also provide a path for monitoring climate-phytoplankton physiology interactions and improving descriptions of phytoplankton light use efficiencies in ocean productivity models. en
dc.description.sponsorship This work was supported by grants from the NASA Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program and the NSF Biological Oceanography Program. en
dc.format.mimetype application/pdf
dc.identifier.citation Biogeosciences 6 (2009): 779-794 en
dc.identifier.doi 10.5194/bg-6-779-2009
dc.identifier.uri https://hdl.handle.net/1912/2854
dc.language.iso en_US en
dc.publisher Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union en
dc.relation.uri https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-6-779-2009
dc.rights Attribution 3.0 Unported *
dc.rights.uri http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ *
dc.title Satellite-detected fluorescence reveals global physiology of ocean phytoplankton en
dc.type Article en
dspace.entity.type Publication
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