Collaborative Research: Quantitative Importance and Trophic Role of Noctiluca Blooms in the Arabian Sea

直到90年代末，一种大型异养鞭毛藻（Noctiluca miliaris）是阿拉伯海北部浮游植物种群的一个小组成部分，仅在西南季风（SWM，夏季季风）和倾向于上升流和深坡水入侵的沿海地区偶尔出现开花形式。从那时起，棉毛草的开花频率、强度和分布都有所增加，但大部分花发生在东北季风（NEM，冬季季风）期间。这些生物的大量繁殖现在在整个阿曼湾和阿拉伯海西部和中部变得更加普遍和广泛，取代了在多学科阿拉伯海联合全球海洋通量研究（JGOFS）期间经常看到的以硅藻为主的NEM繁殖。特别令人关切的是，褐藻华的出现及其与营养丰富和氧气不饱和的水域的联系可能表明阿拉伯海生态系统的富营养化。这种担忧与最近的迹象是一致的，即阿拉伯海正变得更富有生产力，并且由于从透光带输出的有机物增加，其永久最低含氧量区正在加强。此外，人们还担心，由褐藻代替硅藻可能会对阿拉伯海的食物网和碳循环产生重大影响。该项目将开展一项有针对性的实地项目，旨在了解褐藻华的出现和命运。该项目将特别研究1)促进阿拉伯海褐藻大量繁殖的环境条件；2)褐藻的营养作用；3)这些藻华对阿拉伯海碳循环和生物地球化学过程的影响。这一实地研究是在与印度国家海洋学研究所和空间应用中心的同事协商后设计的，他们提供了在印度研究船R/V Sagar Kanya和NIO的实验室设施上的船上时间，对这个项目没有任何费用。与阿曼苏丹卡布斯大学（SQU）的现有合作也将允许访问阿拉伯海北部正在进行的现场项目的数据。该项目将为毕格罗实验室的两名美国本科生和德克萨斯大学（UT）的一名研究生提供全职培训。这个项目将为来自美国的学生提供一个与来自印度的学生一起工作的机会。通过这种真正的国际合作，该项目将鼓励人们对海洋生态系统对气候变化的反应的科学好奇心，并促进跨文化的思想交流。研究人员将通过开发一个网站来利用教育和推广工作，该网站将与毕格罗实验室现有的藻华和缅因大学COSEE-OESS网站相连接。本网站将被翻译成印度的官方语言印地语和阿曼的官方语言阿拉伯语。这个基于网络的资源将为非专业观众量身定制，强调视觉效果。在UT海洋科学研究所。“科学与海洋”是一个为国家公共广播电台制作的广播节目，并在全国大多数公共广播电台播放（http://scienceandthesea.org/）。

Until the late 90's Noctiluca miliaris, a large heterotrophic dinoflagellate was a minor component of phytoplankton populations in the northern Arabian Sea, appearing in bloom form only sporadically during the Southwest Monsoon (SWM, summer monsoon) and in coastal regions predisposed to upwelling and deep slope water intrusions. Since then N. miliaris blooms have increased in frequency, intensity and distribution, but with the majority of blooms being observed during the Northeast monsoon (NEM, winter monsoon). Large blooms of these organisms have now become more pervasive and widespread throughout the Gulf of Oman and in the western and central Arabian Sea replacing diatom-dominating blooms of the NEM that were seen frequently during the multi-disciplinary Arabian Sea, Joint Global Ocean Flux Studies (JGOFS). There is particular concern that the emergence of N. miliaris blooms and their association with waters that are nutrient-rich and undersaturated with respect to oxygen may be indicative of eutrophication of the Arabian Sea ecosystem. Such concerns are consistent with recent indications that the Arabian Sea is becoming more productive and that its permanent oxygen minimum zone is intensifying due to increased organic matter export from the euphotic zone. There is also concern that the replacement of diatoms by N. miliaris is potentially having a large impact on the food web and carbon cycling in the Arabian Sea. This project will carry out a targeted field program aimed at understanding the emergence and fate of N. miliaris blooms. In particular the project will investigate 1) the environmental conditions facilitating large N. miliaris blooms in the Arabian Sea and 2) the trophic role of N. miliaris blooms and 3) implications of these blooms for carbon cycling and biogeochemical processes in the Arabian Sea. This field study has been devised in consultation with colleagues at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) & the Space Applications Centre in India who have offered ship time on board the India's research vessel R/V Sagar Kanya and laboratory facilities at NIO at no cost to this project. An existing collaboration with the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Oman will also allow access to data from an ongoing field program in the northern Arabian Sea.This project will provide training to two US undergraduate students at Bigelow Laboratory and one graduate student from Univ. Texas (UT) will be involved full time. This project will provide an opportunity for students from the US to work alongside students from India. Through this truly international collaborative effort the project will encourage scientific curiosity about the response of marine ecosystems to climate change as well as foster a cross-cultural exchange of ideas. The investigators will leverage education and outreach efforts through development of a website which will be linked to Bigelow Laboratory's existing algal blooms and the Univ. Maine COSEE-OESS website. This website will be translated into Hindi, the official language of India and into Arabic, the language of Oman. This web-based resource will be tailored for non-specialist audiences with strong emphasis on visuals. At the UT Marine Science Institute. a radio segment on this research will be written for Science and the Sea, a radio program produced for National Public Radio, and played on most public radio stations nationwide (http://scienceandthesea.org/)