Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/D00960X/1
Improving estimates of ocean primary productivity:Coupling bio-optics into a semi-Lagrangian model of phytoplankton physiology and ocean mixing
Fellowship Award
- Fellow:
- Dr H Kettle, University of Edinburgh, Sch of Geosciences
- Grant held at:
- University of Edinburgh, Sch of Geosciences
- Science Area:
- Marine
- Atmospheric
- Overall Classification:
- Marine
- ENRIs:
- Global Change
- Science Topics:
- Environmental Physiology
- Biogeochemical Cycles
- Ocean - Atmosphere Interact.
- Climate & Climate Change
- Abstract:
- There are increasing amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels and changes in land use. Because of the 'greenhouse effect' our climate is getting warmer. To predict how much warmer our planet will become in the future we need to understand all the processes on Earth that affect climate - these occur not only in the atmosphere but also on the land and in the sea. Once we have done this we can build computer models (i.e. write computer programs) which simulate the interactions between all these processes and then tell us what our climate might be like in the future. However, there are many complicated biological, chemical and physical processes that we don't yet fully understand so we still need to collect lots of data and spend time examining individual systems before we can properly model the whole climate system. The system I propose to look at concerns biological processes in the oceans. The oceans influence climate due to the movement of heat and gas between the air and sea. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere at the moment is out of balance with that in the sea so the CO2 in the air is currently being absorbed by the oceans. This is good news for us because if there is more CO2 in the ocean, and less in the atmosphere, then the rate of global warming will be slower. Once the CO2 is dissolved in the oceans it may sink down to the deep ocean when the surface water cools and sinks, or it may get transported downwards through marine biology. And once it gets there it may not return to the surface for thousands of years. If the CO2 stayed at the sea surface it would hinder the progress of more CO2 entering the sea so it is important that mechanisms exist for transporting it to the deep ocean, otherwise we would have more CO2 in the atmosphere than we do now. I propose to model how the marine biology converts the CO2 dissolved in the surface waters to plant matter. This is the first stage in the biological transport of atmospheric CO2 to the deep ocean and so it is crucial that we understand it fully. There are lots of tiny floating plants ('phytoplankton') in the ocean, and as long as they have nutrient and sunlight they can absorb the dissolved CO2 from the sea water and use it to grow. This process is known as photosynthesis or carbon fixation. These plants may then be eaten by small drifting animals, fish or even whales, thus moving the carbon up the food chain. If these plants, animals or fish die, they may sink from the surface to the deep ocean, trapping the carbon from the atmosphere deep within the ocean interior. Much of what we know about these little plants comes from measurements taken by satellites orbiting the Earth. They can measure the amount of sunlight reflected from the ocean surface - this is known as 'ocean colour' - and it tells us how much plant life is near the sea surface. The research I propose, involves developing a computer model to investigate photosynthesis. It is not a simple process to model because the little plants move up and down through the water as the sea water mixes or stratifies (caused by changes in wind and sunlight). This is important because the deeper the little plants go, the less light they have but the more nutrient. The more light and nutrient they have - the faster they can photosynthesize. To get a handle on this process I will link the amount of plant life and the amount of carbon fixed, to ocean colour. This is good for 2 reasons. First, our model results will help us to understand exactly what the satellite ocean colour data is telling us about the state of the marine ecosystem, and second if we want to start adding ocean colour data into our models then we will know how to do it. All this is important because it will help us to understand what is actually happening in the oceans at the moment and that will help us to predict what will happen in the future.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/D00960X/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Postdoctoral Fellow (FEC)
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Postdoctoral Fellowship
This fellowship award has a total value of £229,495
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| DI - Other Costs | Indirect - Indirect Costs | DA - Estate Costs | DI - Staff | DI - T&S |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £4,317 | £87,994 | £26,689 | £98,588 | £11,907 |
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