Control of phytoplankton bloom inception in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, by Ekman restratification

Observations from November 2006 in the southwestern Ross Sea indicate that stratification developed in a localized fashion, proximal to upper ocean fronts. These regions were hotspots for biological productivity, exhibiting greater drawdown of CO₂ and accumulation of oxygen, indicative of enhanced photosynthesis and air-sea gas exchange. While the effect of stratification is clear, the reasons for its development was not; air temperatures were unseasonably cold, sea-ice melt and sea surface warming were not significant. By comparing a one-dimensional mixed layer model with two-dimensional numerical simulations that include horizontal density gradients characteristic of the region, it is shown that Ekman advection is critical to structuring early season stratification. Where fronts are forced by winds that oppose the surface frontal current, Ekman advection displaces lighter water over dense. As biological productivity is light limited in the Ross Sea, and thus sensitive to the depth of the mixed layer, Ekman restratification plays an important role in determining the spatial distribution and development of the annual phytoplankton bloom in the region. The presence of fronts is therefore of first-order importance to the restratification and bloom dynamics of the Ross Sea in the early spring.

To Access Resource:

Questions? Email Resource Support Contact:

  • opensky@ucar.edu
    UCAR/NCAR - Library

Resource Type publication
Temporal Range Begin N/A
Temporal Range End N/A
Temporal Resolution N/A
Bounding Box North Lat N/A
Bounding Box South Lat N/A
Bounding Box West Long N/A
Bounding Box East Long N/A
Spatial Representation N/A
Spatial Resolution N/A
Related Links N/A
Additional Information N/A
Resource Format PDF
Standardized Resource Format PDF
Asset Size N/A
Legal Constraints

Copyright 2012 American Geophysical Union.


Access Constraints None
Software Implementation Language N/A

Resource Support Name N/A
Resource Support Email opensky@ucar.edu
Resource Support Organization UCAR/NCAR - Library
Distributor N/A
Metadata Contact Name N/A
Metadata Contact Email opensky@ucar.edu
Metadata Contact Organization UCAR/NCAR - Library

Author Long, Matthew
Thomas, Leif
Dunbar, Robert
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2012-01-18T00:00:00
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Not Assigned
Alternate Identifier N/A
Resource Version N/A
Topic Category geoscientificInformation
Progress N/A
Metadata Date 2023-08-18T18:59:39.106210
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:11995
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Long, Matthew, Thomas, Leif, Dunbar, Robert. (2012). Control of phytoplankton bloom inception in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, by Ekman restratification. UCAR/NCAR - Library. http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d73x879b. Accessed 15 February 2025.

Harvest Source