Innovative methods in small-scale bio-physical oceanography

浮游生物是我们渔业所依赖的海洋食物网的基础，它们从大气中吸收二氧化碳并将其封存在海洋中，它们生活的规模很小。湍流混合-这是整个海洋营养物和氧气以及温室气体运输的关键，并直接涉及浮游生物的摄食和生存-发生在小尺度上。某些浮游生物除了能够通过食物供应和时间的变化改变整个生态系统（对我们的渔业有利或有害）外，还能对我们的海洋产生直接影响：有害藻华可使沃茨有毒。预测未来的海洋取决于对小规模生物物理过程的理解。 海洋科学是由观察驱动的。目前，关于小尺度生物物理过程的理论，特别是湍流相互作用，仍然没有得到检验，因为缺乏观测能力。据预测，浮游生物会寻找有助于它们寻找食物和配偶的湍流水平。它们的游泳可能是混合海洋。然而，这些想法几乎没有现场观测证据，因为很难在必要的空间尺度上进行测量。 拟议的研究计划将结合两种创新技术，高频宽带声学（可以在光谱上识别和区分不同类型浮游生物的散射）和视频浮游生物记录仪/微结构剖面仪（一种能够同时观察浮游动物和海洋微结构的独特仪器）。这些项目将量化有害藻华浮游生物的声散射，发展利用声学作为有害藻华存在的早期预警的科学和能力，并评估湍流在形成主要海洋摄食生境（如Gully海洋保护区和Roseway盆地濒危北大西洋露脊鲸的关键生境）和海洋浮游动物成功摄食方面的作用。进行这些观测对于从机制上理解生态系统的功能至关重要，而生态系统的功能是准确预测未来海洋的关键。

Plankton--which are the base of the oceanic food-web on which our fisheries depend and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester it in the ocean--live on small scales. Turbulent mixing--which is key to the transport of nutrients and oxygen, as well as greenhouse gases, throughout the ocean and has been directly implicated in the feeding and survival of plankton--happens on small-scales. In addition to being able to alter whole ecosystems (to the benefit or detriment of our fisheries) through shifts in food availability and timing, certain plankton can have immediate impacts on our oceans: harmful algal blooms (HABs) can render waters toxic. Predicting the future ocean hinges on an understanding of small-scale bio-physical processes. Ocean science is driven by observation. Currently theory about small-scale bio-physical processes, particularly plankton-turbulence interactions, remains untested because observational capabilities are lacking. Plankton have been predicted to seek out levels of turbulence that help them find food and mates. Their swimming may be mixing the ocean. However, there is little in situ observational evidence for these ideas because it is difficult to make the measurements on the necessary spatial scales. The proposed research program will marry two innovative techniques, high-frequency broadband acoustics (with can spectrally identify and discriminate between scattering from different types of plankton) and the Video Plankton Recorder / Microstructure profiler (a unique instrument able to observe zooplankton and oceanic microstructure simultaneously in situ). The projects will quantify acoustic scattering from HAB plankton, developing the science and ability to use acoustics as an early warning about the presence of HABs, and evaluate the role of turbulence in the formation of key oceanic feeding habitats (such as the Gully Marine Protected Area and the Roseway Basin Critical Habitat for the endangered North Atlantic Right whale) and in the feeding success of marine zooplankton. Making these observations is critical to gaining a mechanistic understanding of how ecosystems function, which is key to accurately predicting the future ocean.