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Biogeochemical cycles constitute Earth’s life support system and distinguish our planet from others in this solar system. Microorganisms are the primary drivers of these cycles. Understanding the controls on marine microbial dynamics and how microbes will respond to environmental change is essential for building and assessing model-based forecasts and generating robust projections of climate change impacts on ocean productivity and biogeochemical cycles. An international community effort has been underway to create a global-scale marine microbial biogeochemistry research program to tackle gaps in this understanding. The BioGeoSCAPES: Ocean Metabolism and Nutrient Cycles on a Changing Planet program will identify and quantify how marine microbes adjust to a changing climate and assess the consequences for global biogeochemical cycles. This article summarizes the ongoing efforts to launch BioGeoSCAPES.
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An aerosol odyssey: Navigating nutrient flux changes to marine ecosystems
This perspective piece on aerosol deposition to marine ecosystems and the related impacts on biogeochemical cycles forms part of a larger Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study status-of-the-science special edition. A large body of recent reviews has comprehensively covered different aspects of this topic. Here, we aim to take a fresh approach by reviewing recent research to identify potential foundations for future study. We have purposefully chosen to discuss aerosol nutrient and pollutant fluxes both in terms of the journey that different aerosol particles take and that of the surrounding scientific field exploring them. To do so, we explore some of the major tools, knowledge, and partnerships we believe are required to aid advancing this highly interdisciplinary field of research. We recognize that significant gaps persist in our understanding of how far aerosol deposition modulates marine biogeochemical cycles and thus climate. This uncertainty increases as socioeconomic pressures, climate change, and technological advancements continue to change how we live and interact with the marine environment. Despite this, recent advances in modeling techniques, satellite remote sensing, and field observations have provided valuable insights into the spatial and temporal variability of aerosol deposition across the world’s ocean. With the UN Ocean Decade and sustainable development goals in sight, it becomes essential that the community prioritizes the use of a wide variety of tools, knowledge, and partnerships to advance understanding. It is through a collaborative and sustained effort that we hope the community can address the gaps in our understanding of the complex interactions between aerosol particles, marine ecosystems, and biogeochemical cycles.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1840868
- PAR ID:
- 10534762
- Publisher / Repository:
- University of California Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Elem Sci Anth
- Volume:
- 11
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2325-1026
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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At the end of its second decade, the Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) continues to expand critical collaborations in Earth system research, opening new gateways between the disciplines of oceanic and atmospheric science. The collection of papers in this Special Feature highlights important recent advances in air-sea interaction science, emphasizing emerging priorities and critical challenges. Since the last SOLAS synthesis in 2014, the community has gained a more nuanced understanding of the variety of marine sources of atmospheric aerosols; the influence of chemical speciation on atmospheric deposition and resulting biogeochemical impacts in the ocean; the mechanistic microscale controls of aerosol production and gas exchange at the sea surface; and also how air-sea exchange processes are influencing and responding to climate change, among numerous other advances. At the same time, SOLAS scientists have engaged more directly with socio-economic networks and in the development and evaluation of environmental and policy decisions. In addition to substantial contributions to improved understanding of the global cycling of greenhouse gases, SOLAS scientists are examining the impacts of new shipping regulations and contributing to development of frameworks for climate intervention research and governance. However, challenges remain, including characterizing the variability in air-sea gas exchange, particularly in coastal regions, and identifying mechanisms by which marine emissions influence cloud dynamics and thereby coupled marine and atmospheric feedbacks to climate change. Addressing these and other challenges requires development of innovative scientific tools (e.g., chemical sensors, expanded and integrated observational networks, machine learning algorithms), and also new inter- and trans-disciplinary collaborations, to ensure that air-sea exchange research continues to transcend boundaries in tackling current and emerging global challenges.more » « less
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Determining the magnitude and origins of nitrogen (N) deposition in the open ocean is vital for understanding how anthropogenic activities influence oceanic biogeochemical cycles. Excess N in the North Pacific Ocean(NPO) is suggested to reflect recent anthropogenic atmospheric deposition from the Asian continent, changes in nutrient dynamics due to marine N-fixation, and/or lateral transport of nutrients. We investigate the impact of anthropogenic and marine sources on reactive N deposition in the NPO, with a focus on ammonium (NH4+), an important bioavailable nutrient, using aerosol samples (n =108) collected off the coast of China (Changdao Island). This study site is used as a proxy for continental emissions that can be exported and subsequently deposited to the ocean. The NH4+concentration of aerosol samples varied seasonally (p < 0.05), with a higher average value in winter (2.8 ±1.1 μg/m3) and spring (1.9 ±0.8 μg/m3) compared to autumn (0.7 ±0.6 μg/m3) and summer (1.4 ±0.4 μg/m3). The isotopic composition of aerosol NH4+ varied seasonally, with higher averages in spring (13.3 ±7.9‰) and summer (15.6 ±6.2‰) compared to autumn (3.2 ±2.5 ‰) and winter (3.8 ±11.4‰). These seasonal patterns in the isotopic composition of NH4+ are investigated based on correlations of aerosol chemical species, seasonal shifts in transport patterns, partitioning of ammonia/ammonium between the gas and particle phase, and continental versus marine sources of ammonia. We find that anthropogenic activities, mainly agricultural practices (e.g., volatilization, fertilizer, animal husbandry), are the primary sources of NH4+ deposited to the NPO.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2023.00037
