Detection of anthropogenic climate change in satellite records of ocean chlorophyll and productivity

Henson, Stephanie A.; Sarmiento, Jorge L.; Dunne, John; Bopp, Laurent; Lima, Ivan D.; Doney, Scott C.; John, Jasmin G.; Beaulieu, Claudie

doi:10.5194/bg-7-621-2010

Cited by 406 publications

(422 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…The eight-year time-period is too short to deduce any long-term trends in TCHLa, especially when considering a continuous time-series of~40 years in length is required to distinguish a global warming trend from natural variability (Henson et al, 2010), and considering our results are only representative of the September to November period.…”

Section: Trends In Total Chlorophyll-amentioning

confidence: 87%

Temporal changes in total and size-fractioned chlorophyll-a in surface waters of three provinces in the Atlantic Ocean (September to November) between 2003 and 2010

Ağırbaş

Martinez‐Vicente

Brewin

et al. 2015

Journal of Marine Systems

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Phytoplankton total chlorophyll concentration (TCHLa) and phytoplankton size structure are two important ecological indicators in biological oceanography. Using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) pigment data, collected from surface waters along the Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT), we examine temporal changes in TCHLa and phytoplankton size class (PSC: micro-, nano-and pico-phytoplankton) between 2003 and 2010 (September to November cruises only), in three ecological provinces of the Atlantic Ocean. The HPLC data indicate no significant change in TCHLa in northern and equatorial provinces, and an increase in the southern province. These changes were not significantly different to changes in TCHLa derived using satellite oceancolour data over the same study period. Despite no change in AMT TCHLa in northern and equatorial provinces, significant differences in PSC were observed, related to changes in key diagnostic pigments (fucoxanthin, peridinin, 19′-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin and zeaxanthin), with an increase in small cells (nano-and picophytoplankton) and a decrease in larger cells (micro-phytoplankton). When fitting a three-component model of phytoplankton size structure -designed to quantify the relationship between PSC and TCHLa to each AMT cruise, model parameters varied over the study period. Changes in the relationship between PSC and TCHLa have wide implications in ecology and marine biogeochemistry, and provide key information for the development and use of empirical ocean-colour algorithms. Results illustrate the importance of maintaining a timeseries of in-situ observations in remote regions of the ocean, such as that acquired in the AMT programme.

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Section: Trends In Total Chlorophyll-amentioning

confidence: 87%

Temporal changes in total and size-fractioned chlorophyll-a in surface waters of three provinces in the Atlantic Ocean (September to November) between 2003 and 2010

Ağırbaş

Martinez‐Vicente

Brewin

et al. 2015

Journal of Marine Systems

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“…In both cases, the length of the series poses a great limitation to ascribe observed trends to climate change (Henson et al, 2010), although it revealed a clear signature of climate forcing on interannual changes in bloom statistics. Other problems include the difficulties to interpret changes in remotely sensed chl a concentration (see Materials and Methods), the indirect treatment of mixed layer dynamics and the lack of some important drivers of phytoplankton and bloom dynamics, like advection and sub-mesoscale features (Lehahn et al, 2007;Mahadevan et al, 2012).…”

Section: Changes In Phytoplankton Seasonalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonality of North Atlantic phytoplankton from space: impact of environmental forcing on a changing phenology (1998–2012)

Taboada

Anadón

2014

Global Change Biology

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Seasonal pulses of phytoplankton drive seasonal cycles of carbon fixation and particle sedimentation, and might condition recruitment success in many exploited species. Taking advantage of long-term series of remotely sensed chlorophyll a (1998-2012), we analysed changes in phytoplankton seasonality in the North Atlantic Ocean. Phytoplankton phenology was analysed based on a probabilistic characterization of bloom incidence. This approach allowed us to detect changes in the prevalence of different seasonal cycles and, at the same time, to estimate bloom timing and magnitude taking into account uncertainty in bloom detection. Deviations between different sensors stressed the importance of a prolonged overlap between successive missions to ensure a correct assessment of phenological changes, as well as the advantage of semi-analytical chlorophyll algorithms over empirical ones to reduce biases. Earlier and more intense blooms were detected in the subpolar Atlantic, while advanced blooms of less magnitude were common in the Subtropical gyre. In the temperate North Atlantic, spring blooms advanced their timing and decreased in magnitude, whereas fall blooms delayed and increased their intensity. At the same time, the prevalence of locations with a single autumn/winter bloom or with a bimodal seasonal cycle increased, in consonance with a poleward expansion of subtropical conditions. Changes in bloom timing and magnitude presented a clear signature of environmental factors, especially wind forcing, although changes on incident photosynthetically active radiation and sea surface temperature were also important depending on latitude. Trends in bloom magnitude matched changes in mean chlorophyll a during the study period, suggesting that seasonal peaks drive long-term trends in chlorophyll a concentration. Our results link changes in North Atlantic climate with recent trends in the phenology of phytoplankton, suggesting an intensification of these impacts in the near future.

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“…3). Although some observational data already support such a trend 72 , regional in situ records can differ 73 and longer timeseries are needed 74 .…”

Section: Nature Geoscience Doi: 101038/ngeo1765mentioning

confidence: 99%

Processes and patterns of oceanic nutrient limitation

et al. 2013

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Microbial activity is a fundamental component of oceanic nutrient cycles. Photosynthetic microbes, collectively termed phytoplankton, are responsible for the vast majority of primary production in marine waters. The availability of nutrients in the upper ocean frequently limits the activity and abundance of these organisms. Experimental data have revealed two broad regimes of phytoplankton nutrient limitation in the modern upper ocean. Nitrogen availability tends to limit productivity throughout much of the surface low-latitude ocean, where the supply of nutrients from the subsurface is relatively slow. In contrast, iron often limits productivity where subsurface nutrient supply is enhanced, including within the main oceanic upwelling regions of the Southern Ocean and the eastern equatorial Pacific. Phosphorus, vitamins and micronutrients other than iron may also (co-)limit marine phytoplankton. The spatial patterns and importance of co-limitation, however, remain unclear. Variability in the stoichiometries of nutrient supply and biological demand are key determinants of oceanic nutrient limitation. Deciphering the mechanisms that underpin this variability, and the consequences for marine microbes, will be a challenge. But such knowledge will be crucial for accurately predicting the consequences of ongoing anthropogenic perturbations to oceanic nutrient biogeochemistry

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Detection of anthropogenic climate change in satellite records of ocean chlorophyll and productivity

Cited by 406 publications

References 86 publications

Temporal changes in total and size-fractioned chlorophyll-a in surface waters of three provinces in the Atlantic Ocean (September to November) between 2003 and 2010

Temporal changes in total and size-fractioned chlorophyll-a in surface waters of three provinces in the Atlantic Ocean (September to November) between 2003 and 2010

Seasonality of North Atlantic phytoplankton from space: impact of environmental forcing on a changing phenology (1998–2012)

Processes and patterns of oceanic nutrient limitation

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