Assessing the role of high-frequency winds and sea ice loss on arctic phytoplankton blooms in an ice-ocean-biogeochemical model
Castro de la Guardia, Laura (University of Alberta. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences)
Garcia-Quintana, Yarisbel (University of Alberta. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences)
Claret Cortes, Mariona (McGill University. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences)
Hu, Xianmin (University of Alberta. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences)
Galbraith, Eric (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Myers, Paul (University of Alberta. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences)

Date:	2019
Abstract:	The long-term trend of increasing phytoplankton net primary production (NPP) in the Arctic correlates with increasing light penetration due to sea ice loss. However, recent studies suggest that enhanced stormy wind mixing may also play a significant role enhancing NPP. Here, we isolate the role of sea ice and stormy winds (hereafter high-frequency winds) using an eddy-permitting ice-ocean-biogeochemical model configured for the North Atlantic and the Arctic. In the model, the presence of high-frequency winds stimulates nutrient upwelling by producing an earlier and longer autumn-winter mixing period with deeper mixing layer. The early onset of autumn mixing results in nutrients being brought-up to near-surface waters before the light becomes the dominant limiting factor, which leads to the autumn bloom. The enhanced mixing results in higher nutrient concentrations in spring and thus a large spring bloom. The model also shows significant iron limitation in the Labrador Sea, which is intensified by high-frequency winds. The effect of sea ice loss on NPP was found to be regionally dependent on the presence of high-frequency winds. This numerical study suggests high-frequency winds play significant role increasing NPP in the Arctic and sub-Arctic by alleviating phytoplankton nutrient limitation and that the isolated effect of sea ice loss on light plays a comparatively minor role.
Grants:	European Commission 682602
Note:	Identificadors digitals: Digital object identifier for the 'European Research Council' (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000781) and Digital object identifier for 'Horizon 2020' (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100007601)
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552
Rights:	Tots els drets reservats.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Biogeochemical modeling ; Net primary production ; Carbon export ; Arctic Ocean ; High-frequency winds ; Turbulent mixing
Published in:	Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 124, issue 9 (Sep. 2019) , ISSN 2169-8961

DOI: 10.1029/2018JG004869

23 p, 7.3 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA) > Integrated Earth System Dynamics Laboratory (IESD)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles