| NSF Org: |
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | June 17, 2011 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | February 7, 2014 |
| Award Number: | 0944254 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Christian Fritsen
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | July 1, 2011 |
| End Date: | June 30, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $365,203.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $390,508.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2014 = $25,305.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1375 GREATE RD GLOUCESTER POINT VA US 23062-2026 (804)684-7000 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1375 GREATE RD GLOUCESTER POINT VA US 23062-2026 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | ANT Organisms & Ecosystems |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.078 |
ABSTRACT
The Ross Sea continental shelf is one of the most productive areas in the Southern Ocean, and may comprise a significant, but unaccounted for, oceanic CO2 sink, largely driven by phytoplankton production. The processes that control the magnitude of primary production in this region are not well understood, but data suggest that iron limitation is a factor. Field observations and model simulations indicate four potential sources of dissolved iron to surface waters of the Ross Sea: (1) circumpolar deep water intruding from the shelf edge; (2) sediments on shallow banks and nearshore areas; (3) melting sea ice around the perimeter of the polynya; and (4) glacial meltwater from the Ross Ice Shelf. The principal investigators hypothesize that hydrodynamic transport via mesoscale currents, fronts, and eddies facilitate the supply of dissolved iron from these four sources to the surface waters of the Ross Sea polynya. These hypotheses will be tested through a combination of in situ observations and numerical modeling, complemented by satellite remote sensing. In situ observations will be obtained during a month-long cruise in the austral summer. The field data will be incorporated into model simulations, which allow quantification of the relative contributions of the various hypothesized iron supply mechanisms, and assessment of their impact on primary production. The research will provide new insights and a mechanistic understanding of the complex oceanographic phenomena that regulate iron supply, primary production, and biogeochemical cycling. The research will thus form the basis for predictions about how this system may change in a warming climate. The broader impacts include training of graduate and undergraduate students, international collaboration, and partnership with several ongoing outreach programs that address scientific research in the Southern Ocean. The research also will contribute to the goals of the international research programs ICED (Integrated Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics) and GEOTRACES (Biogeochemical cycling and trace elements in the marine environment).
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The PRISM project investigated the impacts of mesoscale processes - those that are approximately 1 to 100 km in size, and exist for up to one week - on the growth of phytoplankton in the Ross Sea. While the existence of such "events" in other areas of the ocean is well known, and they have also been shown to be of overwhelming importance in some areas of the ocean (such as the central Atlantic), an analysis of their impacts in the Ross Sea is lacking. We found that events on this scale are common and important. For example, near the ice shelf we found a massive accumulation of plankton that is unexplainable with "normal" analyses, and we were forced to reconsider the potential episodes of winds and mixing that are common in this area. Our results suggest that short term events, such as vertical mixing during storms, can lead to the accumulation of large amounts of plankton in certain areas. We also looked at the impacts of iron sources to surface waters and how mesoscale features might be important (see figure). Understanding these features - how they are generated, their oceanographic impacts, and their ecological importance - is clearly important to understanding how the Ross Sea food web operates and will change in the future.
Last Modified: 07/01/2015
Modified by: Walker O Smith
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