Impacts of Climate Variability on Primary Productivity and Carbon Distributions in the Middle Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Maine (CliVEC)

Title: The Impacts of Climate Variability on Primary Productivity and Carbon Distributions in the Middle Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Maine (CliVEC)Research Team:* Antonio Mannino (PI) - NASA GSFC* Michael Novak - NASA GSFC* Margaret Mulholland (co-PI) - Old Dominion University* Peter Bernhardt - Old Dominion University* CJ Staryk - Old Dominion University* Kimberly Hyde (co-PI) - NOAA NEFSC* Jon Hare (collaborator) - NOAA NEFSC* David Lary (co-I) - University of Texas at DallasObservations from the MODIS and SeaWiFS time series (1997-2012) and measurements from an extensive field campaign are employed to examine how inter-annual and decadal-scale climate variability affects primary productivity and organic carbon distributions along the continental margin of the U.S. northeast coast.

Estimates of daily primary productivity (PP) will be computed using the Ocean Productivity from Absorption of Light (OPAL) model. OPAL vertically resolves phytoplankton absorption of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and relates the chlorophyll-specific absorption coefficient to sea-surface temperature (SST), where SST is a proxy for seasonal changes in the phytoplankton community. OPAL will be validated with new field measurements of PP including dissolved organic carbon production.Field measurements of particulate (POC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the absorption coefficients of phytoplankton (aph) and colored dissolved organic matter (aCDOM) will allow us to extend the validation range (temporally and spatially) for our coastal algorithms and reduce the uncertainties in satellite-derived estimates of OPAL PP, POC, DOC, aph and aCDOM.