Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/L000067/1
Identifying the nature of primary productivity variability in shelf sea systems
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor R Geider, University of Essex, Biological Sciences
- Grant held at:
- University of Essex, Biological Sciences
- Science Area:
- Marine
- Overall Classification:
- Marine
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Global Change
- Natural Resource Management
- Science Topics:
- None
- Abstract:
- Marine primary productivity (PP) by phytoplankton drives the conversion of inorganic nutrients into organic matter that fundamentally supports key marine ecosystem services such as biogeochemical nutrient cycles and fisheries. In coastal waters, where many human populations are centred, PP is ultimately a key indicator of water quality and ecosystem health. Both local environmental (e.g. eutrophication, increased turbidity) and regional climatic (e.g. sea surface temperature) change is already altering MPP; although future shelf sea PP is particularly uncertain given a lack of knowledge in understanding how the complex environmental conditions control PP. A major international goal for research is to extrapolate PP measurements to remote sensing; however, effort are still fundamentally constrained by our ability to measure PP. Current estimates are still largely based on time consuming and often inaccurate (CO2 uptake) approaches developed over 50 years ago. However, recent developments in Fast Repetition Rate flourometry (FRRf) provide a new means to quantify CO2 uptake at high resolution (seconds, meters), low cost and ultimately autonomously. Thus FRRf can now provide unprecedented insight as to how CO2 uptake varies in highly dynamic shelf seas. This studentship will specifically utilise new FRRf based developments to shed new light on still unresolved questions: (i) How variable are key PP parameters spatially (location, depth) and temporally (diurnal, seasonal)? (ii) To what extent can these PP parameters be predicted from prevailing environmental factors, e.g. nutrients, mixing depth, irradiance? (iii) How well does the predicted physiological status of phytoplankton functional groups from biogeochemical models compare with data-rich FRRf-based estimates of photophysiology? And (iv) How well do estimates of PP from ocean colour measurements and remote sensing algorithms compare with data-rich FRRf-based direct estimates of PP? The SSB program therefore provides a timely and opportunistic platform to exploit these developments in order to provide high spatio-temporal resolution measurements of carbon fixation in shelf sea systems. New FRRf data sets will be collected through a combination cruises within the core SSB CANDYFLOSS program as well as additional cruises via CEFAS targeting the Celtic Sea, Channel, North Sea and (with AFBI) the Irish Sea to extend spatial and temporal (seasonal/inter-annual) sampling capability. A new approach to enable semi-automated sampling of surface waters will be combined with conventional manual sampling of the water column to provide detailed new descriptions of (i) depth, space, time resolved PP parameterisation, and (ii) the relative role of different phytoplankton functional groups (size classes). Discrete nutrient addition bioassay experiments of seawater samples will also be employed during the cruises to specifically evaluate how individual inorganic nutrients regulate PP and in turn nutrient cycling (e.g. organic nutrient stoichiometry). An important element will be subsequently applying the new PP data sets to ecosystem models and remote sensing algorithms. In the latter case, efforts will focus on validating a range of PP satellite algorithms against FRRf based PP and investigating new parameterization for (via the relationship between FRRf-based PP and environmental conditions) to compare with those within existing satellite algorithms.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/L000067/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- DTG - directed
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- SSB Studentship
This training grant award has a total value of £80,093
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Fees | Total - Student Stipend | Total - RTSG |
|---|---|---|
| £16,210 | £56,632 | £7,251 |
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