Synthesis of Existing High Resolution LTER/Icecolors Databases to Advance Physical-Bio-Optical Modeling of Antarctic Primary Production

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9614938 Hofmann and Prezelin While primary production of the Southern Ocean is significant to global ocean carbon flux, large scale estimates of production for Antarctic waters are extremely uncertain and knowledge of the magnitude of its variability over a range of time and space scales is sparse. Thus, there is a need for high resolution databases for the development of regional and seasonal primary production models. This research will blend components of two existing high-resolution physical, optical and primary production datasets in a total model of nested bio-optical and physical biological models with the aim of predicting patterns and control of primary production in Antarctic coastal waters. The extensive LTER/Icecolors primary production and physical dynamics database covers 4 years of Antarctic research at time-series stations in coastal waters and during several process cruises at defined sites within a mesoscale grid of the shelf/slope waters west of the Palmer Peninsula. This will allow testing of predictive hypotheses regarding physical forcing of primary production in Antarctic coastal waters and will advance bio-optical models linking spectral light fields, changing UV climatology, phytoplankton community dynamics and photosynthetic activity over a wide range of time and space scales. General objectives are to: a) Develop and test bio-optical models of PAR-based primary production for Antarctic coastal waters, utilizing the LTER mesoscale data bases collected for different seasons between 1990-1994. b) Blend the LTER Physical Field Hofmann and Primary Production datasets Prezelin to define and quantify the effect of mixed-layer dynamics on primary production and phytoplankton community dynamics in the shelf/slope waters west of the Palmer Peninsula. c) Utilize LTER primary production data to test the applicability of a general hypothesis of bio-optical modeling of global primary production to modeling large scale primary prod uction in the Southern Ocean. d) Hindcast the impact of solar UV radiation on in situ LTER primary production, utilizing measured UV climatology data (Booth, NSF UV Monitoring Program, Palmer Station) and modeled ozone-dependent UV climatology (Dr. Madronich's UV CODE, version 3.2, NCAR) in combination with in situ biological weighting functions (BWFs) and UV dose-response curves derived from studies of diverse phytoplankton communities acquired during Icecolors `90 r `93 Although GLOBEC/USJGOFS programs will largely focus on oceanic waters of the Southern Ocean, a prompt synthesis of the existing databases will provide insights and advances in physical-bio-optical models useful to the planning and execution of the other multidisciplinary programs. Furthermore, important bases will be provided for comparison and integration between programs as those projects are completed. Cross-comparison of programs is possible since core measurements are the same as those used in JGOFS, and the goals of ascertaining the differences between short-term variability and long-term trends in primary production in diverse regions of the Southern Ocean are shared.