Impacts of Eddies on Zooplankton Community Structure and Biogeochemical Cycling in the Open Ocean

浮游生物的分布与水柱的物理结构有关，导致斑块，这可能会对生物地球化学循环和较高营养水平的产生产生重大影响。构成海洋中尺度的海流、锋面和涡旋，有时被称为海洋内部天气，是海洋环流的高能量和普遍存在的特征。 这些现象的动力学后果包括化学和生物环境的扰动，可对海洋中的生物地球化学循环产生巨大影响。 最近的证据表明，中尺度涡旋是一个重要的营养输送机制，在贫营养的亚热带环流，他们是重要的控制海洋浮游生物群落的结构和生产力。这项研究是一个密集的现场研究与中尺度涡旋的浮游动物群落结构，以补充最近资助的NSF项目，涡旋和混合的影响生物地球化学循环在公海：由一个复杂的生物系统的调节。 鉴于浮游动物在食物网和地表沃茨物质通量中的不可或缺的作用，本研究期望发现浮游动物对该系统的整体营养能量转移和通量有显着贡献。 这项补充研究将解决以下问题：1。 中尺度涡旋特征的物理/化学/生物学特性如何影响中型浮游动物的时空分布？2. 在种群和/或个体水平上，涡旋如何影响中型浮游动物的垂直迁移行为？3. 在种群和/或个体水平上，漩涡如何影响中型浮游动物的生理（身体状况）？ 4. 涡旋特征内外浮游动物动态的差异如何影响碳和相关生物元素的垂直通量？ 浮游动物生物量，物种组成，昼夜垂直迁移行为，身体状况和垂直通量的贡献的测量将与其他正在进行的物理，化学和生物测量在一系列现有的巡航。 我们的目标是推进我们的理解的物理和生物学之间的复杂的相互作用的漩涡，并阐明中尺度功能的作用，在结构化浮游动物群落和影响地球化学循环。 最终，这种自然扰动实验可以提供有关海洋过去如何应对环境变化以及未来如何应对的关键信息。该研究的更广泛影响包括通过将海洋科学教育融入研究生和K-12教育以及向公众提供信息而使社会受益。该项目将协调教育和推广活动与现有的涡流计划。 这包括在一名青年调查员职业生涯开始时提供支助，编制和加强课程，为科学教师编制公开讲座和网上课程的内容，以及参与巡航活动的实时网播。

The distribution of plankton in relation to the physical structure of the water column results in patchiness, which can significantly impact biogeochemical cycling and production of higher trophic levels. The currents, fronts and eddies that comprise the oceanic mesoscale, sometimes referred to as the internal weather of the sea, are highly energetic and ubiquitous features of ocean circulation. Dynamical consequences of these phenomena include perturbation of the chemical and biological environment that can dramatically impact biogeochemical cycling in the ocean. Recent evidence suggests that mesoscale eddies are an important nutrient transport mechanism in the oligotrophic subtropical gyres, and that they are important in controlling the structure and productivity of marine planktonic communities. This study is an intensive field study of mesozooplankton community structure associated with mesoscale eddies to compliment a recently funded NSF project, Impacts of Eddies and Mixing on Biogeochemical Cycling in the Open Ocean: Regulation by a Complex Biological System. Given the integral role zooplankton play in food webs and flux of material out of the surface waters, this study expects to find that zooplankton contribute significantly to the overall trophic energy transfer and flux in this system. This complimentary study will address the following questions: 1. How do the specific physical/ chemical/ biological characteristics of mesoscale eddy features affect the spatial and temporal distribution of mesozooplankton? 2. How do eddies affect the vertical migration behavior of mesozooplankton at the population and/or individual level? 3. How do eddies affect the physiology (body condition) of mesozooplankton at the population and/or individual level? 4. How do differences in mesozooplankton dynamics within or outside eddy features affect vertical flux of carbon and associated bio-elements? Measurements of zooplankton biomass, species composition, diel vertical migration behavior, body condition, and contribution to vertical flux will be simultaneous with other ongoing physical, chemical, and biological measurements within a series of existing cruises. The goals are to advance our understanding of the complex interactions between physics and biology in eddies, and to elucidate the role mesoscale features play in structuring zooplankton communities and influencing biogeochemical cycling. Ultimately, this natural perturbation experiment could provide critical information about how the ocean has responded to environmental changes in the past, and how it might do so in the future. Broader impacts of the study include a benefit to society by infusing ocean science education into both graduate and K-12 education, as well as informing the general public. This project will coordinate education and outreach activities with the existing eddy program. This includes the support of a young investigator at the beginning of his career, curriculum development and enhancement, development of content for public lectures and web-based curriculum for science teachers, and participation in real-time web casts of cruise activities.