Impacts of Eddies on Zooplankton Community Structure and Biogeochemical Cycling in the Open Ocean

涡流对公海浮游动物群落结构和生物地球化学循环的影响

• 批准号: 0351576
• 负责人: Deborah Steinberg
• 金额: $ 28.5万
• 依托单位: College of William & Mary Virginia Institute of Marine Science
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-02-01 至 2007-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0351576&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Impacts; Eddies; Zooplankton; Community; Structure

The distribution of plankton in relation to the physical structure of the water column results in patchiness, which can significantly impact biogeochemical cycling and production of higher trophic levels. The currents, fronts and eddies that comprise the oceanic mesoscale, sometimes referred to as the internal weather of the sea, are highly energetic and ubiquitous features of ocean circulation. Dynamical consequences of these phenomena include perturbation of the chemical and biological environment that can dramatically impact biogeochemical cycling in the ocean. Recent evidence suggests that mesoscale eddies are an important nutrient transport mechanism in the oligotrophic subtropical gyres, and that they are important in controlling the structure and productivity of marine planktonic communities. This study is an intensive field study of mesozooplankton community structure associated with mesoscale eddies to compliment a recently funded NSF project, Impacts of Eddies and Mixing on Biogeochemical Cycling in the Open Ocean: Regulation by a Complex Biological System. Given the integral role zooplankton play in food webs and flux of material out of the surface waters, this study expects to find that zooplankton contribute significantly to the overall trophic energy transfer and flux in this system. This complimentary study will address the following questions: 1. How do the specific physical/ chemical/ biological characteristics of mesoscale eddy features affect the spatial and temporal distribution of mesozooplankton? 2. How do eddies affect the vertical migration behavior of mesozooplankton at the population and/or individual level? 3. How do eddies affect the physiology (body condition) of mesozooplankton at the population and/or individual level? 4. How do differences in mesozooplankton dynamics within or outside eddy features affect vertical flux of carbon and associated bio-elements? Measurements of zooplankton biomass, species composition, diel vertical migration behavior, body condition, and contribution to vertical flux will be simultaneous with other ongoing physical, chemical, and biological measurements within a series of existing cruises. The goals are to advance our understanding of the complex interactions between physics and biology in eddies, and to elucidate the role mesoscale features play in structuring zooplankton communities and influencing biogeochemical cycling. Ultimately, this natural perturbation experiment could provide critical information about how the ocean has responded to environmental changes in the past, and how it might do so in the future. Broader impacts of the study include a benefit to society by infusing ocean science education into both graduate and K-12 education, as well as informing the general public. This project will coordinate education and outreach activities with the existing eddy program. This includes the support of a young investigator at the beginning of his career, curriculum development and enhancement, development of content for public lectures and web-based curriculum for science teachers, and participation in real-time web casts of cruise activities.

浮游生物相对于水柱的物理结构的分布导致斑块，这可能会显着影响生物地球化学循环和较高营养水平的产生。构成海洋中尺度的电流，前部和涡流有时被称为海洋的内部天气，是海洋循环的高能性和无处不在的特征。 这些现象的动态后果包括化学和生物学环境的扰动，这些化学和生物环境可能会极大地影响海洋生物地球化学循环。 最近的证据表明，中尺度的涡流是贫营养亚热带回旋中重要的营养转运机制，并且它们对于控制海洋浮游群落的结构和生产力很重要。这项研究是对与中尺度涡流相关的中佐普兰克顿社区结构的深入现场研究，以补充最近资助的NSF项目，涡流的影响和对开放海洋中生物地球化学循环的混合：通过复杂的生物学系统调节。 鉴于浮游动物在食物网和地表水域中的通量中的作用不可或缺的作用，本研究希望发现浮游动物在该系统中对整体营养能量转移和通量产生了显着贡献。 这项免费研究将解决以下问题：1。中尺度涡流的特定物理/化学/生物学特征如何影响中佐普兰克顿的空间和时间分布？ 2。涡流如何影响中等和/或个人级别中中介隆克顿的垂直迁移行为？ 3.涡流如何影响人口和/或个人水平中中龙普兰克顿的生理（身体状况）？ 4。涡流内或外部涡流中的中等隆克顿动力学的差异如何影响碳和相关的生物元素的垂直通量？ 浮游动物量，物种组成，diel垂直迁移行为，身体状况以及对垂直通量的贡献的测量将与一系列现有巡航中的其他持续的物理，化学和生物学测量同时进行。 目标是促进我们对涡流中物理与生物学之间复杂相互作用的理解，并阐明中尺度特征在构建浮游动物社区和影响生物地球化学循环方面所起的作用。 最终，这个自然的扰动实验可以提供有关海洋如何应对过去环境变化以及将来如何做到的关键信息。这项研究的更广泛的影响包括通过将海洋科学教育注入研究生和K-12教育以及通知公众来对社会产生好处。该项目将与现有的涡流计划协调教育和外展活动。 这包括一名年轻调查员在职业生涯开始时的支持，课程开发和增强，公开讲座内容的开发以及基于Web的科学教师课程以及参与实时网络活动的巡航活动。