THE 2023 AUSTRAL SUMMER PHYTOPLANKTON BLOOM IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN

Phytoplankton plays a significant role in global primary production, providing over half of Earth's carbon fixation. Micronutrients such as trace metals are essential to phytoplankton productivity, and low trace metal concentrations in some regions limits phytoplankton production and the resulting seasonal bloom, thus disrupting the fixation of carbon dioxide. Specifically, the Southern Ocean is one of the most understudied trace metal areas due to its remote nature thus a specifical lack in understanding on the characteristics of the phytoplankton community there. TheGP17-OCE cruise traveled through the Southern Ocean and deployed fourteen BioGeoChemical (BGC) Argo Floats while also conducting CTD casts and trace metal sampling. Using the data collected from the BGC Argo Floats deployed by this cruise, depth profiles of chlorophyll, backscatter, nitrate, and temperature along the cruise track were created to understand the complexity of the austral spring phytoplankton blooms. Knowledge of phytoplankton characteristics was applied to the data collected during the GP17-OCE cruise to further understand the timing and the intensity of the austral spring bloom occurring during December 2022 to July 2023.

Presentation Preference: Poster

Primary Presenter: Lillian Braun, The University of Maine (lillian.braun@maine.edu)

Authors:

Lillian Braun, The University of Maine  (lillian.braun@maine.edu)

Benjamin Twining, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences  (btwining@bigelow.org)

Laura Sofen, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences  (lsofen@bigelow.org)

Jarret Mayo, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences  (jmayo@bigelow.org)