Article
 

Phenology of particle size distributions and primary productivity in the North Pacific subtropical gyre (Station ALOHA)

Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/tm70n086n

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • The particle size distribution (PSD) is a critical aspect of the oceanic ecosystem. Local variability in the PSD can be indicative of shifts in microbial community structure and reveal patterns in cell growth and loss. The PSD also plays a central role in particle export by influencing settling speed. Satellite-based models of primary productivity (PP) often rely on aspects of photophysiology that are directly related to community size structure. In an effort to better understand how variability in particle size relates to PP in an oligotrophic ecosystem, we collected laser diffraction-based depth profiles of the PSD and pigment-based classifications of phytoplankton functional types (PFTs) on an approximately monthly basis at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA, in the North Pacific subtropical gyre. We found a relatively stable PSD in the upper water column. However, clear seasonality is apparent in the vertical distribution of distinct particle size classes. Neither laser diffraction-based estimations of relative particle size nor pigment-based PFTs was found to be significantly related to the rate of ¹⁴C-based PP in the light-saturated upper euphotic zone. This finding indicates that satellite retrievals of particle size, based on particle scattering or ocean color would not improve parameterizations of present-day bio-optical PP models for this region. However, at depths of 100–125 m where irradiance exerts strong control on PP, we do observe a significant linear relationship between PP and the estimated carbon content of 2–20 μm particles.
  • This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the author(s) and published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The published article can be found at: http://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/agu/jgr/journal/10.1002/%28ISSN%292169-9291/
  • All LISST data are available on the HOT website (http://hahana.soest.hawaii.edu/hot/hot-dogs/) and code for additional data processing is available upon request to the corresponding author (awhite@coas.oregonstate.edu).
License
Resource Type
DOI
Date Available
Date Issued
Citation
  • White, A. E., Letelier, R. M., Whitmire, A. L., Barone, B., Bidigare, R. R., Church, M. J., & Karl, D. M. (2015). Phenology of particle size distributions and primary productivity in the North Pacific subtropical gyre (Station ALOHA). Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 120(11), 7381-7399. doi:10.1002/2015JC010897
Journal Title
Journal Volume
  • 120
Journal Issue/Number
  • 11
Rights Statement
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • This work was funded by the NASA New Investigator Program (NNX10AQ81G, A.W.) and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship (A.W.). Additional support was provided by the NSF to the HOT program (current grant OCE 1260164 to M.J.C.), C-MORE (EF0424599 to D.M.K.), the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (to D.M.K.), and the Simons Foundation (D.M.K., M.J.C., and A.W.).
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Replaces

Relationships

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details WhiteAngelicqueCEOASPhenologyParticleSize.pdf 2017-10-27 Public Download