Seasonal Variation in the Correlation Between Anomalies of Sea Level and Chlorophyll in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

Hajoon Song; Matthew C. Long; Peter Gaube; Ivy Frenger; John Marshall; Dennis J. McGillicuddy

doi:10.1029/2017GL076246

Seasonal Variation in the Correlation Between Anomalies of Sea Level and Chlorophyll in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

Hajoon Song, Matthew C. Long, Peter Gaube, Ivy Frenger, John Marshall, Dennis J. McGillicuddy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current has highly energetic mesoscale phenomena, but their impacts on phytoplankton biomass, productivity, and biogeochemical cycling are not understood well. We analyze satellite observations and an eddy-rich ocean model to show that they drive chlorophyll anomalies of opposite sign in winter versus summer. In winter, deeper mixed layers in positive sea surface height (SSH) anomalies reduce light availability, leading to anomalously low chlorophyll concentrations. In summer with abundant light, however, positive SSH anomalies show elevated chlorophyll concentration due to higher iron level, and an iron budget analysis reveals that anomalously strong vertical mixing enhances iron supply to the mixed layer. Features with negative SSH anomalies exhibit the opposite tendencies: higher chlorophyll concentration in winter and lower in summer. Our results suggest that mesoscale modulation of iron supply, light availability, and vertical mixing plays an important role in causing systematic variations in primary productivity over the seasonal cycle.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	5011-5019
Number of pages	9
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	45
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GL076246
Publication status	Published - 2018 May 28

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The altimeter products were produced and distributed by AVISO (http://www.aviso.altimetry.fr/), as part of the Ssalto ground processing segment. The CHL observations are available through NASA MEaSUREs Ocean Color Product Evaluation Project (ftp://ftp.oceancolor.ucsb.edu/). The observational data for the depth of the mixed layer are from Dong et al. (2008) and for iron concentration are from Tagliabue et al. (2014). Computational facilities have been provided by the Climate Simulation Laboratory, which is managed by CISL at NCAR. NCAR is supported by the National Science Foundation. The CESM source code is freely available at http://www2.cesm. ucar.edu. The analysis code for the Fe budget averaged over the mixed layer is available at https://github.com hajsong/tracerbudget. H. S., J. M., and D. J. M. were supported by the NSF MOBY project (OCE-1048926). D. J. M. also acknowledges support from NSF (OCE-1048897) and NASA (NNX13AE47G). In addition, P. G. acknowledges support from NSF (OCE-1558809) and NASA (NNX13AE47G and NNX16AH9G).

Publisher Copyright:
©2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Geophysics
Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)

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10.1029/2017GL076246

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@article{ada1426ec681417aa850d1f8740e6ade,

title = "Seasonal Variation in the Correlation Between Anomalies of Sea Level and Chlorophyll in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current",

abstract = "The Antarctic Circumpolar Current has highly energetic mesoscale phenomena, but their impacts on phytoplankton biomass, productivity, and biogeochemical cycling are not understood well. We analyze satellite observations and an eddy-rich ocean model to show that they drive chlorophyll anomalies of opposite sign in winter versus summer. In winter, deeper mixed layers in positive sea surface height (SSH) anomalies reduce light availability, leading to anomalously low chlorophyll concentrations. In summer with abundant light, however, positive SSH anomalies show elevated chlorophyll concentration due to higher iron level, and an iron budget analysis reveals that anomalously strong vertical mixing enhances iron supply to the mixed layer. Features with negative SSH anomalies exhibit the opposite tendencies: higher chlorophyll concentration in winter and lower in summer. Our results suggest that mesoscale modulation of iron supply, light availability, and vertical mixing plays an important role in causing systematic variations in primary productivity over the seasonal cycle.",

author = "Hajoon Song and Long, {Matthew C.} and Peter Gaube and Ivy Frenger and John Marshall and McGillicuddy, {Dennis J.}",

note = "Funding Information: The altimeter products were produced and distributed by AVISO (http://www.aviso.altimetry.fr/), as part of the Ssalto ground processing segment. The CHL observations are available through NASA MEaSUREs Ocean Color Product Evaluation Project (ftp://ftp.oceancolor.ucsb.edu/). The observational data for the depth of the mixed layer are from Dong et al. (2008) and for iron concentration are from Tagliabue et al. (2014). Computational facilities have been provided by the Climate Simulation Laboratory, which is managed by CISL at NCAR. NCAR is supported by the National Science Foundation. The CESM source code is freely available at http://www2.cesm. ucar.edu. The analysis code for the Fe budget averaged over the mixed layer is available at https://github.com hajsong/tracerbudget. H. S., J. M., and D. J. M. were supported by the NSF MOBY project (OCE-1048926). D. J. M. also acknowledges support from NSF (OCE-1048897) and NASA (NNX13AE47G). In addition, P. G. acknowledges support from NSF (OCE-1558809) and NASA (NNX13AE47G and NNX16AH9G). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright}2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.",

year = "2018",

month = may,

day = "28",

doi = "10.1029/2017GL076246",

language = "English",

volume = "45",

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journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",

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AU - Song, Hajoon

AU - Long, Matthew C.

AU - Gaube, Peter

AU - Frenger, Ivy

AU - Marshall, John

AU - McGillicuddy, Dennis J.

N1 - Funding Information: The altimeter products were produced and distributed by AVISO (http://www.aviso.altimetry.fr/), as part of the Ssalto ground processing segment. The CHL observations are available through NASA MEaSUREs Ocean Color Product Evaluation Project (ftp://ftp.oceancolor.ucsb.edu/). The observational data for the depth of the mixed layer are from Dong et al. (2008) and for iron concentration are from Tagliabue et al. (2014). Computational facilities have been provided by the Climate Simulation Laboratory, which is managed by CISL at NCAR. NCAR is supported by the National Science Foundation. The CESM source code is freely available at http://www2.cesm. ucar.edu. The analysis code for the Fe budget averaged over the mixed layer is available at https://github.com hajsong/tracerbudget. H. S., J. M., and D. J. M. were supported by the NSF MOBY project (OCE-1048926). D. J. M. also acknowledges support from NSF (OCE-1048897) and NASA (NNX13AE47G). In addition, P. G. acknowledges support from NSF (OCE-1558809) and NASA (NNX13AE47G and NNX16AH9G). Publisher Copyright: ©2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

PY - 2018/5/28

Y1 - 2018/5/28

N2 - The Antarctic Circumpolar Current has highly energetic mesoscale phenomena, but their impacts on phytoplankton biomass, productivity, and biogeochemical cycling are not understood well. We analyze satellite observations and an eddy-rich ocean model to show that they drive chlorophyll anomalies of opposite sign in winter versus summer. In winter, deeper mixed layers in positive sea surface height (SSH) anomalies reduce light availability, leading to anomalously low chlorophyll concentrations. In summer with abundant light, however, positive SSH anomalies show elevated chlorophyll concentration due to higher iron level, and an iron budget analysis reveals that anomalously strong vertical mixing enhances iron supply to the mixed layer. Features with negative SSH anomalies exhibit the opposite tendencies: higher chlorophyll concentration in winter and lower in summer. Our results suggest that mesoscale modulation of iron supply, light availability, and vertical mixing plays an important role in causing systematic variations in primary productivity over the seasonal cycle.

AB - The Antarctic Circumpolar Current has highly energetic mesoscale phenomena, but their impacts on phytoplankton biomass, productivity, and biogeochemical cycling are not understood well. We analyze satellite observations and an eddy-rich ocean model to show that they drive chlorophyll anomalies of opposite sign in winter versus summer. In winter, deeper mixed layers in positive sea surface height (SSH) anomalies reduce light availability, leading to anomalously low chlorophyll concentrations. In summer with abundant light, however, positive SSH anomalies show elevated chlorophyll concentration due to higher iron level, and an iron budget analysis reveals that anomalously strong vertical mixing enhances iron supply to the mixed layer. Features with negative SSH anomalies exhibit the opposite tendencies: higher chlorophyll concentration in winter and lower in summer. Our results suggest that mesoscale modulation of iron supply, light availability, and vertical mixing plays an important role in causing systematic variations in primary productivity over the seasonal cycle.

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Seasonal Variation in the Correlation Between Anomalies of Sea Level and Chlorophyll in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

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