Ocean fronts trigger high latitude phytoplankton blooms
Density fronts are ubiquitous features of the upper ocean. Here, numerical simulations show that restratification at fronts inhibits vertical mixing, triggering phytoplankton blooms in low-light conditions. The stability of the water column at fronts is set by a competition between frontal instabili...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2012
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/73581 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3736-1956 |
| _version_ | 1811071647709396992 |
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| author | Taylor, John R. Ferrari, Raffaele |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Taylor, John R. Ferrari, Raffaele |
| author_sort | Taylor, John R. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Density fronts are ubiquitous features of the upper ocean. Here, numerical simulations show that restratification at fronts inhibits vertical mixing, triggering phytoplankton blooms in low-light conditions. The stability of the water column at fronts is set by a competition between frontal instabilities, which restratify the upper ocean, and turbulent mixing, which acts to destroy this stratification. Recent studies have found that frontal instabilities can restratify the upper ocean, even in the presence of strong surface cooling and destabilizing winds. During winter at high latitudes, primary production by phytoplankton is generally limited by low ambient light levels and deep turbulent mixing. When the turbulent mixing, inhibited by frontal restratification, becomes smaller than a ‘critical turbulence’ threshold, a phytoplankton bloom can develop. The finding that fronts can trigger phytoplankton blooms by reducing mixing, provides an explanation for satellite observations of high chlorophyll concentrations at high latitude fronts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:54:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/73581 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:54:30Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/735812022-09-30T12:05:35Z Ocean fronts trigger high latitude phytoplankton blooms Taylor, John R. Ferrari, Raffaele Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Ferrari, Raffaele Density fronts are ubiquitous features of the upper ocean. Here, numerical simulations show that restratification at fronts inhibits vertical mixing, triggering phytoplankton blooms in low-light conditions. The stability of the water column at fronts is set by a competition between frontal instabilities, which restratify the upper ocean, and turbulent mixing, which acts to destroy this stratification. Recent studies have found that frontal instabilities can restratify the upper ocean, even in the presence of strong surface cooling and destabilizing winds. During winter at high latitudes, primary production by phytoplankton is generally limited by low ambient light levels and deep turbulent mixing. When the turbulent mixing, inhibited by frontal restratification, becomes smaller than a ‘critical turbulence’ threshold, a phytoplankton bloom can develop. The finding that fronts can trigger phytoplankton blooms by reducing mixing, provides an explanation for satellite observations of high chlorophyll concentrations at high latitude fronts. United States. Office of Naval Research (Award N00014-08-1-1060) 2012-10-04T12:37:13Z 2012-10-04T12:37:13Z 2011-12 2011-08 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0094-8276 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/73581 Taylor, J. R., and R. Ferrari. “Ocean Fronts Trigger High Latitude Phytoplankton Blooms.” Geophysical Research Letters 38.23 (2011). ©2011. American Geophysical Union. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3736-1956 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2011gl049312 Geophysical Research Letters Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf American Geophysical Union (AGU) Other University Web Domain |
| spellingShingle | Taylor, John R. Ferrari, Raffaele Ocean fronts trigger high latitude phytoplankton blooms |
| title | Ocean fronts trigger high latitude phytoplankton blooms |
| title_full | Ocean fronts trigger high latitude phytoplankton blooms |
| title_fullStr | Ocean fronts trigger high latitude phytoplankton blooms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ocean fronts trigger high latitude phytoplankton blooms |
| title_short | Ocean fronts trigger high latitude phytoplankton blooms |
| title_sort | ocean fronts trigger high latitude phytoplankton blooms |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/73581 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3736-1956 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT taylorjohnr oceanfrontstriggerhighlatitudephytoplanktonblooms AT ferrariraffaele oceanfrontstriggerhighlatitudephytoplanktonblooms |