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

直到90年代末？的夜光藻miliaris，一个大型的异养甲藻是一个小的组成部分，浮游植物种群在北方阿拉伯海，出现在开花的形式，只有偶尔在西南季风（SWM，夏季季风）和沿海地区倾向于上升流和深斜坡水入侵。此后，N。miliaris花的频率，强度和分布增加，但大多数花在东北季风（NEM，冬季风）期间观察到。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NEM占主导地位的繁殖。特别值得关注的是，N. miliaris水华及其与营养丰富和氧气不饱和的沃茨的联系可能表明阿拉伯海生态系统的富营养化。这种关切与最近的迹象是一致的，即阿拉伯海的生产力正在提高，其永久最低含氧区由于真光层的有机物输出增加而正在加强。也有人担心N. miliaris可能对阿拉伯海的食物网和碳循环产生重大影响。该项目将开展一个有针对性的实地项目，旨在了解N。粟属植物开花。特别是，该项目将调查1）促进大N的环境条件。2）阿拉伯海中的粟海藻水华; 3）这些水华对阿拉伯海碳循环和海洋地球化学过程的影响。这项实地研究是与印度国家海洋学研究所（NIO）空间应用中心的同事协商设计的，他们提供了在印度？的研究船R/V萨加尔坎雅和实验室设施在NIO在没有成本的这个项目。与阿曼苏丹卡布斯大学（SQU）的现有合作也将允许访问正在进行的北方阿拉伯海实地项目的数据。该项目将为毕格罗实验室的两名美国本科生提供培训，一名来自德克萨斯大学（UT）的研究生将全职参与。该项目将为来自美国的学生提供与来自印度的学生一起工作的机会。通过这一真正的国际合作努力，该项目将鼓励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与毕格罗实验室链接的网站来利用教育和推广工作。的现有藻类水华和大学缅因州COSEE-OESS网站。本网站将被翻译成印度的官方语言印地语和阿曼的阿拉伯语。这一基于网络的资源将为非专业观众量身定制，重点放在视觉效果上。UT海洋科学研究所。关于这项研究的一个广播片段将为《科学与海洋》撰写，这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/)