Phytoplankton absorption predicts patterns in primary productivity in Australian coastal shelf waters

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd The phytoplankton absorption coefficient (a PHY ) has been suggested as a suitable alternate first order predictor of net primary productivity (NPP). We compiled a dataset of surface bio-optical properties and phytoplankton NPP measurements in coastal waters around Australia to e...

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Main Authors: Robinson, Charlotte, Cherukuru, N., Hardman-Mountford, N., Everett, J., McLaughlin, M., Davies, K., Van Dongen-Vogels, V., Ralph, P., Doblin, M.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Academic Press 2017
Online Access:https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85018975582&doi=10.1016%2fj.ecss.2017.04.012&partnerID=40&md5=ec3fca701c0dc438ccd2a0a26481669a
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/57962
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author Robinson, Charlotte
Cherukuru, N.
Hardman-Mountford, N.
Everett, J.
McLaughlin, M.
Davies, K.
Van Dongen-Vogels, V.
Ralph, P.
Doblin, M.
author_facet Robinson, Charlotte
Cherukuru, N.
Hardman-Mountford, N.
Everett, J.
McLaughlin, M.
Davies, K.
Van Dongen-Vogels, V.
Ralph, P.
Doblin, M.
author_sort Robinson, Charlotte
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2017 Elsevier Ltd The phytoplankton absorption coefficient (a PHY ) has been suggested as a suitable alternate first order predictor of net primary productivity (NPP). We compiled a dataset of surface bio-optical properties and phytoplankton NPP measurements in coastal waters around Australia to examine the utility of an in-situ absorption model to estimate NPP. The magnitude of surface NPP (0.20–19.3 mmol C m -3 d -1 ) across sites was largely driven by phytoplankton biomass, with higher rates being attributed to the microplankton ( > 20 µm) size class. The phytoplankton absorption coefficient a PHY for PAR (photosynthetically active radiation; a PHY )) ranged from 0.003 to 0.073 m -1 , influenced by changes in phytoplankton community composition, physiology and environmental conditions. The a PHY coefficient also reflected changes in NPP and the absorption model-derived NPP could explain 73% of the variability in measured surface NPP (n = 41; RMSE = 2.49). The absorption model was applied to two contrasting coastal locations to examine NPP dynamics: a high chlorophyll-high variation (HCHV; Port Hacking National Reference Station) and moderate chlorophyll-low variation (MCLV; Yongala National Reference Station) location in eastern Australia using the GIOP-DC satellite a PHY product. Mean daily NPP rates between 2003 and 2015 were higher at the HCHV site (1.71 ± 0.03 mmol C m -3 d -1 ) with the annual maximum NPP occurring during the austral winter. In contrast, the MCLV site annual NPP peak occurred during the austral wet season and had lower mean daily NPP (1.43 ± 0.03 mmol C m -3 d -1 ) across the time-series. An absorption-based model to estimate NPP is a promising approach for exploring the spatio-temporal dynamics in phytoplankton NPP around the Australian continental shelf.
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publishDate 2017
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-579622019-02-19T04:27:40Z Phytoplankton absorption predicts patterns in primary productivity in Australian coastal shelf waters Robinson, Charlotte Cherukuru, N. Hardman-Mountford, N. Everett, J. McLaughlin, M. Davies, K. Van Dongen-Vogels, V. Ralph, P. Doblin, M. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd The phytoplankton absorption coefficient (a PHY ) has been suggested as a suitable alternate first order predictor of net primary productivity (NPP). We compiled a dataset of surface bio-optical properties and phytoplankton NPP measurements in coastal waters around Australia to examine the utility of an in-situ absorption model to estimate NPP. The magnitude of surface NPP (0.20–19.3 mmol C m -3 d -1 ) across sites was largely driven by phytoplankton biomass, with higher rates being attributed to the microplankton ( > 20 µm) size class. The phytoplankton absorption coefficient a PHY for PAR (photosynthetically active radiation; a PHY )) ranged from 0.003 to 0.073 m -1 , influenced by changes in phytoplankton community composition, physiology and environmental conditions. The a PHY coefficient also reflected changes in NPP and the absorption model-derived NPP could explain 73% of the variability in measured surface NPP (n = 41; RMSE = 2.49). The absorption model was applied to two contrasting coastal locations to examine NPP dynamics: a high chlorophyll-high variation (HCHV; Port Hacking National Reference Station) and moderate chlorophyll-low variation (MCLV; Yongala National Reference Station) location in eastern Australia using the GIOP-DC satellite a PHY product. Mean daily NPP rates between 2003 and 2015 were higher at the HCHV site (1.71 ± 0.03 mmol C m -3 d -1 ) with the annual maximum NPP occurring during the austral winter. In contrast, the MCLV site annual NPP peak occurred during the austral wet season and had lower mean daily NPP (1.43 ± 0.03 mmol C m -3 d -1 ) across the time-series. An absorption-based model to estimate NPP is a promising approach for exploring the spatio-temporal dynamics in phytoplankton NPP around the Australian continental shelf. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/57962 10.1016/j.ecss.2017.04.012 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85018975582&doi=10.1016%2fj.ecss.2017.04.012&partnerID=40&md5=ec3fca701c0dc438ccd2a0a26481669a Academic Press restricted
spellingShingle Robinson, Charlotte
Cherukuru, N.
Hardman-Mountford, N.
Everett, J.
McLaughlin, M.
Davies, K.
Van Dongen-Vogels, V.
Ralph, P.
Doblin, M.
Phytoplankton absorption predicts patterns in primary productivity in Australian coastal shelf waters
title Phytoplankton absorption predicts patterns in primary productivity in Australian coastal shelf waters
title_full Phytoplankton absorption predicts patterns in primary productivity in Australian coastal shelf waters
title_fullStr Phytoplankton absorption predicts patterns in primary productivity in Australian coastal shelf waters
title_full_unstemmed Phytoplankton absorption predicts patterns in primary productivity in Australian coastal shelf waters
title_short Phytoplankton absorption predicts patterns in primary productivity in Australian coastal shelf waters
title_sort phytoplankton absorption predicts patterns in primary productivity in australian coastal shelf waters
url https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85018975582&doi=10.1016%2fj.ecss.2017.04.012&partnerID=40&md5=ec3fca701c0dc438ccd2a0a26481669a
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/57962