Photosynthesis and Calcification by Blooms of the Coccolithophore Emiliania Huxleyi in the Gulf of Maine

海岸带彩色扫描仪和AVHRR拍摄的海面卫星图像显示，球石藻大量繁殖的现象非常普遍，特别是在缅因湾和北大西洋。赫胥黎球石藻可能是这些华花中的优势生物，它是地球上最丰富的方解石生产生物。为了确定这些生物在全球碳生产中的作用，有必要了解有机物质和方解石的初级生产速率。缅因湾提供了一个可以用AVHRR定位藻华并研究其生产动态的环境。实地研究将确定花中光合作用和钙化的自然速率。对花中分离物的实验室研究将确定光、硝酸盐和铁对球石形成的影响，以及钙化和光合作用之间的平衡。这些藻华是向深海输送有机碳和无机碳的潜在来源，也是世界海洋生物地球化学循环中碳的独特途径。海洋表面的卫星图片经常显示出由于被称为球石藻的小型单细胞生物而增强反射的区域。对钙化过程感兴趣的生理学家对这些藻类细胞表面的方解石板进行了广泛的研究。因为这些板块可以被生物脱落，而生物本身也可以沉入海中，所以它们提供了一种途径，使有机碳和无机碳从海洋表面转移到更深的地方。这些生物在世界海洋中几乎无处不在，但在缅因湾和北大西洋尤其丰富，有时会形成大量的浓度或大量繁殖。当这种情况发生时，板块本身可能会改变光在海洋中的传播方式，生物可能相应地生长得更快或更慢。这项研究将向我们揭示海洋中通过这些生物发生钙化的速度，以及相关的初级有机生产发生的速度。实验室研究将揭示光、营养物质和铁对这些生物生长和钙化的相互作用，这样我们就可以通过解读卫星照片来加深对海洋中发生的过程的了解。

Satellite images of the sea surface taken by both the Coastal Zone Color Scanner and the AVHRR show widespread occurrence of coccolithophore blooms, especially in the Gulf of Maine and the North Atlantic Ocean. The coccolithophore Emiliani huxleyi is probably the dominant organism in these blooms, and it is the most abundant calcite producing organism on earth. In order to establish the role of these organisms in global carbon production, it is necessary to know rates of primary production of organic material and calcite. The Gulf of Maine provides an environment in which blooms can be located by AVHRR and their production dynamics studied. Field studies will determine natural rates of photosynthesis and calcification in the blooms. Laboratory studies on isolates from the blooms will establish the effects of light, nitrate and iron on coccolithogenesis, and the balance between calcification and photosynthesis. These blooms are a potential source of both organic and inorganic carbon to the deep-sea, and a unique pathway for carbon in the biogeochemical cycles of the world's ocean. %%% Satellite pictures of the sea surface often show areas of enhanced reflection due to small, single celled organisms known as coccolithophores. The calcite plates on the surface of these algal cells have been extensively studied by physiologists intested in calcification processes. Because the plates can be shed by the organisms, and the organisms themselves can sink in the sea, they provide a means by which both organic and inorganic carbon is transferred from the sea surface to greater depths. These organisms are found virtually everywhere in the world's ocean, but are especially abundant in the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic Ocean, at times forming large concentrations or blooms. When this occurs, the plates themselves may alter the way light is transmitted in the sea, and the organisms may grow faster or slower accordingly. This study will reveal to us the rates at which calcification takes place via these organisms in the sea and the associated rates at which primary organic production takes place. Laboratory studies will reveal the interaction of light, nutrients and iron on growth and calcification in these organisms so that we can interpret satellite photos with increased understanding of processes taking place in the sea.