Michael Behrenfeld, Emmanuel Boss, David Siegel, & Don Shea

PHYTOPLANKTON GROWTH RATES AND CARBON BIOMASS FROM SPACE

Outline: The ‘Carbon-based’ NPP Approach Global Results Focus: Subtropical Gyre

PatternsField ComparisonProductivity

Issues Closing

References: Behrenfeld, Boss, Siegel, Shea 2005. Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 19, 10.1029/2004GB002299

Winn, Campbell, Christian, Letelier, Hebel, Dore, Fujieki, Karl. 1995. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 9:605-620.

Behrenfeld, Boss. 2003. Deep Sea Research. 50:1537-1549.

Behrenfeld, Prasil, Babin, Bruyant. 2004. J. Phycology. 40:4-25.

Garver, Siegel. 1997. J. Geophys. Res. 102: 18,607-18,625.

NASA Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program

[Chlorophyll] = f [biomass, light, nutrients,…]

Carbon Approach: Scattering coefficients covary with particle abundance Scattering coefficients covary with phytoplankton carbon Chlorophyll variations independent of C are an index of

changing cellular pigmentation Chl:C can then be used as an index of the rate term Particulate beam attenuation and particle backscattering

coefficients reflect changes in particle load Remote sensing ‘inversion’ products: bbp, aph (cDOM)

thus a path to carbon biomass & growth rate from space

References:Garver, Siegel. 1997. J. Geophys. Res. 102: 18,607-18,625.

0 5 10 15 20 25 300.01

0.04

0.07

0.10

0.13

0.16

0.19

0 1 2 3

0.005

0.020

0.035

0.050

0.065

0.080

0.20.40.60.81.00.001

0.006

0.011

0.016

Ch

l:C

(m

g m

g-1)

Light (moles m-2 h-1)

Temperature (oC)

Ch

l:C

max

Growth rate (div. d-1)

Ch

l:C

min

Low Nutrient stress High

3 primary factors

Light

Temperature

Nutrients

Chl:C physiology

Labora

tory

Chl:Cmax

Chl:Cmin

Dunaliella tertiolecta20 oCReplete nutrientsExponential growth phase

Geider (1987) New Phytol. 106: 1-34

16 species = Diatoms

= all other species

Laws & Bannister (1980) Limnol. Oceanogr. 25: 457-473

Thalassiosira fluviatilis = NO3 limited cultures

= NH4 limited cultures

= PO4 limited cultures

75o

0o

15o

30o

90o

60o

45o

60o

75o90o

15o

30o

45o

75o

0o

15o

30o

90o

60o

45o

60o

75o90o

15o

30o

45o

NP

SP SA

NANP

SP

CP

SA

NA

SI

NICA

SO

L0

L1

L2

L3

L4

SO-all

Ch

loroph

yllV

ariance L

evel

excluded

28 Regional Bins

References: Behrenfeld, Boss, Siegel, Shea 2005. Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 19, 10.1029/2004GB002299

0 5 10 15 20 25 300.01

0.04

0.07

0.10

0.13

0.16

0.19

0 5 10 15 20 25 300.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0 1 2 3

0.005

0.020

0.035

0.050

0.065

0.080

0 1 2 3

0.005

0.007

0.009

0.011

0.013

0 5 10 15 20 25 300.001

0.006

0.011

0.016

0.20.40.60.81.00.001

0.006

0.011

0.016

Ch

l:C

(m

g m

g-1)

Light (moles photons m-2 h-1)

Temperature (oC)

Ch

l:C

max

Growth rate (div. d-1)

Ch

l:C

min

Low Nutrient stress High

Labora

tory

Temperature (oC)

Low Nutrient stress High

Ch

l:C (m

g mg

-1)C

hl:C

max

Ch

l:Cm

in

Space

{median r2 = 0.85}

Ref

eren

ces:

Beh

renf

eld,

Bos

s, S

iege

l, S

hea

200

5. G

loba

l

Bio

geoc

hem

. Cyc

les,

19,

10.

1029

/200

4GB

0022

99

Growth rate (divisions d-1)0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0

Rel

ativ

e Fr

eque

ncy

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Rel

ativ

e fr

eque

ncy

0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0

Growth rate (division d-1)

Boreal Summer Boreal Winter

Growth rate () = max f (nuts, temp) g (light)

2 divisions d-1

Banse (1991)1 – exp -3light

Chl:Csat

( Chl:CN,T-max ) Light

References: Behrenfeld, Boss, Siegel, Shea 2005. Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 19, 10.1029/2004GB002299

Chl

orop

hyll

b bp

0.00

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.10

Chl:C

0.004

0.005

0.006

0.007

0.008

0.009

0.010

Chl

orop

hyll

b bp

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

0.08

0.09

Chl:C

0.005

0.006

0.007

0.008

0.009

0.010

Chl

orop

hyll

b bp

0.00

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

Chl:C

0.004

0.005

0.006

0.007

0.008

0.009

0.010

Chl

orop

hyll

b bp

0.00

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.10

0.12

0.14

0.16

Chl:C

0.004

0.006

0.008

0.010

0.012

0.014

0.016

0.018

0.020

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Year

Chl

orop

hyll

S

cale

d C

arbo

n

Chl

:C

(r

ight

axi

s)

Oligotrophic Oceans

North Atlantic

South Pacific

South Atlantic

North Pacific

Chl

orop

hyll

b bp

0.00

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.10

0.12

0.14

0.16

Chl:C

0.004

0.006

0.008

0.010

0.012

0.014

0.016

0.018

0.020

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Year

References:Winn, Campbell, Christian, Letelier, Hebel, Dore, Fujieki, Karl. 1995. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 9:605-620.

North Pacific: HOT

North Pacific & North Atlantic: 14C

References:Behrenfeld, Boss. 2003. Deep Sea Research. 50:1537-1549.

0 10 20 30 40 50

0

3

6

9

12

15

18

0.0

0.3

0.6

0.9

1.2

1.5

1.8

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

0

3

6

9

12

15

18

0.0

0.3

0.6

0.9

1.2

1.5

1.81992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

* *

1994199319921991 19961995

Sequential Observation

Mea

sure

d P

bo

pt

Measu

red cp :C

hl ratio

BATS

HOT

Primary Production

…NPP = f [Carbon, Zeu, , g (I0)]…

Boreal Winter

Chl

orop

hyll-

base

dC

arbo

n-ba

sed

Boreal Summer

Net P

rimary P

roduction (mg m

-2)

0

1200

800

400

1500

References:Behrenfeld, Boss, Siegel, Shea 2005. Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 19, 10.1029/2004GB002299

Net

Pri

mar

y P

rodu

ctio

n (P

g C

mon

th-1)

= C

arbo

n-ba

sed

esti

mat

e=

Chl

orop

hyll

-bas

ed e

stim

ate

(VG

PM

)

0.008

0.010

0.012

0.014

0.016

0.018

0.020

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Year

0.08

0.10

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

0.08

0.10

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

0.20

0.08

0.10

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

0.20

North Atlantic

South Pacific

South Atlantic

North Pacific

References:Winn, Campbell, Christian, Letelier, Hebel, Dore, Fujieki, Karl. 1995. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 9:605-620.

North Pacific: HOT

DIRECTIONS

f (N,T): linear, zero intercept ‘Ek-independent’ variability**PIC (e.g., coccoliths)cDOM vs pigment absorption (10 Pg y-1)Particle size distributionsSpecies-dependent physiology

New Remote Sensing….

** References: Behrenfeld, Prasil, Babin, Bruyant. 2004. J. Phycology. 40:4-25.

Growth Rates, Carbon Biomass, & Ecosystem Models

THURSDAY

(SS26; 4:30 pm) Patrick Schultz et al. Investigating the balance between phytoplankton growth and loss from space

(SS25; 6:45 pm) Andy Jacobson et al. An inductive ocean ecology model based on satellite observations of phytoplankton carbon biomass.

BACKUP

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8

0.000

0.001

0.002

0.003

0.004

0.005

b bp (

m-1)

Chlorophyll (mg m-3)

‘physiology domain’

‘biomass domain’

Intercept = bbp from stable component of the bacterial population

C = scalar (bbp – intercept)

= 13,000 (bbp – 0.00035)

Intercept = 0.00017 m-1

Stramski & Kiefer (1991) Prog. Oceanogr. 28, 343-383 Cho & Azam (1990) Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 63, 253-259

Phytoplankton Carbon = 25 – 35% POC Eppley et al. (1992) J. Geophys. Res., 97, 655-661 DuRand et al. (2001) Deep-Sea Res. II, 48, 1983-2003 Gundersen et al. (2001) Deep-Sea Res. II 48, 1697-1718

75o

0o

15o

30o

90o

60o

45o

60o

75o90o

15o

30o

45o

75o

0o

15o

30o

90o

60o

45o

60o

75o90o

15o

30o

45o

NP

SP SA

NANP

SP

CP

SA

NA

SI

NICA

SO

L0

L1

L2

L3

L4

SO-all

Ch

loroph

yllV

ariance L

evel

excluded

28 Regional Bins