* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download IMBER Update
Pacific Ocean wikipedia , lookup
Abyssal plain wikipedia , lookup
Southern Ocean wikipedia , lookup
Future sea level wikipedia , lookup
The Marine Mammal Center wikipedia , lookup
Arctic Ocean wikipedia , lookup
Marine debris wikipedia , lookup
Anoxic event wikipedia , lookup
Blue carbon wikipedia , lookup
Indian Ocean wikipedia , lookup
History of research ships wikipedia , lookup
Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment wikipedia , lookup
Marine habitats wikipedia , lookup
Marine biology wikipedia , lookup
Physical oceanography wikipedia , lookup
Marine pollution wikipedia , lookup
Ocean acidification wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming on oceans wikipedia , lookup
Ecosystem of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre wikipedia , lookup
IMBER Update Issue No. 6 - March 2007 Contents Editorial IPCC report p.1 Science highlight Global surface ocean alka linity climatology p. 2 Regional activities Southern Ocean science during the International Polar Year - ICED p. 4 National activities Chinese IMBER/GLOBEC p. 6 Korea: Research activities on CO2 cycle in the oceans p. 8 IMBER workshops and meetings CLIOTOP Symposium p. 9 International Conference on The Humboldt Current Sys tem p. 9 Workshop on ocean acidi fication: Learning from the Distant Past p. 11 Austral Summer Institute VII in Chile p. 13 Sponsored participants news p. 14 Partner Programmes SOLAS: An ocean-atmos phere observatory in the eas tern tropical Atlantic Ocean p. 14 Announcements p. 16 Related conferences and workshops p. 20 IMBER is an international project of IGBP and SCOR Editorial IMBER contribution to IPCC scientific basis By Sylvie Roy and Dennis Hansell1 1 RSMAS, Florida, USA Human activities are rapidly altering Earth System processes that directly and indirectly influence society. Informed decisions require an understanding of which parts of the Earth System are most sensitive to change, and the nature and extent of anticipated impacts of global change. This new challenge has led to the goal of IMBER, which is to investigate the sensitivity of marine biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems to global change on time scales ranging from years to decades. Central to the IMBER goal is the development of a predictive understanding of how marine biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems respond to complex forcings, such as large-scale climatic variations, and changes in physical dynamics and ocean chemistry. Because it is such a complex and challenging issue, policymakers required an objective source of information on the causes of climate changes, its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts, and promising societal responses. To satisfy these requirements, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. The IPCC was charged with assessing the scientific, technical and socio-economic factors required for understanding the risks of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts, and options for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC’s Second Assessment Report provided key input to the negotiations leading to adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. More recently, IPCC Working Group I has approved and adopted the Summary for Policymakers entitled “Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis”. This report describes progress in understanding the human and natural drivers of climate change, observed climate change, climate processes and attribution, and estimates of projected future climate change. It builds upon past IPCC assessments and incorporates new findings based upon large amounts of new, comprehensive data, more sophisticated analyses of data, improve- IMBER Update ments in understanding of processes and their simulation in models, and more extensive exploration of uncertainty ranges. One conclusion of the Summary is that humans have played a major role in the observed global warming through the release of greenhouse gases. Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have increased markedly as a result of human activities related primarily to fossil fuel consumption, land-use changes, and agriculture practices. Other indications of global warming at continental, regional, and ocean basin scales are increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, rising global average sea level, as well as widespread changes in precipitation, ocean salinity, wind patterns and extreme weather. Continued greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates will cause further warming and changes in the global climate system during the 21st century. A major improvement in the fourth IPCC assessment for climate change projections is the large number of simulations from a broader range of models. Taken together with additional information from observations and new insights on the nature of feedbacks in the carbon cycle, these model results provide a quantitative basis for estimating likelihoods for many aspects of future climate change. For example, there is higher confidence in projected patterns of warming and other regionalscale features, including changes in wind patterns, precipitation, and sea ice. However, long-term changes in the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) of the Issue No. 6 - March 2007 Atlantic Ocean cannot yet be assessed with confidence. The new evidence presented in the Summary confirms that the global ocean is experiencing unprecedented stresses due to human activities. These human-induced changes have direct impacts on marine physics, chemistry and biology that force rapid alterations of Earth System processes, with direct consequences for society. One important theme of IMBER research focuses on ������������� the roles of ocean biogeochemistry and ecosystems in regulating climate. ���� The most direct feedback from marine biogeochemistry and ecosystems to the Earth System will likely occur through oceanic regulation of atmospheric CO2. Predictions of how changes in climate will affect marine biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems will require a much better understanding of how climate-induced changes will affect physical conditions such as circulation, ventilation and stratification in the ocean, and how specific changes in these physical conditions will affect processes important to biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem structure. IMBER will evaluate the effects of Effect of increasing CO2 concentrations on surface seawater Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have increased markedly as a result of human activities related primarily to fossil fuel consuption. Continued greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates are expected to affect carbon system parmeters and surface seawater pH also altering marine biogeochemical cycles or ecosystems. Surface seawater pHT values and atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Surface seawater pHT values include 3000 values for 1990-2002 (from the upper 25 m across all oceans ) calculated from measured DIC and alkalinity; typical values for glacial times (blue), pre-industrial times (green) and the present (orange); and predicted future values (red). Future values are based on predicted atmospheric CO2. Atmospheric CO2 values are based on histroric measurements and an exponential future increase from simple scenario calculations. Prepared by Arne Körtzinger on the basis of WOCE data (Schlitzer, 2000) and published in the IMBER Science Plan and Implementation Strategy. IMBER Update Issue No. 6 - March 2007 changes in surface temperature and light environment on marine ecosystems, productivity, biodiversity, and biogeographical ranges. IMBER will also investigate how global changes in, for example, ocean stratification, acidity or nutrient availability, will cascade through marine ecosystems via extreme and episodic events. Earth System science has already contributed significantly to the debate on climate and global change, predictions, projections and scenarios for the Earth abound. However, the Working Group I report shows that there is a need for long term observations and improved prediction tools. Similarly, significant advances in understanding the marine system have been achieved using coupled models, but key questions about the impacts and responses of biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems to climate change remain unanswered. IMBER will collaborate with international global environmental change programmes (IHDP, WCRP and DIVERSITAS) and other ocean science projects through SCOR to increase our understanding of how the interactions between marine biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems respond to, and force, global change. Through publications and participation in working groups, IMBER scientists will continue to contribute to the IPCC assessments and will work to communicate Earth System science to policymakers and resource managers. Science Highlight Global surface ocean alkalinity climatology Kitack Lee1, Lan T. Tong1, Frank J. Millero2, Christopher L. Sabine3, Andrew G. Dickson4, Catherine Goyet5, Geun-Ha Park1, Richard A. Feely3, Robert M. Key6 1 Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea 2 University of Miami, RSMAS, USA 3 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, USA 4 University of California, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, USA 5 Université de Perpignan, France 6 Princeton University, Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science,USA In many parts of the ocean alkalinity (AT) data are severely limited compared to the sea surface salinity (SSS) and temperature (SST) data sets, which are several orders of magnitude larger. Therefore, determining the global distribution of surface AT is problematic. Empirical algorithms that relate surface AT to SSS and SST are particularly useful in constructing the global distribution of AT when combined with the global fields of SSS and SST. The first set of global relationships of salinity-normalized AT with SST [Millero et al., 1998] was derived using subsets (n = 1,740) of historical AT data as well as those col lected during the global carbon survey of the 1990s. Since the global AT relationships first became available, a significant number of new AT measurements have been added to the global data set. Recently, Lee et al. [2006] used surface AT measurements (n = 5,692) from the Global Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP) v1.1 data set [Key et al., 2004] to determine the relationships of AT with SSS and SST for different ocean regimes. A function of SSS and SST in the form AT = a + b (SSS – 35) + c(SSS – 35)2 + d (SST – 20) + e (SST – 20)2 fits AT data for each of five oceanographic regimes within an areaweighted uncertainty of ±8.1 µmol kg-1 (1σ). The global distribution of surface AT for August calculated using the derived AT algorithms [Lee et al., 2006] applied to climatological SSS and SST fields [Conkright et al., 2002] is shown in Figure 1. The surface AT field shows broad maxima in the central gyres centered at about 25o north and south of the Equator, similar to the pattern for salinity. Poleward of the tropics and subtropics, the annual excess precipitation over evaporation increases, and thus salinity decreases, with latitude. As a result, the values of AT generally decrease with increasing latitude. Seasonal changes in the intensity of the convective mixing here are additional key factors that act to change surface AT in a measurable way. During seasonal cooling, the intensive vertical mixing brings deep waters rich in CaCO3driven AT to the surface, and thus increases surface AT. During seasonal warming, however, the shoaling of the mixed layer makes the contribution of AT-rich deep waters to the change in surface AT minimal. The magnitude of seasonal AT variability (Figure 2) is directly proportional to the seasonal variations in salinity. Seasonal AT variations are generally larger in the tropics and subtropics than IMBER Update Issue No. 6 - March 2007 Regional activities Southern Ocean science during the International Polar Year Figure 1. Global distribution of surface AT (µmol kg-1) for August for the world’s ocean. White lines represent the approximate boundaries for the five different regions with unique AT algorithms and the numerical numbers represent the five regions. Crosses denote locations of sampling stations. Rachel Cavanagh, British Antarctic Survey, UK. Carlos Garcia, Fundação Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Brazil. Figure 2. Distribution of the seasonal amplitude (maximum AT-MAX – minimum AT-MIN) of surface AT predicted from the regional AT relationships given in Lee et al. [2006], applied to monthly mean sea surface salinity and temperature fields. in the higher-latitude oceans. In particular, larger amplitudes of seasonal variability are observed in areas where freshwater inputs through rivers (e.g. near the Amazon River and the Bay of Bengal) and the melting of ice (e.g. near sea-ice edges) are significant, or where tropical upwelling occurs. Finally, since the five regional AT algorithms presented in Lee et al. [2006] were derived from the most comprehensive surface AT data available, we propose that this new set of AT equations should be used for the prediction of surface AT over large oceanic areas where SSS and SST values are known. References Conkright, M. E. et al. (2002), World Ocean Database 2001, vol. 1, Introduction, edited by S. Levitus, NOAA Atlas NESDIS 42, 167 pp., Natl. Oceanic and Atmos. Admin., Silver Spring, Md. Key, R. M., et al. (2004), A global ocean carbon climatology: Results from Global Data Analysis Project (GLODAP), Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 18, doi:10.1029/ 2004GB002247. Lee, K., L. T. Tong, F. J. Millero, C. L. Sabine, A. G. Dickson, C. Goyet, G.-H. Park, R. Wanninkhof, R.A. Feely, and R. M. Key (2006), Global relationships of total alkalinity with salinity and temperature in surface waters of the world’s oceans, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L19605, doi:10.1029/2006GL027207. Millero, K. Lee, and M. Roche (1998), Distribution of alkalinity in the surface waters of the major oceans, Mar. Chem., 60, 111-130. International Polar Year (IPY) The polar regions are critical components of the Earth System, influencing the rest of the planet in physical terms, social and economic terms. The first International Polar Year (IPY) was in 18821883. In 1932-1933 a second IPY occurred and in 1957-58 came the International Geophysical Year (IGY). These initiatives involved an intense period of interdisciplinary research on the polar regions. Fifty years on, the IPY 2007-09 has been launched, the first time since IGY that nations have collaborated on this scale for polar studies. IPY and Ocean Science The role of the polar oceans in the global climate system remains poorly understood. Over 40 IPY projects will focus on the polar oceans, addressing a range of important issues. For example, oceanographers will be building up a detailed picture of the wa- IMBER Update Issue No. 6 - March 2007 ter masses; multi-ship surveys of polar marine ecosystems will be undertaken; polar influences on global biogeochemical cycles (addressed through a combination of models); ecological and economic studies linked to develop strategies for sustainable management of polar marine resources; and observations and integrated analyses of climate-ocean-ecosystem interactions made across spatial and temporal scales. The collection of new comprehensive ocean data sets from both poles during IPY will allow comparison with historic observations and provide baselines for ecosystem management and future predictions of change. ICED-IPY IPY encompasses more than 200 projects organised into clusters based on disciplines. The international Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Southern Ocean (ICED) programme is leading a cluster: “ICED-IPY”, comprising 11 projects addressing “Ecosystems and Biogeochemistry of the Southern Ocean”. The major aim of ICED-IPY is to develop a coordinated approach to furthering our understanding of how Southern Ocean ecosystems operate on a circumpolar scale. We need to know more about how the Southern Ocean ecosystem works, but all too often researchers working in separate disciplines and different parts of the Southern Ocean don’t get the opportunity to link up their ideas and form a bigger picture. ICED-IPY activities (including data mining, fieldwork and modelling) will further our understanding of ecosystem operation in the context of large-scale climate processes, local-scale ocean physics, biogeochemistry, food web dynamics and anthropogenic forcing. These activities include a number of ICED-IPY cruises to investigate the mechanisms controlling biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem structure in the Southern Ocean. One of the cruise programmes is featured below. For further examples visit: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/Resources/BSD/ICED/index.htm ICED-IPY is a multidisciplinary collaboration between Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. ICED-IPY is working in partnership with the Southern Ocean System of the European Network of Excellence for Ocean Ecosystems Analysis (EUROCEANS), a Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development of the European Community (http://www. eur-oceans.eu/). Activities will also be linked with other international programmes and IPY projects, including Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML), Climate in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean (CASO), GEOTRACES and Synoptic Antarctic Shelf-Slope Interactions (SASSI). SOS-CLIMATE It was recently announced that the Brazilian oceanographic contribu- tion to IPY “Southern Ocean Studies for Understanding Global Climate Issues” (SOS-CLIMATE) will be funded by the Brazilian Council for Research and Scientific Development (CNPq). In addition to ICED-IPY it will also contribute towards the following IPY projects: SASSI, CASO and Collaborative Research into Antarctic Calving and ICeberg Evolution (CRACICE). The field effort of SOS-CLIMATE will cover shelf and shelf-slope regions across the Polar Front from the Antarctic Peninsula region in the south to the Patagonian Shelf region in the north. Oceanographic cruises onboard the Ary Rongel (Figure 1) are planned for March 2007, and the Austral summers of 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 in the following areas: (1) BrazilMalvinas Confluence; (2) Patagonian shelf; (3) Bransfield and Gerlache Straits, and (4) northwestern Weddell Sea. The first cruise will take place in March 2007 in the Patagonian shelf break area where strong phytoplankton blooms (Figure 2) occur. These Sub-Antarctic waters are a rich source of macro-nutrients to the frontal zone. Phytoplankton Figure 1. The Brazilian Navy research vessel Ary Rongel IMBER Update Issue No. 6 - March 2007 Figure 2. MODIS Chlorophyll image composite for the period October 29-31, 2006 showing the strong phytoplankton blooms which usually occur in Austral spring time along the Patagonia shelf-break area. During this period, 26 oceanographic stations (+) were occupied in the area with the collection of physical, biological, bio-optical and chemical data. In March 2007, a 3rd experiment will be conducted over the same region as part of the International Polar Year. production is high and the uptake of atmospheric CO2 is relatively large compared to other Southern Ocean regions. The processes that cause the blooms are not well known but could potentially be fuelled by inputs of iron provided by dust from the Patagonian desert. This study will investigate the factors controlling the blooms; characterize the phytoplankton assemblage and primary production rates; determine the main nutrient levels associated with the bloom waters; determine their bio-optical characteristics; and measure ocean-atmosphere fluxes of CO2 and the DMS content in the atmosphere. Understanding of bloom dynamics in this region is needed to anticipate changes to the regional carbon budget that may occur as a result of climate change. For more information visit http:// www.goal.ocfis.furg.br/ Summary Improved understanding of how Southern Ocean ecosystems respond to variability and change is crucial to further our knowledge of how climate, biogeochemical and ecological processes interact to influence the dynamics of polar ocean ecosystems. This will also be fundamental to high-level policy makers in the development of Southern Ocean ecosystem conservation and management strategies. On an even bigger scale, such information is important in understanding the role of Southern Ocean systems as part of the wider Earth System. Communication and coordination of scientific activities in the polar regions is essential. IPY 2007-09 brings a timely opportunity to increase awareness and involvement in polar issues by decisionmakers, young scientists and the general public. This time, technological developments such as Earth-observation satellites, autonomous vehicles and molecular biology techniques offer opportunities for huge steps forward in our understanding. For more information visit http://www.ipy.org. National activities Chinese IMBER/ GLOBEC Program progress: Dead Zone survey Ling Tong, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, P.R. China Jing Zhang, State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, P.R. China The new Chinese IMBER/ GLOBEC Program: “Key Proc esses and Sustainable Mechan isms of Ecosystem Food production in the Coastal ocean of China” was launched at the Qingdao kickoff meeting in January 2006, and will be implemented over 4 years (2006-2010). Field research to collect physical, chemical and biological data is a key component of the program in 2006 and 2007. The IMBER Update Issue No. 6 - March 2007 research covers 6 themes, including coastal hypoxia processes off the Changjiang Estuary, relationship between zooplankton and high trophic levels, physical dynamics of wintering ground in the East China Sea, physical dynamics of coastal spawning ground in the East China Sea, red tide process, and ecological carrying capacity in typical mariculture areas. A total of 140 days were spent in 2006 for sea-going observations, including the Yellow Sea from west to east, the southern portion of the East China Sea and the coastal environment off the Changjiang Estuary. The survey of coastal hypoxia processes and mechanisms off the Changjiang Estuary came to an end in late 2006 and 5 other survey themes will be carried out sequentially in 2007. The ecological carrying capacity survey in a typical mariculture area is currently taking place in Sanggouwan Bay in the north and Xiangshan gang Bay in the south of China (2006-2007). August and October 2006, each with ship-time of 15 days. These cruises focussed on understanding the scientific issues raised by biogeochemistry and food web dynamics in this area. In June 2006, low dissolved oxygen (DO) waters were found in the southern part of Zhoushan Islands with a level of DO up to ca. 4 mg.L-1 in near bottom waters, but the overall coast off the Changjiang Estuary experienced no hypoxia. In August, low DO waters were found in the northern part of the Changjiang Estuary, with DO in near-bottom waters as low as 1‑2 mg.L-1, accompanied by stratification in water column. In October the oxygen concentrations had increased in surface to near-bottom waters as a result of strong vertical mixing. Nutrients show the eutrophic character of coastal waters affected by the Changjiang effluent plumes, with a reduction in concentrations of nitrate and silicate and an increase in salinity. However, in near-bottom waters concentrations Characteristic of dissolved oxygen observed off the Changjiang Estuary in 3 months in 2006 Nutrient over-enrichment of coastal marine waters from land-based pollution is resulting in “dead zones”. It is an issue of global concern and hypoxia and its relationship with food-web dynamics has become an important research topic. Three cruises of the Chinese IMBER/ GLOBEC have examined the development of coastal hypoxia off the Changjiang Estuary in June, of phosphate and nitrite show a reverse relationship with DO; ammonia can also have higher levels in DO-depleted waters, suggesting that hypoxia off the Changjiang Estuary accelerate the regeneration of nutrients and hence change nutrient rations within the water column. Hence, it can be expected that change in nutrient regimes related to the development of hy- poxia may cause changes in food webs through competition for limiting nutrients among phytoplanktonic species. The distribution of photosynthetic pigments shows the eutrophication with Chl-a up to 5-10 µg.L-1 in surface waters. As shown by Fucoxanthin pigment distribution, diatoms are dominant in phytoplanktonic biomass in most stations off the Changjiang, while dinoflagellates shown by Perid occupy stations further off-shore. It was found that in the period of coastal hypoxia off the Changjiang Estuary, when the Chl-a is higher than 4 µg.L-1, the near-bottom water DO becomes <3 mg.L-1; that is the higher the pigment concentration in surface waters, the lower the DO in near-bottom waters. A revised budget of organic carbon for the East China Sea (ECS) reveals that total sediment flux in the ECS Shelf is ca. 96% of the annual terrestrial input (Deng et al., 2006). The percentage of organic carbon (OC) burial for both terrestrial and marine sources can be higher in the ECS than the global mean value, at 10% and 5-6% respectively. Further, the transport of OC by the nepheloid layer is an important mechanism over the ESC Shelf, particularly in winter. Hence the OC deposited in the bottom can be remobilised into the water column and transferred off the shelf, and the particulate organic carbon (POC) transport is ca. 2% of the Changjiang supply on an annual basis (Zhu et al. 2006). References: Deng B., Zhang J. and Wu Y. (2006), Recent sediment accumulation and carbon burial in the East China Sea, Global Biogeochem. Cycles 20, GB3014, doi:10.1029/2005GB002559. IMBER Update Zhu Z.Y., Zhang J., Wu Y. and Lin J. (2006), Bulk particulate organic carbon in the East China Sea: Tidal influence and bottom transport, Prog. Oceanogr. 69: 37-60. Research activities on the Carbon cycle in the oceans around Korea Young-Gyu Park1, Sang-Hwa Choi1, Dongseon Kim1, and Dong-Jin Kang2 1 Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute, Korea 2 School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Korea We have been conducting research on the oceanic carbon cycle in the East Japan Sea, East China Sea, Drake Passage and Northwestern Pacific Ocean. We would like to introduce our main research activities in the East Japan Sea and the East China Sea. The East Japan Sea (EJS, hereafter) surrounded by Korea, Japan and Russia is a mid-latitude marginal sea. The total area and average depth of the EJS are 1.01×106 km2 and 1740 m, respectively. The EJS is connected to the western North Pacific Ocean through four channels, which are less than 140 m deep. The deep cold water found below the thermocline located at about 100 m is formed within the EJS and it has its own thermohaline circulation and carbon cycle independent of those in the open oceans. Our goal is to quantify the carbon cycle in the EJS from the air-sea interface to the bottom of the ocean. To meet this goal, we have been measuring basic physical, chemical (∆pCO2, alkalinity, total inorganic carbon), and biological (chlorophyll a, primary production, bacteria, protozoa, phyto- and zooplankton) variables Issue No. 6 - March 2007 over the southwestern part of the EJS. We have estimated the export production using drifting sediment traps and the measurement of the thorium disequilibrium. The contents and the recycling rate of carbon in the sediments have also been measured to quantify the burial rate of the carbon to the sediment. Our preliminary results show that during spring 2006, before the spring bloom, CO2 was absorbed into the sea at 3 to 1 mmol.m-2.day-1, while during summer 2005 CO2 was released from the sea to the air at 0.5 to 2 mmol. m-2.day-1. We plan to make another survey this coming (norther) summer. We also have conducted basin-wide surveys and found that the EJS acts as a sink of CO2 to absorb 0.045 Gt-C per year of which about 2/3 is due to the physical pump. This amount is about 2% of the total annual oceanic uptake of 2.1 Gt-C. Using the helium isotope method, we found the total new production is 14.6 mmol.m-2.day-1, which is comparable to those in the northwest Pacific. The East China Sea is one of the largest continental shelves in the world, with very high production, and believed to play an important role in the global biogeochemical cycles. One of the world largest rivers, the Changjiang River, empties 890×109 m3 yr-1 of fresh water (annually on average) into the shelf with large nutrient and carbon inputs. The Kuroshio Current flows northeastward along the eastern margin of the continental shelf while interacting with the shelf water so that the ECS is an interesting area showing characteristics of an open ocean as well as a shelf. In addition, the ECS is the spawning grounds of a number of commercial fishery species including common squid, which is a major fishery in Korean waters. Since the summer of 2003 we have been measuring ∆pCO2, chlorophyll a, primary production, phyto- and zooplankton biomass annually. Generally, in the mid-latitude areas the sea surface temperature is the main factor controlling ∆pCO2 so that in summer the pCO2 of sea water gets higher than that of the air. On the contrary, in the northern part of the East China Sea, in July 2006, the surface water was under saturated in most areas so that the ocean was a sink of CO2, and ∆pCO2 is correlated with not the sea surface temperature, but the salinity (Figure 1). The concentration of the total inorganic carbon of the Changjiang River discharge is lower than that Figure 1. CO2 flux over the northern part of the East China Sea and the sea surface temperature and salinity during July 2006. The distribution pattern shows closer correlation with the salinity, and on the average the sea acts as a sink of CO2. IMBER Update Issue No. 6 - March 2007 of the sea water. When the fresh water is mixed with sea water, the concentration of the total inorganic carbon of the sea water drops depending on the amount of mixing. If the Revelle factor is considered, one would expect about 10 times greater drop in the pCO2. The mixing would be better correlated with the salinity than with the temperature and the air-sea CO2 flux would correlate with the salinity as displayed in Figure 1. The recently built Three Gorges Dam will divert the Changjiang River discharge as well as the nutrient inputs. We are sure that this diversion will have large impacts on the biogeochemistry and the fishery of the ECS and the East Japan Sea, because more than half of the fresh water is transported into the EJS by the local current system. Accessing the impact of the Three Gorges Dam is another goal of our research. We will survey the northern part of the East China Sea over the next few years. IMBER workshops and meetings CLIOTOP Open Science Symposium Co-conveners: Lisa Ballance (USA), Felipe Galván Magaña (Mexico), Arturo Muhlia Melo (Mexico) CLIOTOP (CLimate Impacts on Oceanic TOp Predators) is a-ten year program implemented under the international research program GLOBEC, a component of the International GeosphereBiosphere Programme (IGBP) and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR). CLIOTOP is devoted to the study of oceanic top predators within their ecosystems and is based on a worldwide comparative approach, i.e. among regions, oceans and species. It requires a substantive international collaborative effort. The project aims at identifying, characterising and modelling the key processes involved in the dynamics of oceanic pelagic ecosystems in a context of both climate variability and change, and intensive fishing of top predators. The goal is to improve knowledge and to develop a reliable predictive capacity for single species and ecosystem dynamics at short, medium and long time scales. CLIOTOP is based on the idea that the variety of climatic and oceanographic conditions in the three oceans (Atlantic, Indian and Pacific) provides a unique opportunity for largescale comparative analysis of open ocean ecosystem functioning. The first CLIOTOP Open Science symposium is intended to provide a forum for researchers with an interest in the various components of CLIOTOP-related science. It will highlight the state of the art in the field and try to identify emerging directions and future challenges. The symposium is open to all scientists interested in top predator pelagic ecosystems functioning, management and conservation, in a climate change perspective. The first Open Science CLIOTOP Symposium will be held in La Paz, Mexico, 3-7 December 2007. Online registration is now open at https://www.confmanager.com/main. cfm?cid=722&nid=5783 The deadlines are as follows: Call for abstracts January 2007 Abstract submission deadline: 15 May 2007 Oral and poster presentation notification: 1 July 2007 Early registration deadline: 1 July 2007 Paper submission deadline: 1 December 2007 Final registration deadline: 3 December 2007 A low-resolution version of the poster of the CLIOTOP Symposium, as well as its brochure, can be downloaded from the symposium web site at http://web.pml.ac.uk/globec/ Olivier Maury and Parick Lehodey are co-chairs of the CLIOTOP Program Reports on... International Conference on The Humboldt Current System: Climate, ocean dynamics, ecosystem processes, and fisheries 27 November - 1 December 2006 Lima, Peru Organized by IMARPE (Peru) and IRD (France) with the technical support of FAO Co-Conveners: Arnaud Bertrand (France), Renato Guevara (Peru) and Pierre Soler (France) The Humboldt Current System (HCS) off the west coast of South America is notable for several reasons. First, it produces more fish per unit area than any other region in the world oceans. It represents less than 1% of the world ocean 10 IMBER Update surface, but accounts for up to 20% of the world fishing catches. Second, it is intimately linked to the ocean-atmosphere coupling over the tropical Pacific Ocean, and therefore subject to interannual, decadal and secular fluctuations in regional ocean climate. Third, it is a low oxygen and intense denitrification area, contributing significantly to global budgets of greenhouse gases. One of its main features is the existence of the most intense, extended and shallow Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) of the open ocean. Its presence allows the preservation of a detailed record of the climate and ecosystem history in the laminated sediments of the continental shelf over the past millennium and beyond. No syntheses on the HCS have been conducted since the late 1980s although important technical and conceptual advances have transformed many areas of marine sciences. These changes provide new background to reexamine the complex links and feed-backs between climate, ocean circulation, biogeochemical cycles, trophic webs and fish production. New in situ and satellite observing capabilities, long-term and multivariable data, improved data analysis, and ocean modelling tools can now provide a view of the dynamics of the HCS within a multidisciplinary context. Operational fisheries management is also evolving from a mono-specific approach towards an “Ecosystem-Based” paradigm. This new approach, Issue No. 6 - March 2007 likely to be embraced in the 21st century, appears to be particularly appropriate for the HCS, in which the uncertainty associated with interannual and decadal variability and regime shifts in the context of global warming constitutes a major challenge for oceanography, ecology and fisheries research and management. In this context, there was a clear need to undertake a new integration and synthesis in our understanding of the Humboldt Current System, which was the aim of this conference. Invited session papers were given by Daniel Pauly (Canada) on Trophic Modelling of the Peruvian (USA) on The Marine Ecosystem off Peru: What are the Secrets of its Fishery Productivity and What Might its Future Hold?; Elie Poulin (Chile) on Genetic Diversity of Small Pelagic Fishes in the Upwelling Systems of the Eastern Pacific, and Renato Guevara (Peru) on Fisheries in the Peruvian Upwelling Ecosystem: More than Fifty Years Learning How to Deal with Environmental Uncertainty. A total number of 300 people from 26 countries, including students, attended the 5-day conference, with most of the participants from Peru, Chile, France, USA, Germany, and South Africa. There were 73 1 2 Picture 1. Purse Seiner off the port of Chimbote, Peru. The smoke in the background comes from fish meal factories. (Copyright IRD / A. Bertrand) Picture 2. Purse Seiner in activity off Peru. (Copyright IRD / A. Bertrand) Upwelling Ecosystem: Towards Reconciliation of Multiple Datasets; Boris Dewitte (France) on ENSO in the South Eastern Pacific Ocean: the Connection with the Equatorial Kelvin wave; Richard Barber (USA) on Ocean dynamics and Biogeochemistry of the Humboldt Current System; Andrew Bakun Picture 3. Opening session of the Conference. (Copyright IMARPE) oral presentations given in plenary session and all the 140 posters had brief oral presentations. The multidisciplinary approach promoted during the conference led to a wide variety of results. In biogeochemistry, for example, the analysis of the large database from IMARPE was presented. The study highlights strong differences in the mean and seasonal biogeochemical conditions, when compared with conditions described in climatologies of these variables. In particular, high primary production was observed year-round, which contrasts with biased satellite data that suggest a strong decrease in productivity during winter. A potentially strong role of coastal denitri- IMBER Update 11 Issue No. 6 - March 2007 fication, associated with a strong diminution in nitrate concentration due to the quasi-anoxic condition was also observed. The coupled dynamics-biogeochemistry modelling allows investigation of the processes responsible for the variability in primary productivity and demonstrated the important role played by iron limitation. The book of abstracts, oral presentation and the posters can be viewed at http://irdal.ird.fr/hcs-conference.imarpe.fao.ird.php3. A special issue of Progress in Oceanography from the conference will be published in 2008 under the coeditorship of A. Bertrand (France), F. Chavez (USA), J. Csirke (FAOItaly), R. Guevara (Peru) and P. Soler (France). Co-Sponsors: ICES, IMBER, GLOBEC, PICES, EUR-OCEANS, CNES, NASA, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CLSArgos (France), SIMRAD (Norway), Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica (CONCYTEC, Peru), French Embassy at Lima (Peru), Alliance Française in Peru, Sociedad Nacional de Pesquería (Peru), ARCOPA (Peru). Learning from the Distant Past It was one of those workshops to remember - the aim of the meeting was to bring together researchers working on modern ocean acidification with researchers investigating relevant processes and events in Earth history. This stimulated cross-disciplinary thinking and improved our understanding of future impacts if fossil-fuel CO2 continues to increase in the marine environment. Great overviews, plenty of time for discussion and a good range of posters contributed to a powerful format for the frank and open exchange of concepts and knowledge. You will all know that the carbonate chemistry of seawater is being altered by the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere. Today, the surface oceans are globally supersaturated with respect to aragonite and calcite. But with a continuation of CO2 emissions at current rates, surface waters in high-latitude environments will become undersaturated with respect to aragonite by the end of this century, which will almost certainly impact pteropods and other aragonitic organisms that live there. Even in tropical waters, declining aragonite saturation levels are likely to affect corals and other reef-builders by reducing calcification rates. An IGBP/SCOR Workshop on “Ocean Acidification – Modern Observations and Past Experiences” by Carol Turley and Jorijntje Henderiks We were two of the fortunate 65 international participants at the workshop sponsored by the International GeosphereBiosphere Programme and Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research held at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory from September 28 to 30, 2006 (http://igbp-scor.pag es.unibe.ch). Pteropod Limacina Helicina. Credits: NOAA While the chemistry is easy to calculate, it is more difficult to pre- dict how marine organisms and ecosystems will respond to a future high CO2-ocean and, indeed, whether biota can adapt to changes in ocean carbonate chemistry. The optimists may argue that for organisms with short generation times, micro-evolutionary adaptation could be rapid and that species adversely affected by high CO2 could be replaced by more CO2-tolerant strains or species, with minimal impacts up the food chain. The pessimists’ view is that CO2-sensitive groups, such as the marine calcifiers, will be unable to compete ecologically, resulting in widespread extinctions with profound ramifications up the food web. Supposedly, there’s room in the marine environment for a bit of both and a lot in-between. One big problem is that the science of high-CO2 oceans is still evolving, with remarkably few experiments performed to date; the few have been on a relatively small number of individuals and populations and for relatively short duration. There are likely to be large species-specific differences – depending on which chemical component the organisms are most sensitive to (e.g., changes in hydrogen ion activity (pH), CO2 concentration, carbonate ion concentration). Thus, we have little ability to make predictions for marine ecosystems on the decade–to-century time scale. Even fewer studies, paleo or modern, have focused on effects of ocean chemistry changes on softbodied and other non-calcareous organisms. Since most marine organisms have planktonic stages in their life cycle, changes in pelagic ecosystems could broadly impact marine biota. Higher organisms, including commercially important groups such as fish and shellfish, may be particularly vulnerable during egg and larval development. Detailed mechanistic knowledge of calcification by marine biota is 12 IMBER Update Issue No. 6 - March 2007 still lacking, limiting broad-scale Figure 1: Calcitic parts 1 inferences from calcification exof marine phytoplankton (coccolithophore Emiperiments under variable levels liana Huxley) and zooof CO2 and carbonate saturation plankton (Foraminifera state. Still, the consequences Globigerina bulloides). of ocean acidification appear Courtesy of Patricia Ziveri and Harry to be clearest for corals, with Ederfield for FTI «Ocean most studies suggesting a linAcidification». ear relationship between coral Figure 2: Data from Chris Langdon, Univercalcification rate and aragonite sity of Miami. saturation state. In comparison, calcitic coccolithophores and foraminifera generally exhibit a 2 weaker calcification response to changing carbonate chemistry. Among pelagic organisms, shifts in the carbonate system have been shown to impede calcification, larval development and recruitment, while stimulating photosynthesis, carbon and nitrogen fixation and phytoplankton exudation, but there are still concentrations and together with large uncertainties in predicting the biological response to future marine paleo-proxies (e.g., boron ocean acidification. The workshop isotopes) serve to reasonably esexplored any answers that might timate ocean carbonate chemistry lay in the geologic record. First, over the last 650,000 years. For we sought to identify which paleo- periods extending back millions archives would serve a detailed of years the uncertainty increasunderstanding of past changes es, as available proxy measurein ocean chemistry and biotic re- ments preclude very accurate responses to events in which ocean construction of ocean carbonate acidification is thought to have chemistry. played a role. Second, as data Such measurements indicate no so far suggest we lack an exact major undersaturation of the surpast analogue of present-day CO2 face ocean for at least the last 65 emissions, discussion centered on million years, and that the curhow future scenarios might comrent rate and magnitude of CO2pare with the Paleocene-Eocene induced chemical change occurThermal Maximum (PETM; 55 Ma) ring in the ocean are unprecedentand mass extinction events such ed for at least the past 55 million as at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg; 65 Ma) and Permo-Triassic (P-Tr; 248 Ma) boundaries. Archives such as deep-sea corals, rapidly accumulating sediment drift deposits and molluscan records such as Arctica islandica may have recorded the response of the carbonate system to changing atmospheric CO2 since the industrial revolution. Ice cores provide high resolution and accurate records of atmospheric CO2 Brain coral. credit : Consigliere years. The amount of carbon released into the environment at the PETM was comparable to what we could release over the next decades and centuries, and this event primarily disrupted benthic marine calcifiers. During the major extinction events such as the K-Pg and the P-Tr, many planktonic calcifiers went extinct and most corals died. The loss of calcareous organisms suggest that ocean acidification could have been a factor in these events, but global warming and changes in ocean circulation also likely played important roles. A major challenge with interpreting these past records is to uniquely relate effects to causes, which is often hampered by the temporal resolution of our paleo-records. Another important aspect during our discussions was the rate of change and recovery to ‘pre-event’ conditions of the chemical and biotic processes under scrutiny. A useful nutshell was a trip into the future to address what happens to the anthropogenic CO2. Ocean carbon models and the sediment record both indicate that chemical recovery from projected CO2 emissions will require thousands of years (chemical equilibration with carbonate minerals) to hundreds of thousands of years (equilibration with the carbonatesilicate cycle). This means that the chemical effects of CO2 releases from burning fossil fuels occur on time scales similar to those associated with the disposal of nuclear waste, and are not confined to the century time scale often erroneously cited as the lifetime of anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the environment. A big take-home message came from studies of past extinction events, which indicate that recovery of coral reef systems is measured in millions of years - ample IMBER Update 13 Issue No. 6 - March 2007 time for the recovery of survivors, evolution of new organisms and the development of new food webs different to those that existed before the perturbation (after the K-Pg extinction, for example, dinosaurs were replaced by mammals). Thus lessons from the past indicate that should increasing ocean acidification lead to significant loss of biodiversity and even extinction, biological systems would not “recover” to pre-industrial ecosystems, but rather would “transition” to a new state. AUSTRAL SUMMER INSTITUTE – VII (ASI-VII) University of Concepción It is important in these times when climate change policy makers are calling for our input that the scientific community’s response is unambiguous. A consensus was reached among the workshop participants that: The Seventh Austral Summer Institute (http://www.udec.cl/ocean oudec/oceanografia) was held 2-26 January 2007, at the University of Concepción, Chile, and organized in two modules. 1) Ocean acidification at the rate and magnitude projected for the coming decades represents a major risk to at least some marine ecosystems. The module “Methane biogeochemistry and geophysics” was held at the Marine Biology Station of the Department of Oceanography of University of Concepción, in Dichato, and consisted of four courses: 2) Effects of acidification will differ across different marine environments but cannot be determined with any certainty based on our present understanding. 3) Research is needed to assess the consequences of ocean acidification, including a better understanding of present, past and future changes in ocean carbonate chemistry and the biotic responses to these changes. Methane biogeochemistry and geophysics & Remote sensing and ocean-land interaction by Monica Sorondo and Silvio Pantoja, FONDAP-COPAS, Chile 1. Methane: Microbes, Bio markers & Carbon Cycle by Antje Boetius, Gerald Dickens, and KaiUwe Hinrichs. 2. Methane hydrates by Richard Behl and Gerhard Bohrmann. . Sediment diagenesis & biol- ogy by Jeffrey Chanton and Lisa Levin. 4. Methane turnover & seeps by Guillermo Alfaro and Jean Whelan. The module “Remote Sensing and Ocean-Land interaction”, was held at the Main Campus of UDEC, and consisted of two courses: 1. Rivers: Connecting land and the ocean. Processes and problems (January 3 – 12, 2007), by John Milliman. 2. Use of remote sensing and bio-optics for coastal water quality monitoring (January 16 – 26, 2007) by Ajit Subramaniam. Activities included lectures, discussions, laboratory work to examine sulfide oxidizing bacteria, infaunal invertebrates, and computer activities to analyze satellite-derived data. Field trips were also undertaken to a) the Coliumo Tidal Flat to observe invertebrates and study redox zonation, b) the Nahuelbuta Mountain region to observe upper mantle rocks and 280 million year-oceanic crust, c) the Bío-Bío river to examine the river bed and d) Coliumo Bay to collect optical data aboard the R/V Kay Kay. Fifty graduate and advanced undergraduate students, from Chile, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, 4) It is important to improve our communication to policy makers of the risks associated with ocean acidification, as these risks may provide motivation for farreaching and rapid reduction of CO2 emissions. This group of students attended the Sediment and Diagenesis and Biology course in Dichato. 14 IMBER Update Germany and Scotland, participated in ASI VII. This capacity-building activity for graduate education is supported by the UNESCO-IOC Chair in Oceanography (granted to S. Pantoja) and Fundación AndesChile through the Education/ Research Agreement UDEC- Issue No. 6 - March 2007 WHOI-FA, and was sponsored by the Graduate School at UDEC, the FONDAP COPAS Center, WHOI, IMBER, CIEP, POGO, and the Ministry of Education of Chile (MECESUP Program). The Austral Summer Institute VII is a contribution of the Department of Oceanography and the FONDAP COPAS Center at University of Concepcion to capacity building in Latin America, and the development of networks among local and visiting scientists and students. IMBER sponsored participants to workshops Jorge Cortés, Costa Rica Between October 23 and 27, 2006, I had the opportunity to travel to Chile to attend the Workshop: “Oxygen Minimum Systems in the Ocean: Distribution, Diversity and Dynamics”, organized by the Universidad de Concepción. My trip was generously funded by IMBER. More than 100 specialists from many coun tries attended the workshop. Papers on processes, organisms and dynamics of those regions of the ocean where oxygen reaches minimum levels were presented. I presented a poster together with Victor Ariel Gallardo and Carola Espinoza entitled: “Preliminary Observations on Benthic Microbes from Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica”. I was instructed and inspired by the speakers and the workshop activities. The OMZ topic is relevant to us in Costa Rica, because Golfo Dulce, a tropical fyord on the southern part of the country, has oxygen minimum zones. Very recently, macrobacteria have been collected from the sediments of Golfo Dulce. Finally, the workshop was a great opportunity to meet colleagues and discuss possible research collborations. Jorge Cortés is working at Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Lim nología (CIMAR), Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, San José 2060 Jorge Cortés, enjoying a great seafood lunch in Chile. Photograph by Carola Espinoza. Email: [email protected] Partner Programmes An ocean-atmosphere observatory in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean: TENATSO by Leticia Cotrim da Cunha and Douglas Wallace IfM-GEOMAR, Germany Two potentially major climate-related interactions linking the ocean and the atmosphere are: (1) climate change alterations of ocean circulation and upwelling, and consequent changes in oceanic gas emissions, and (2) effects of climate-related changes in deposition of continental dust on marine ecosystems. Such complex and interdependent processes require experimental investigation (“process-studies”), but information can also be derived through long-term observation of natural and human- IMBER Update 15 Issue No. 6 - March 2007 forced variability. Ideally, process studies can be conducted within the context of long-term observations. In the past six months we have started to establish the Tropical Eastern North Atlantic Time-Series Observatory (TENATSO). TENATSO is currently a specific support action funded by the EU that supports the establishment of pre-operational ocean and atmosphere observation capability in the tropical Eastern North Atlantic Ocean. The chosen location is at Cape Verde, in and near São Vicente Island (Figure 1). The project involves scientific institutions from Germany, England as well as Cape Verde (Table 1). Table 1 – Scientific institutions involved in TENATSO Participant name Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften (IfMGEOMAR) University of York (UoY) Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia e Geofísica (INMG) Instituto Nacional de Desenvolvimento das Pescas (INDP) Max-Planck Institut für Biogeochemie (MPIB) Leibniz-Institut für Troposphärenforschung (IfT) Country Germany UK Cape Verde Cape Verde Germany Germany Cape Verde is ideally located for both ocean and atmosphere observation. Being downwind of the Mauritanian upwelling, the Observatory can provide unique information linking strong variations of surface water biological productivity with variable atmospheric composition. The site is also located underneath an area of massive dust transport from land to the ocean. This is an area where aerosol impacts on climate, atmospheric chemistry and marine processes are large and subject to future change as a result of direct or indirect human intervention. The tropical seas are recognised as areas where sea-surface temperatures are changing rapidly, with potential consequences for phytoplankton biomass. The location is well-placed for studies of tropical climate variability and trace gas studies as well as for investigations of dust impacts Figure 1: Observatory location on marine ecosystems. Ocean-based activities started on 8th July 2006 with the deployment of an initial oceanographic mooring at the proposed time-series site during a cruise of R/V Meteor. Several cruises have already collected data at the location since then. Regular ocean-based activities will start in the Summer of 2007 with the initiation of regular ship-based observations at the location – which is about 70 kilometres offshore of Mindelo (Figure 1). The work at the ocean observatory involves the INDP and the IfMGEOMAR, and is also supported by the German project SOPRAN (Surface Ocean Processes in the Anthropocene, http://sopran. pangaea.de). The Cape Verdean research vessel Islândia (Figure 2a) will be equipped to collect in situ monthly samples for marine parameters (temperature, salinity, biological parameters, nutrients, dissolved carbon and oxygen), that will be analysed at the laboratory facility at the Institute for the Development of Fisheries (INDP) in Mindelo, São Vicente Island. INDP staff have been trained at IfM-GEOMAR, with an initial focus on chemical and biological oceanography sampling techniques and analyses that they will perform at the ocean observatory. This was possible through support from the POGO-SCOR (Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans) Fellowship Programme . The atmospheric observatory is co-funded through the UK NERC Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study programme (UK SOLAS) and by TENATSO (Figure 2b). The atmospheric site was established in October 2006 and is already measuring a range of meteorological parameters, greenhouse and short-lived gases, and aerosols. The work at the atmospheric station is coordinated by the University of York in cooperation 16 IMBER Update Issue No. 6 - March 2007 with the Cape Verdean Institute for Meteorology and Geophysics (INMG), together with the IfT, the MPIB and additional institutions. Preliminary data from the site are already available at http://www.york. ac.uk/capeverde/index.html. projects such as SOPRAN and UK-SOLAS. It should provide a valuable platform from which scientists can assess oceanatmosphere interactions in a region of strong variability which is otherwise difficult to access. It is expected that datasets arising from the ocean and atmospheric observatories will contribute to databases such as the Global Atmospheric Watch of the World Meteorological Organization (GAW), the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), and global ocean time-series network OceanSITES (www.oceansites. org). The Observatory is designed to support shorter-term research measurements and field work by international investigators and Further information on TENATSO activities is available at: http://te natso.ifm-geomar.de. Contacts: Douglas Wallace, TENATSO Coordinator, IfM-GEOMAR ([email protected]) Letícia Cotrim da Cunha, TENATSO Ocean Site Scientist, IfM-GEOMAR (lco [email protected]) Lucy Carpenter, Atmospheric Observatory Coordinator, University of York ([email protected]) Katie Read, Atmospheric Site Scientist, University of York ([email protected]) THE ARGOOXYGEN PROGRAM A white paper to promote the addition of oxygen sensors to the international Argo float program A white paper to promote the addition of oxygen sensors to the Argo float program has been released by the members of the ArgoOxygen writing team with input from the community at large. This paper is aimed to form the basis for the discussions next month at the Argo SC meeting in Paris. It synthesizes the main scientific motivations, the objective, as well as the current status of the technology, including the identification of current existing gaps. It also outlines a possible path forward with regard to the actual implementation. Scientific motivations and objective In order to determine, on a globalscale, seasonal to decadal timescale variations in sub-surface dissolved oxygen concentrations, it is suggested to add dissolved oxygen sensors to the floats of the Argo array. Oceanic dissolved Figure 2: Cap Verdean research vessel and atmospheric observatory oxygen concentration allows the study and quantification of processes such as the detection of the oceanic impact of global warming on ocean biogeochemistry and circulation, the addition of unprecAnnouncements edented constraints on the export of biologically formed organic matter, and improved estimates of the oceanic uptake of anthropogenic EUR-OCEANS - Call CO2. The addition of oxygen to the Call for proposals - Data Rescue & Transformation currently measured suite of temperature and salinity on Argo will EUR-OCEANS will award 200,000 Euros in 2007/08 to rescue histor- represent a revolutionary step in ical field data and to transform field and experimental data into pre- our ability to observe the ocean’s determined formats. These data are essential to constrain and validate evolution over time, integrating models designed to assess and forecast the impacts of climate and biogeochemical and physical obanthropogenic forcing on pelagic ecosystems (structure, functioning, di- servations. versity and stability) in the open ocean. Benefits The calls close on Monday 23 April 2007. The proposed program will broadTo apply, visit http://www.eur-oceans.eu/dataportal en the scientific scope of Argo and expand the number of Argo data IMBER Update 17 Issue No. 6 - March 2007 users; it will create new links between the physical and the biogeochemical ocean research communities. The new observations will also contribute to the activities of various international networks and partnerships for Earth Observing Systems, such as the Climate Observing System/Global Ocean Observing System (GCOS/ GOOS). The authors are currently seeking comments from the wider community. The document can be downloaded at http://www.ioc.unesco.org/ioccp/ docs/o2_argo_whitepaper_15feb07_ r.pdf Comments and suggestions should be forwarded to Nicolas Gruber ([email protected]. ch) New host for JGOFS website We have the pleasure to announce that the US JGOFS office at WHOI has kindly accepted to host the International JGOFS web site. The site, which was created and maintained by the JGOFS International Project Office at the University of Bergen since 1996, was recently inactivated by the university. We are pleased with WHOI for taking care of the long-term stewardship of the site. For general inquiries about the JGOFS, users are asked to contact either the IGBP Secretariat or SCOR. Users are also made aware that research on marine carbon cycle is carried out by the Joint IMBER/SOLAS Carbon Working Group and that inquiries and requests shall be made to IMBER (http://www.imber.info/C_WG.html) or SOLAS (http://www.solas-int.org) The new URL to the International JGOFS web site is http://ijgofs.whoi. edu/. GEOTRACES intercalibration activity Invitation to participate in the GEOTRACES intercalibration activity GEOTRACES is an international study of the marine biogeochemical cycles of trace elements and their isotopes, an interest shared with many scientists working in IMBER. The U.S. National Science Foun dation anticipates funding two cruises to support the intercalibration of sampling, sample handling, and analytical methods used to measure dissolved and particulate trace elements and their isotopes in seawater; a copy of the proposal is posted on the Intercalibration page of the GEOTRACES web site (www.geotraces.org). The purpose of this intercalibration is to ensure that results obtained throughout the GEOTRACES program, and in related studies, are accurate, internally consistent and quantitatively comparable. The primary objective of the first cruise (approximately May 2008, in the vicinity of Bermuda) will be to test for contamination and comparability in various sampling systems used to collect seawater and particulate material. In addition, seawater samples will be collected and distributed to investigators worldwide to facilitate comparison of analytical methods (details below). Objectives for the second cruise will be refined based on results from the first cruise. Water sampling systems that will be supported aboard the first cruise include: 1) An epoxy powder-coated rosette with 12-liter Go-Flo bottles and a Kevlar conducting hydrowire (intended to be the principal water sampling system for the U.S. GEOTRACES program), 2) A standard rosette with 12-liter Niskin bottles, and 3) 30-liter Go-Flo bottles deployed on a Kevlar hydrowire. 4) A clean surface pumping system for sampling the upper 100-200m. The NSF award will support the collection of particulate material using the rosette mounted GOFlo bottles and in-line filtration of 5-10 L onto various filter types (various materials and pore sizes to be tested). We also want to intercalibrate methods for collecting larger volume particulate samples (e.g., using in situ pumps), but no funding was obtained for this. We encourage other participants to bring large volume particle sampling systems. Scientists interested in bringing other sampling systems (water or particles) on the cruise to compare with those described above are encouraged to contact the PIs (Greg Cutter, [email protected]; Ken Bruland, [email protected]; Rob Sherrell, [email protected] gers.edu) to ascertain whether the sampling systems are compatible with the objectives of the intercalibration program, and to determine if space and berths aboard the ship are likely to be available. Investigators wishing to test their sampling systems aboard the cruise will need to secure funding to support their participation. Letters of support can be provided by the Chairs of the GEOTRACES Scientific Steering Committee if desired (contact Bob Anderson, [email protected]). To facilitate the comparisons of analytical methods, the U.S. NSF award will support the collection of 0.2-micron filtered and acidified seawater that will be distributed in acid-cleaned, 0.5-liter, low-density, polyethylene bottles. These samples can be obtained by request to Ken Bruland ([email protected]). For analyses requiring samples larger than 0.5 liters (e.g., Th‑230, Nd isotopes) or for analyses requiring special handling (e.g., Hg), investigators will need to provide pre-cleaned sample containers along with instructions for 18 IMBER Update sample collection and handling. Investigators involved in analyses that require large volumes or special handling are encouraged to organize teams with common interests to develop a shared sample collection and distribution system. A representative from each team will work with the principal investigators to ensure that the needs of the participating scientists are met. The US NSF award does not cover participant costs. It is hoped that the cost associated with analysis of intercalibration samples will be minimal, and can be covered by existing funding. In cases where additional funding must be sought, a letter of support can be provided by the Chairs of the GEOTRACES SSC. A list of interested scientists is available on GEOTRACES website (Intercalibration page at www. geotraces.org). If you wish to participate, please contact Greg Cutter ([email protected]) and provide the following information: a) trace elements and/or isotopes to be measured, b) whether the analyses involve dissolved or particulate elements, c) volume of water required for each analysis, and d) a description of sampling systems to be tested at sea. Issue No. 6 - March 2007 North Atlantic Bloom Experiment March - July 2008 60N, 20W PI’s: Eric D’Asaro, Craig Lee Mary Jane Perry, Katja Fennel Collaborators Wanted! Cruises: Mid-March - Short deployment April-May - 28 days Late June - Short recovery The North Atlantic Bloom Experiment has some ship time and space available on these cruises and can take some additional water samples. • Physical Forcing of Primary Productivity • 3-D mapping on Patch Scale • Autonomous gliders and floats Autonomous measurements: • T,S,O2, Chl-a, Beam-C, • NO3,Light, Backscatter • Shipboard measurements: • Nutrients, POC, PON, DOC • O2, Chl-a, CDOM, 14C, • optics, HPLC, Cytometry on preserved samples Contact [email protected]. edu Congratulations for Richard A. Feely Richard Feely, a member of the joint IMBER/SOLAS Carbon task team and senior scientist at the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, has been elected as a new American Geophysical Union fellow. He was nominated for «His groundbreaking www.imber.info research and scientific leadership to quantify oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2 and the effect of ocean acidification». Dick Feely’s research interests range from studies of the chemistry of hydrothermal vent fluids to improving our understanding of the role of the oceans in the global carbon cycle. He is very active in the development of national and international carbon cycle research programs. The new fellows will be recognised during the Joint Assembly in May 2007 in Acapulco, Mexico. Nominated by AGU members each year approximately 48 scientists worldwide are selected for their outstand ing contribution to the geophysical research. More... The announcement for the 2007 POGO-SCOR Visiting Fellowships for Oceanographic Observations is available now on the POGO website at http://www.ocean-partners. org/POGO_SCOR_Fellowships.htm NSF press release: Northwest Atlantic Ocean ecosystems experiencing large climate-related changes - Research shows links between collapse of fisheries and bottom-living species URL: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/ pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pr07014 News Release on NSF website 22/02/2007 20 IMBER Update Issue No. 6 - March 2007 Thank you The IMBER SSC and IPO wish to ex press their thanks to Ann Bucklin and Dave Hutchins who have, due to other commitments, rotated off the IMBER SSC. Ann was a member of both the IMBER transition team and the SSC and Dave was a member of the IMBER SSC for the past three years. They both contributed significantly to the development and writing of the IMBER Science Plan and Imple mentation Strategy and have been involved in the initial implementa tion of the IMBER project. We wish them well in their new endeavours. Welcome The IMBER SSC warmly welcomes two new mem bers, Mary-Elena Carr and Michael Roman who have been appointed to the SSC for the next three years. Mary-Elena’s expertise in cludes remote sensing and marine biogeochemistry. Mary-Elena graduated with a MSc degree in Biology at the University of Barcelona (1986) and a Ph.D in oceanogra phy at Dalhousie University in 1991. After a postdoctoral experience at the Oregon State University, she joined the University of Rhode Island as a marine scientist. She has been a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA) since 1996 in the Water and Carbon Cycles Group. Her research interests in clude interannual variability of ocean carbon fluxes, novel applications of remote sensing to study ocean biogeochemistry, physical-biological inter actions, eastern boundary current systems, air-sea gas exchange, and biological productivity. Michael’s expertise is in zoo plankton ecology, and the structure and dynamics of food webs particularly in ar eas of hypoxia. Michael ob tained a M.A. in biology at the City College and a Ph.D in zoology from the University of New Hampshire (1976). He has worked as research assistant at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and then became Assistant Professor at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, in 1978. Michael joined the Center for Environmental and Estuarine Studies, University of Maryland, in 1981 and held several positions until 2001 when he became Director of the Center for Environmental Science. Together with his team at the Horn Point Laboratory, he has developed several projects in cluding BITMAX (Bio-physical Interactions in the Turbidity Maximum), and has worked collabora tively on projects involving toxic dinoflagellates, ecosystem structure, biogeochemical fluxes and vulnerability to climate change perturbations, and integration of traditional, optical and acoustic zoo plankton and fish data in the Chesapeake Bay. Related conferences and workshops IMBER WORKSHOPS and CONFERENCES EGU - General Assembly 2007 IMBER/SOLAS Special Session (OS6) April 15-20, 2007, Vienna, Austria http://www.cosis.net/members/ meetings/sessions/information. php?p_id=249&s_id=4048 IMBER SSC meeting June 12-14, 2007, Victoria, Canada www.loicz.org Joint IMBER / LOICZ Continental Margins Open Science Conference September 17-21, 2007, Shanghai, China Joint IMBER/CLIVAR/GLOBEC/ SOLAS Workshop Climate driving of ecosystem – making the connection” End 2007, Brest, France www.imber.info [email protected] IMBER Update 21 Issue No. 6 - March 2007 IMBER-RELATED CONFERENCES 2007 Workshop on Data Assimilation in Coastal Ocean Observing Sys tems April 3-5, Corvallis, Oregon, USA http://cioss.coas.oregonstate.edu/ CIOSS/modeling_workshop.html Surface pCO2 and Ocean Vulnerabilities workshop April 11-14, Paris, France http://www.ioc.unesco.org/ioccp/ pco2_2007.htm EGU General Assembly April 15-20, Vienna, Austria Sensitivity of marine ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles to climate change (OS13) http://www.cosis.net/members/meet ings/programme/view.php?p_id=249 Climate variability and the carbon cycle (past, present and future): The EuroCLIMATE Programme on multi-proxy reconstructions and coupled climate models at European and regional scales (BG5.09/CL49) Biogeochemistry of coastal seas and continental shelves (BG2.02) http://www.cosis.net/members/meetings/programme/view.php?p_id=236 CLIVAR / GOOS Indian Ocean Panel 4th session April 23-25, Pretoria, South Africa http://www.clivar.org/organization/in dian/IOP_meet.php Ocean Controls in Abrupt Climate Changes / ESF Research Conference May 19-24, Obergurgel, Austria http://www.esf.org/conferences The 2007 AGU Joint Assembly May 22-25, Acapulco, Mexico http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja07/ Climate, Ecosystems, and Biogeochemistry of the Pacific Ocean: Variability and Change (U05) http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja07/ ?content=search&show=detail&se ssid=98 4th International Zooplankton Production Symposium Human and climate forcing on zooplankton production Session on zooplankton biogeochemical cycling May 28-June 1, Hiroshima, Japan http://www.pices.int/meetings/inter national_symposia/2007_symposia/ 4th_Zooplankton/4th_Zoopl.aspx 5th Study Conference on BALTEX June 4-8, Kuressaare, Saaremaa, Estonia Christian MÖLLMANN (christian.moell USA Mary Zawoysky (mzawoysky@whoi. edu) http://ocb.whoi.edu Chemical Oceanography GRC Conference August 5 -10, New Hampshire, USA http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?ye ar=2007&program=chemocn Effects of Climate Change on Marine Ecosystems - Inter-Research Symposium # 2 Convened in conjunction with he 42nd European Marine Biology Symposium August 27-31, Kiel, Germany http://www.ir-symposia.com/Conf_ home.asp?ConferenceCode=EMBS %202007 [email protected]) Early Career Scientist Conference- New Frontiers in Marine Science June 26-29, Baltimore, Maryland, USA http://www.pices.int/meetings/inter national_symposia/2007_symposia/ Young_scientists/newfrontiers.aspx Paleo and Modern Perspectives on Global Change (IGBP) June 27, London, UK http://www.bridge.bris.ac.uk/palmope International Sea-Ice Summer School July 2-13, Svalbard, Norway http://www.seaice.info IUGG general assembly July 2-17, 2007, Perugia, Italy Impact of CO2 Changes on Biogeochemical Processes and Ecosystem Functioning (PS009) http://www.iugg2007Perugia.it Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) Summer 2007 Science Workshop July 23-26, Woods Hole, MA, 2nd Global Conference on Large Marine Ecosystems September 11-13, Qingdao, China http://www.imber.info/jobs-announce ments/LMEs_first_announcement.pdf Dissertations Initiative for the Advancement of Climate Change Research Symposium Interdisciplinary Opportunity for Recent PhD Graduates: September 10-17, Kilauea, Hawaii http://disccrs.org Ocean Biodiversity Informatics conference (OBI’07) October 2-4, 2007, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada http://nautilus.mathstat.dal.ca/OBI07 Long Time-Series Observations in Coastal Ecosystems AGU Chapman Conference Comparative Analyses of Phytoplankton Dynamics on Regional to Global Scales October 8-12, Rovinj, Croatia http://www.agu.org/meetings/chap man.html 22 IMBER Update 2007 SOLAS International Summer School October 22 - November 3, Corsica, France http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/solas/sum merschool/ 1st CLIOTOP Symposium: Climate impacts on oceanic top predators December 3-7,La Paz, Mexico http://web.pml.ac.uk/globec/structure/ regional/cliotop/symposium.htm Issue No. 6 - March 2007 2008 The 14th Ocean Sciences Meeting (Joint with ASLO, ERF, TOS and AGU) March 2-7, Orlando, FL, USA http://www.aslo.org/meetings.html 40th International Liège Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics and Advanced Research Workshop Oceanography of the rapidly changing Arctic and Sub-arctic May 5-9, Liège, Belgium ICES/PICES/IOC Symposium Effects of climate change on the world’s oceans May 19-23, Gijón, Spain http://www.pices.int/meetings/All_ events_default.aspx#Int_Symp International Symposium Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems: Integrative and Comparative Approaches June 2-6, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain http://www.upwelling-symposium.org/ http://modb.oce.ulg.ac.be/collo quium/2007.html INSTRUCTIONS TO CONTRIBUTORS The IMBER Update is published quarterly and is released in on-line version (www.imber.info/newsletters.html). ARTICLES We invite you to submit your contribution to the IMBER Update using the following guidelines: Articles can be up to 1000 words with accompanying figures and/or pictures. When sending illustrations for the IMBER Update please include them in as high resolution as possible, minimum requirement is 300 dpi as tiff or eps.Text should be in .doc or .txt. Contributions should be sent to [email protected] The Science Plan and Implementation Strategy is available on request at [email protected] and is downloadable from the website, www.imber.info/SPIS.html IMBER International Project Office Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer Place Nicolas Copernic, 29280 Plouzané, France Ph: +33 2 98 49 86 72 Fax: + 33 2 98 49 86 09 www.imber.info [email protected] For submissions and subscriptions, contact [email protected] Published by IMBER Editors: Sylvie Roy and Elena Fily ISSN 1951-610X