Irregular, abrupt but persistent changes in sea surface temperature (SST) have been noticed in recent years, with cascading effects on different components of marine ecosystems. Warm temperature anomalies are increasing in frequency in the global ocean with potential consequences on the goods and services provided by marine ecosystems. Recent studies have analysed the distribution and dynamics of marine heat waves (MHWs) and evaluated their impacts on marine habitats. Different drivers can generate those anomalies and the emerging attributes can vary significantly both in space and time, with potentially different effects on marine biology. In this paper we classify MHWs based on their attributes and using different baselines, to account for different adaptive responses in phytoplankton dynamics. Specifically, we evaluate the impacts of the most extreme, long-lasting and high-intensity MHWs on phytoplankton communities using remote sensing data. We demonstrate marginal impacts on total chlorophyll concentrations which can be different across different ocean regions. These contrasting effects on phytoplankton dynamics are most likely the results of the different mechanisms generating the MHWs in the first place, including changes in front dynamics, shallower mixed layers, and eddy dynamics. We conclude that those drivers can also induce different phytoplankton responses across the global ocean.
Primary Presenter: Anshul Chauhan, Technical University of Denmark (DTU) (anscha@aqua.dtu.dk)
Authors:
Anshul Chauhan, National Institute of Aquatic Resources at Technical University of Denmark (DTU - Aqua) (anscha@aqua.dtu.dk)
Asbjørn Christensen, National Institute of Aquatic Resources at Technical University of Denmark (DTU - Aqua) (asc@aqua.dtu.dk)
Philip Smith, National Institute of Aquatic Resources at Technical University of Denmark (DTU - Aqua) (pahsm@aqua.dtu.dk)
Filipe Rodrigues, Department of Technology, Management and Economics at Technical University of Denmark (DTU) (rodr@dtu.dk)
Michael John, National Institute of Aquatic Resources at Technical University of Denmark (DTU - Aqua) (mstjo@aqua.dtu.dk)
Patrizio Mariani, National Institute of Aquatic Resources at Technical University of Denmark (DTU - Aqua) (pat@aqua.dtu.dk)
Distribution and impacts of long-lasting marine heat waves on phytoplankton biomass
Category
Scientific Sessions > SS012 The Next Frontier: Linking Remote Sensing, Data Science, Modeling, Open Science, and the Aquatic Sciences To Understand Emergent Properties of Aquatic Systems
Description
Time: 06:30 PM
Date: 8/6/2023
Room: Mezzanine