Collaborative Research: Seasonal Evolution of Chemical and Biological Variability in the Ross Sea

该奖项由2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)资助。罗斯海是南大洋内的一个高生产力区域，但它在物理(温度、冰浓度、盐度、风和海流速度)和生物地球化学(叶绿素、生产力、微量营养素、较高营养水平的现存量、气体等)方面都经历了很大的变化。条件。了解物理强迫在时间和空间上的海洋变化对于了解罗斯海的生态功能至关重要。有许多罗斯海的物理海洋学模型描述了观测到的环流。遗憾的是，缺乏适当时间尺度(每日、每月、季节和年际)的数据来完全评估这些模型。拟议的研究是一个示范项目，旨在利用新开发的Glider技术描述罗斯海南部的物理和生物海洋学特征，以便在整个生长季对该地区进行连续采样，收集温度、盐度、荧光、氧气和光学传输数据。这些实地数据将被用来协助评估以涡旋分辨ROMS为基础的耦合环流-生物模型，并将与卫星海洋颜色信息一起被同化为生态系统模型。数据同化技术将减少该区域环流和食物网的模式不确定性。这一努力的智力价值来自使用一种新技术(一种比船载研究成本效益高得多的技术)的实地调查与最先进的生物物理模型和先进的数据同化技术相结合。这项研究将为了解南极大陆架的复杂海洋现象提供新的见解，是继续研究罗斯海南部的一种新方法。拟议研究的更广泛影响包括培训研究生和本科生，以及与几个正在进行的涉及南大洋科学研究的外联项目建立伙伴关系。至少有2名研究生将得到这项研究的支持，它将是弗吉尼亚州各种推广计划的关键组成部分，包括高中海洋科学日、童子军教育和中学课程改进。调查人员还将创建一个网站，促进滑翔机收集的数据立即发布，并寻求与各级学校(初中、高中和大学)建立联系，潜在地将数据纳入课堂活动

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The Ross Sea is a highly productive area within the Southern Ocean, but it experiences substantial variability in both physical (temperature, ice concentrations, salinity, winds, and current velocities) and biogeochemical (chlorophyll, productivity, micronutrients, higher trophic level standing stocks, gases, etc.) conditions. Understanding the temporal and spatial oceanographic variations in physical forcing is essential to understanding the ecological functioning within the Ross Sea. There are a number of models of the physical oceanography of the Ross Sea that characterize the observed circulation. Unfortunately, data on the appropriate time scales (daily, monthly, seasonal, and interannual) to completely evaluate those models are lacking. The proposed research is a demonstration project to characterize the physical and biological oceanography of the southern Ross Sea using newly developed Glider technology to sample the region continuously through the growing season, to collect temperature, salinity, fluorescence, oxygen and optical transmission data. These field data will be used to assist in evaluation of an eddy-resolving ROMS-based coupled circulation-biological model, and, along with satellite ocean color information, will be assimilated into an ecosystem model. Data assimilation techniques will reduce the model uncertainties of the circulation and food webs of the region. The intellectual merit of this effort arises from the combination of field-based investigations using a novel technology (one that is far more cost-effective than ship-based studies) with state-of-the-art biological-physical models and advanced data assimilation techniques. The research will provide new insights into the complex oceanographic phenomena of the Antarctic continental shelves and is a novel method of continuing the studies of the southern Ross Sea. Broader impacts of the proposed research include training of graduate and undergraduate students and partnership with several ongoing outreach programs dealing with scientific research in the Southern Ocean. At least 2 graduate students will be supported by this research, and it will be a critical component of a variety of outreach programs in Virginia, including a High School Marine Science Day, Boy and Girl Scout education, and middle school curriculum improvement. The investigators also will create a web site to foster immediate release of the data collected by the glider, and seek a linkage with schools at various levels (middle, high school and Universities) that potentially could incorporate the data into classroom activities