Quantifying and Predicting Microscale Patchiness of Plankton

浮游生物的微尺度斑块性的量化和预测

• 批准号: 0825154
• 负责人: Peter Franks
• 金额: $ 36.56万
• 依托单位: University of California-San Diego Scripps Inst of Oceanography
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-08-15 至 2012-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0825154&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Quantifying; Predicting; Microscale; Patchiness; Plankton

Over the past decade the PI of this project has developed planar laser imaging fluorometery (PLIF) systems that provide two-dimensional images of plankton, undisturbed, in situ. He has collected over 10 Tb of data containing vertical profiles of the number, size, and spatial distribution of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and aggregates in the ocean off Southern California. These images are complemented by extensive coincident auxiliary measurements of physical and chemical properties of the environment. This project will use the archived data to quantify the spatial distribution patterns of individual plankters spanning scales from 95 um to 55 m in situ, and relate those distributions to the underlying turbulent structures, density gradients, vertical shear, and chemical gradients. The analyses will allow us to resolve the scales and dynamics that govern the change in plankton distributions from random at small scales to persistent gradients and layers at larger scales, as well as the relationship of particle concentrations to turbulent structures (vorticity and strain). These analyses will yield a more quantitative understanding of the physical-chemical-biological interactions that structure planktonic communities, the foraging environment for zooplankton, and the processes controlling local diversity of the plankton community. Combining the data analyses with models of the underlying dynamics will enhance our ability to predict the spatial and temporal patchiness of planktonic distributions, and increase our understanding of the factors influencing trophic interactions and biogeochemical cycling in the marine environment.Broader Impacts:This project will advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching and learning by incorporating elements of the proposed research into high-school and graduate courses. The PI and graduate student will mentor REU students, and involve them in the data analyses. The proposed work will form the core of the PhD thesis of an interdisciplinary female graduate student. They will broaden the participation of underrepresented groups by teaching a summer course through to underrepresented high-school students, and by mentoring and officiating for the National Ocean Sciences Bowl. They will enhance research infrastructure by adding value to data collected in collaboration with academia, industry and international partners, representing multiple scientific disciplines. They will broadly disseminate our results in conference presentations at and publications, as well as work with journalists and institutional public information officers. Benefits to society will be realized through improved understanding of important of processes in the marine ecosystem, ultimately yielding greater understanding of oceanic response to climate change. Indeed, the quantification of the importance of microscale patches to ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical fluxes may help us understand their role in regulating climate and moderating anthropogenic perturbations.

在过去的十年中，该项目的PI开发了平面激光成像荧光计（PLIF）系统，该系统提供了原位的浮游生物的二维图像。他收集了超过10 TB的数据，其中包含浮游植物，浮游动物的数量，大小和空间分布的垂直剖面，以及南加州海洋中的骨料。这些图像通过对环境的物理和化学性质的广泛一致的辅助测量得到补充。该项目将使用存档的数据来量化单个木板的空间分布模式，跨越95 um至55 m的原位，并将这些分布与潜在的湍流结构，密度梯度，垂直剪切和化学梯度相关联。分析将使我们能够解决浮游生物分布从小尺度的随机变化到较大尺度上的持续梯度和层的变化的量表和动力学，以及粒子浓度与湍流结构（涡度和应变）的关系。这些分析将对浮游生物社区的物理化学生物相互作用，浮游生物的觅食环境以及控制浮游生物社区的局部多样性的过程产生更定量的理解。将数据分析与潜在动态的模型相结合，将增强我们预测浮游分布的空间和时间斑块的能力，并增强我们对影响营养相互作用的因素的理解以及海洋环境中的生物地球化学循环。在海洋环境中，这项项目的影响：该项目将通过促进研究和学习的研究来促进研究和学习的研究，以促进研究和学习的研究，以促进研究和学习。 PI和研究生将指导REU学生，并将他们参与数据分析。拟议的工作将构成跨学科女性研究生博士学位论文的核心。他们将通过教授夏季课程的高中生学生，并指导和主持国家海洋科学碗，从而扩大代表性不足的团体的参与。他们将通过与学术界，行业和国际合作伙伴合作收集的数据增加价值来增强研究基础设施，以代表多个科学学科。他们将在会议演讲和出版物的会议演讲中广泛传播我们的结果，并与记者和机构公共信息官员合作。通过对海洋生态系统中的重要过程的理解，将实现对社会的好处，最终对海洋对气候变化的反应有了更大的了解。实际上，微观斑块对生态系统功能和生物地球化学通量的重要性的量化可能有助于我们了解它们在调节气候和调节人为性扰动方面的作用。