The Role of Meso-Scale Processes in Controlling the Upper Ocean Carbon Cycle in the Coastal Environment - An Integrated Study in Santa Monica Bay, CA

沿海海洋是生产力最高、生物地球化学最活跃的海洋环境之一。然而，相对于远洋循环，人们对这些区域在全球碳循环中的整体作用知之甚少(例如，Liu等人)。[2000]沿海环境研究面临的主要挑战之一是其很高的时空变异性，这主要是由于中、次中尺度过程造成的。这些过程对沿海海洋碳循环的整体作用以及它们对二氧化碳与大气的净交换的影响几乎是未知的。我们建议通过在加利福尼亚州圣莫尼卡湾进行一个综合的、多学科的观测计划来应对这一挑战。具体来说，我们将解决以下三个目标：(I)量化圣莫尼卡湾上层海洋碳收支的季节性到年度的时间尺度，(Ii)确定中、次中尺度过程对该预算和二氧化碳海气交换的整体贡献，以及(Iii)量化物理和生物过程在控制中尺度特征和整个试验床区域碳平衡方面的相对作用。我们计划通过三个研究要素来解决这些目标：(I)从跨学科系泊平台(参见http://www.ioe.ucla.edu/mucla)，)进行的时间序列观测(2)在系泊地点每两周进行一次船上水样采样，以进行水柱碳和生物地球化学性质的岸上分析；(3)按事件安排巡航，以研究与中尺度或亚中尺度现象有关的碳场和物理场的三维结构的时间演变。利用区域海洋模拟系统(独立资助)对该区域进行非常高分辨率的海洋碳循环后播模拟，将大大有助于对这些努力的结果进行分析。拟议的工作建立在PI及其团队在建模和数据分析领域的实力和专长的基础上，同时继续扩展到观测领域，以满足对关键的新的碳观测的迫切需求。我们已经开始了所有项目要素的工作，并将能够利用这一提议，以及加州大学洛杉矶分校和合作机构其他研究人员的一些现有赠款和协同活动。通过努力了解中、亚中尺度过程对沿海环境上层海洋碳循环的净影响，我们拟议的计划解决了碳界目前面临的两个艰巨挑战。无处不在的中尺度变率的存在给观测网络的设计带来了严重的问题，该网络试图量化沿海海洋大气二氧化碳的源和汇，例如正在为北美碳计划规划的海洋观测网络。此外，需要长期整合的碳循环模型研究，如与气候变化相关的研究，没有计算资源来明确解决所有中尺度和亚中尺度过程，因此需要以参数形式纳入它们的净影响。我们拟议的项目将建立在许多现有的教育和公共外展活动的基础上。这些措施包括将数据作为范例和家庭作业纳入几个本科生班级，以及围绕系泊平台进行几次教育巡航。此外，我们将利用加州大学洛杉矶分校在中小学进行海洋学教学的悠久传统。特别是，我们将与加州大学洛杉矶分校NSF资助的海洋科学教育卓越中心合作，以接触Tok-12教师和他们的学生。

0404405GruberIntellectual merit The coastal oceans are some of the most productive and biogeochemicallyactive marine environments. Relative to open-ocean cycling, however, comparatively little isknown about the overall role of these areas in the global carbon cycle (e.g. Liu et al. [2000]).One of the major challenges confronting research in the coastal environment is its very highspatio-temporal variability mainly as a result of meso- and submesoscale processes. The integralrole of these processes for the coastal ocean carbon cycle and their impact on the net exchangeof CO2 with the atmosphere are virtually unknown.We propose to address this challenge by conducting an integrated and multi-disciplinaryobservational program in Santa Monica Bay, CA. In particular, we will address the followingthree goals: (i) quantify the upper ocean carbon budget of Santa Monica Bay over seasonal toannual timescales, (ii) determine the integral contribution of meso- and submesoscale processesto this budget and to the air-sea exchange of CO2, and (iii) quantify the relative roles of physicaland biological processes in controlling the carbon balance within mesoscale features as well asover the entire testbed region.We plan to address these goals with three research elements: (i) time-series observationsfrom an interdisciplinary moored platform (see http://www.ioe.ucla.edu/mucla), (ii) bi-weeklyshipboard based water sampling at the mooring site for shorebased analysis of water columncarbon and biogeochemical properties, and (iii) process cruises scheduled on an event basis tostudy the temporal evolution of the 3-D structure of the carbon and physical fields associatedwith a mesoscale or sub-mesoscale phenomenon. Analyses of the results from these efforts will begreatly aided by the availability of very high-resolution ocean carbon cycle hindcast simulationsof the area using the Regional Oceanic Modeling System (independently funded).The proposal's unique contribution consists of the embedding of the process studies into theframework of a multidisciplinary time-series. The proposed work builds upon the strength andexpertise of the PI and his team in the areas of modeling and data analyses, while continuingthe expansion into the observational realm to address an urgent need for critical new carbonobservations. We already have initiated work on all program elements and will be able to leveragethis proposal upon a number of existing grants and synergistic activities of other investigators atUCLA and at partner institutions.Broader impact By working toward the understanding of the net impact of meso- and sub-mesoscale processes on the upper ocean carbon cycle in the coastal environment, our proposedprogram addresses two formidable challenges that the carbon community is facing currently. Theubiquitous presence of mesoscale variability poses serious problems for the design of an observingnetwork that attempts to quantify the coastal ocean sources and sinks of atmospheric CO2, suchas is being planned for the North American Carbon Program. In addition, carbon-cycle modelingstudies that require long integrations, such as those associated with climate change, do not havethe computational resources to resolve all mesoscale and submesoscale processes explicitly andtherefore need to incorporate the net effect of them in a parametric form.Our proposed project will build upon many already existing educational and public outreachactivities. These include the incorporation of data as examples and homework assignments intoseveral undergraduate classes as well as the undertaking of several educational cruises centeredaround the mooring platform. In addition, we will make use of UCLA's long tradition in oceano-graphic teaching at primary and secondary schools. In particular, we will collaborate with theNSF funded Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence at UCLA in order to reach out toK-12 teachers and their students.