Topic 4a - Phytoplankton and climate
The story of oceans and climate would not be complete until we explore the impact of weather and climate on marine life. We also need to understand how ocean life, notably phytoplankton might modulate oceanic weather and climate, through their role in the global carbon cycle, and on the ocean heat budget.
One way that phytoplankton influence the oceans is through heating. Photosynthesis is quite inefficient, so much of the light absorbed by phytoplankton cells is released as heat.
Phytoplankton are also affected by climate. Changes in the heat content and distribution within the Earth system can change ocean circulation. This can alter the access phytoplankton have to light and nutrients. Warmer or colder temperatures may favour some species over others, and similarly may change the dynamics between predators and their prey (often phytoplankton).
Long-term ocean colour records, and ocean biogeochemical models can be used to understand these changes.
Featured Educators:
- Dr Ewa Kwiatowska
Explore the data
EUMETSAT Oceans MOOC Data Viewer
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Don’t forget you can download the video and transcript with the links on the right.
Optional Further Reading
Imagery
Distribution of sea surface temperature observed on April 25, 1997 by the infrared band of Ocean Colour and Temperature Sensor (OCTS IR) onboard The Japanese ADEOS satellite
NASDA
Phytoplankton (chlorophyll-a) concentration in Japanese waters observed on April 25, 1997 by visible near infrared band of the Ocean Colour and Temperature Scanner (OCTS VNIR) onboard the Japanese Satellite ADEOS.
NASDA
VIIRS-SNPP four month composite images (2014 October through 2015 January) of Chlorophyll a concentration (top) and the spectral attenuation coefficient at 490 nm (bottom) processed using NOAA-MSL12 ocean color data processing system with the BMW option for the NIR reflectance correction algorithm
EUMETSAT/Jiang and Wang, 2014
This SeaWiFS image of our world depicts the global biosphere—the ocean’s long-term average phytoplankton chlorophyll concentration acquired between September 1997 and August 2000 combined with the SeaWiFS-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over land during July 2000.
SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE
Sentinel-3 OLCI coccolithophore blooms
Phytoplankton swirl in the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Iceland on June 3, 2016. (NASA Worldview)
NASA
Provided by Ewa Kwiatowska
Schematic explaining the concept of the biological carbon pump – how phytoplankton contribute to take-up and storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
NOC / RAPID ABC Fluxes
http://www.rapid.ac.uk/abc/background.php
Sentinel-3 OLCI chlorophyll-a concentration early result
SeaWiFS Biosphere from 1997 to 2006
NASA
Sentinel-3 OLCI chlorophyll-a concentration early result. The dark blues have the lowest concentrations, followed by the light blues, then greens, yellow, and finally red which has the highest concentration of Chlorophyll a.
Provided by Ewa Kwiatowska
NASA Worldview
