Quantifying the spatial and temporal variability of phytoplankton productivity from mobile autonomous platforms

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This project will focus on the factors governing the initiation and distribution of phytoplankton blooms, which have received recent attention (e.g. Behrenfield (2010), Mahadevan et al (2012)). The 40 year history of the Extended Ellett Line programme has shown that ships and gliders can measure the variability of large-scale physical properties in the open ocean. The next step is to relate this physical variability to biogeochemical indicators.The student will use gliders equipped with biogeochemical sensors to collect oceanographic data and interpret the combined physical/biogeochemical observations.This project will build on the technical expertise gained through a 2015 exploratory study (conducted by SAMS and AFBI) combining measurements from a glider and a ship to investigate the spatial and temporal evolution of a shelf based phytoplankton bloom.