1. What Can We Learn About Ocean Biogeochemistry from Satellite Data? Dave Siegel UC Santa Barbara With help from: Stéphane Maritorena, Norm Nelson, Mike Behrenfeld, Chuck McClain, Toby Westberry, Patrick Schultz, …

2. Phyto C & Chl/C Phytoplankton physiology & growth rates CDOM Precursor for marine photochemical reactions Potential tracer of ventilation & biogeochemistry Phytoplankton community structure Dominant group & specific algorithms Trends over time How we observe & assess change Original Talk Outline

3. Global Chlorophyll http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaWiFS/HTML/SeaWiFS.BiosphereAnimation.html

4. Chlorophyll is great… We can [finally] see the ocean biosphere! Assess local to global scale variability Trends of change on decade time scales Global data for building & validating models We can assess net primary production Model NPP as f(Chl & light)

5. 7 December 2006 Vol. 444 Nature Tidbits Based on Vertically Generalized Production Model (VGPM) Initial increase = 1,930 TgC/yr Subsequent decrease = 190 TgC/yr Global trends dominated by changes in permanently stratified ocean regions (ann. ave. SST < 15 o C) global > 15 o C

6. SST Changes ( 0 C ) +3 +2 -2 +1 -3 0 0 -30 +60 -60 +30 NPP Changes (%) b a c NPP SST

7. But, chlorophyll is … Not What We Want We want BGC-relevant measures (biomass) Need Chl/C to compare w/ model output But Chl/C = f(light, nuts, species, etc.) Nor is it The Whole Story There’s more in the ocean that affects ocean color than just chlorophyll

8. What is Ocean Color? Light backscattered from the ocean - but not absorbed Reflectance = f(backscattering/absorption) R rs ( ) = f(b b ( ) / a( )) ocean atmosphere

9. Absorption of light in seawater Total abs = water + phyto + CDOM + detritus a( ) = a w ( ) + a ph ( ) + a g ( ) + a det ( )

10. Absorption of light in seawater Data tabulated in Siegel et al. [2002] JGR CDOM dominates for  < 450 nm Detritus is very small (< 10%)

11. Backscattering of seawater Total b b = water + particle = b bw ( ) + b bp ( ) b bw ( ) b bp ( ) – open ocean range Backscattering is very small Open ocean … water dominates < 450 nm particles > 550 nm theoretically - small particles but b bp variability is too large Coastal waters … all bets are off

12. The Whole Story According to DV Ocean color is like your TV… You basically get 3 colors (RGB, HSL, etc.) The Open Ocean Color Trio Chlorophyll, CDOM & particle backscattering Chl & CDOM (with water) set the color balance & BBP sets the brightness level There may a bit more  community structure

13. What the trio tells us… PropertyWhat’s SensedRegulating ProcessForcing Mechanism BBP particulate backscatter Particle biomass Suspended sediment Primary production Terrestrial inputs Nutrient input/upwelling Land/ocean interactions Dust deposition?? Chl chlorophyll concentration Chlorophyll biomassPrimary production Physiological changes of phytoplankton C:Chl Nutrient input/upwelling Growth irradiance & nutrient stress CDM colored detrital materials CDOM Detrital particulates Heterotrophic production Photobleaching Terrestrial inputs Upwelling/entrainment UV light dosage Land/ocean interactions Siegel et al. (2005) JGR

14. Retrieving Ocean Color Trio Semi-analytical algorithms for ocean color Theoretically based with some empirical results Optimized using a global optical data set Garver-Siegel-Maritorena (GSM-01) Maritorena et al., 2002: Applied Optics Trio = Chl, CDM (=a g (443)+a det (443)) & BBP (b bp (443)) Inputs are SeaWiFS and/or MODIS Aqua L wN ( ) Data: ftp://ftp.oceancolor.ucsb.edu/pub/org/oceancolor/REASoN

15. The Ocean Color Trio SeaWiFS 5 y climatology Oceanic structures Gyres, upwelling, etc. Large variability in Chl & CDOM but not BBP Siegel et al. (2005) JGR CDM BBP Chl

16. An aside… OC4v4 Chl > GSM Chl in NH Reason is CDM in NH Models are only as good as the data used to derive them… Siegel et al. (2005) GRL Chl OC4v4 Chl GSM CDM

17. How do the trio interrelate? Siegel et al. (2005) JGR CDM Chl CDM Chl BBP Mission mean relations Chl & CDM are well related BBP is mostly independent w/ a bit of a “hockey stick”

18. How do they relate spatially??? Siegel et al. (2005) JGR r(Chl,CDM) r(Chl,BBP) r(CDM,BBP) Chl & CDM are often related BBP is mostly independent Exceptions are important Chl & CDM at high lat Chl & BBP at high lat & upwelling zones Why are Chl & CDM so closely related??

19. Seasonal Chl Cycle at BATS Westberry & Siegel (2003) DSR-I Winter mixing brings new nutrients to euphotic zone Leads to spring bloom in NPP & Chl Summer stratification reduces nutrient inputs & creaes photoacclimation of cellular Chl levels

20. Seasonal Chl Cycle at BATS Links mixing, NPP & photoacclimation Winter mixing brings nutrients to surface layer leading to a spring bloom Summer stratification isolates surface waters & increased light reduces surface cellular Chl levels Cycle repeats High SS Chl in winter & low SSChl in summer

21. Seasonal Cycle of CDOM at BATS Depth (m) Month Deep Mixing Summer Stratification Fall Mixing Jon Klamberg, MS thesis, 2005

22. Seasonal CDOM Cycle at BATS Links mixing, photolysis & production Low summer ML CDOM due to bleaching Shallow summer max of CDOM production Mixing homogenizes the system High SS CDOM in winter & low SS CDOM in summer -> Just like SS Chl!! BTW – CDOM is NOT f(DOC)

23. What about BBP & Chl Data are from a North Atlantic transect along 30 o W Clusters for growth (f(Chl)) & photoacclimation (f(I g )) regions Siegel et al. (2005) JGR

24. Spatially… Behrenfeld et al. (2005) GBC Now Chl/C -  Linear mapping BBP to C - O Chlorophyll - ● Responses range from photoacclimation to growth

25. Chl:C from satellite?? Chl:C vs. growth irradiance for D. tertiolecta Satellite Chl:C for several subtropical regions vs. light Behrenfeld et al. (2005) GBC Opens the door to modeling phytoplankton growth rates & carbon-based NPP

26. Regulation of the Trio Chl & CDOM Driven by same forcings (light, mixing, etc.) BUT, by fundamentally different processes Chl – growth driven by NUT inputs, losses & photoacclimation CDOM – heterotrophic production, photolysis & mixing Chl & BBP Partition into growth & photoacclimation regimes Response is f(light, nuts, species, etc.)

27. How do they relate spatially??? Siegel et al. (2005) JGR r(Chl,CDM) r(Chl,BBP) r(CDM,BBP) Chl & CDM are often related BBP is mostly independent Exceptions are important Chl & CDM at high lat Chl & BBP at high lat & upwelling zones

28. Where & Why… BiomesForcingsInter- dependent Ocean Color Properties Independent Ocean Color Properties Subtropical GyresLarge-scale downwelling High irradiance Chl-CDMBBP Subarctic Gyres & Southern Ocean Large-scale upwelling High vertical mixing Low irradiance BBP-ChlCDM Equatorial UpwellingRegionally intense upwelling Low vertical mixing High irradiance BBP-Chl- CDM - Coastal UpwellingRegionally intense upwelling Low vertical mixing Moderate irradiance BBP-Chl- CDM - Land-InfluenceRiverine inputs of high sediment and/or CDOM BBP-CDMChl Siegel et al. (2005) JGR

29. NH Spring Blooms Why are the Phyto C values the same when the NP Chl’s are lower? Schultz et al. Nature [in review]

30. NH Spring Blooms Chl / C is greater in N Atlantic bloom than N Pacific N Atlantic bloom phytoplankton are “happier” Why? Maybe Fe limitation in N Pacific Can we test this somehow??

31. SERIES (Station P) Fe Addition Chl July 29, 2002 - 19 days after 1 st Fe addition SeaWiFS level 2 image Chl:C supports Fe limitation hypothesis

32. Chlorophyll Sucks… It’s just not very well constrained Chl/C varies widely regionally & temporally Chl/C has too many contributors to its variability It is not useful for building/validating BGC models Need to assess phytoplankton C [more] directly We may not even be measuring Chl right… Variations in Chl / CDOM may influence ocean color retrievals (issue for high NH lat’s)

33. Improving Assessments of Phyto C Need useful field data!! Routine protocols for phyto C do not exist Differentiate autotrophic / heterotrophic / detrital C Simultaneous optical & particle size observations Wide range of biomes… Improve satellite methodologies BBP is one way to get at Phyto C (but linear model?) We can nearly assess N p (D) (Loisel et al. 2006) Diagnosing mixed layer depth remains a big issue

34. Chlorophyll Anomaly (Tg) Year 19982000200220042006 > 15 o C Sensing Contemporary Changes in Ocean Color Parameters Progress is driven by technology & infrastructure SeaWiFS, NASA’s data processing group, etc.

35. Measurement Maturity Index Desired Trajectory 12345678 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Measurement Quality Index CZCS (1978-1985) SeaWiFS (1997 - ) MODIS (2002 - ) VIIRS (2009 - ) Advanced Mission (2013 - ) Insufficient for Climate Data Record Current trajectory Climate Data Record Quality Key Few science products Extensive science products * NOTE: MODIS Aqua climate-quality ocean biology data have only been achieved because SeaWiFS data were available for comparison * measured operationally approaches limits on performance no known use for measurement potential science return SWIR NIR Visible CZCSSeaWiFSMODIS VIIRS SWIR NIR Visible Ultraviolet 5 nm resolution (335 – 865 nm) 17 aggregate bands 2 SWIR bands

36. Phyto C & Chl/C Phytoplankton physiology & growth rates CDOM Precursor for marine photochemical reactions Potential tracer of ventilation & biogeochemistry Phytoplankton community structure Dominant group & specific algorithms Trends over time How we observe & assess change Original Talk Outline

37. Thank You!! Special thanx to the NASA Ocean Color Data Processing Team Data: ftp://ftp.oceancolor.ucsb.edu/pub/org/oceancolor/REASoN