Proxies of community production derived from the diel variability of particulate attenuation and backscattering coefficients in the northwest Mediterranean Sea

A 6 yr time series of high frequency inherent optical property (IOP) measurements in the Mediterranean was used to derive information on the diel and seasonal variability of particulate production. Empirical relationships between particulate attenuation (cp), particulate backscattering (bbp), and pa...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Barnes, M., Antoine, David
Format: Journal Article
Published: American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc. 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/6199
_version_ 1848745008039985152
author Barnes, M.
Antoine, David
author_facet Barnes, M.
Antoine, David
author_sort Barnes, M.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description A 6 yr time series of high frequency inherent optical property (IOP) measurements in the Mediterranean was used to derive information on the diel and seasonal variability of particulate production. Empirical relationships between particulate attenuation (cp), particulate backscattering (bbp), and particulate organic carbon allowed calculation of estimates of net community production (NCP), daytime NCP (NCPd), and gross community production (GCP) from the diel variations in either IOP. Similar seasonal variations and good correlation (r = 0.83, p < 0.001) between daily means of cp and bbp were observed, yet differences in the timing and amplitude of their diel cycles led to significant differences in their derived production metrics. Best agreement was obtained during bloom proliferation (44.1–66.7% shared variance) when all three production estimates were highest, while worst was during bloom decline. Best overall correlation was found for NCPd. Accordingly, only cp-derived estimates reproduced predicted seasonal variations in community production and seasonality of ‘‘traditional’’ chlorophyll-based primary production models. Analysis of the diel cycles of ‘‘real-time’’ net community production (NCPh), determined from the first-derivative of either cp or bbp, revealed ca. fourfold to eightfold lower daytime NCPh, twofold to fivefold lower daily maximum NCPh, and twice as much intraseasonal variability relative to the mean amplitude of diel variations for bbp. Although the timing of maximum of cp-derived NCPh was consistently prior to solar noon, significant seasonal differences in the timing of maximum bbp-derived NCPh was observed. Particulate backscattering may be used to infer biogeochemical properties, while greater understanding of the diel cycles of bbp is needed before bbp can be used to investigate daily community production
first_indexed 2025-11-14T06:10:31Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-6199
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T06:10:31Z
publishDate 2014
publisher American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc.
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-61992017-09-13T14:41:39Z Proxies of community production derived from the diel variability of particulate attenuation and backscattering coefficients in the northwest Mediterranean Sea Barnes, M. Antoine, David A 6 yr time series of high frequency inherent optical property (IOP) measurements in the Mediterranean was used to derive information on the diel and seasonal variability of particulate production. Empirical relationships between particulate attenuation (cp), particulate backscattering (bbp), and particulate organic carbon allowed calculation of estimates of net community production (NCP), daytime NCP (NCPd), and gross community production (GCP) from the diel variations in either IOP. Similar seasonal variations and good correlation (r = 0.83, p < 0.001) between daily means of cp and bbp were observed, yet differences in the timing and amplitude of their diel cycles led to significant differences in their derived production metrics. Best agreement was obtained during bloom proliferation (44.1–66.7% shared variance) when all three production estimates were highest, while worst was during bloom decline. Best overall correlation was found for NCPd. Accordingly, only cp-derived estimates reproduced predicted seasonal variations in community production and seasonality of ‘‘traditional’’ chlorophyll-based primary production models. Analysis of the diel cycles of ‘‘real-time’’ net community production (NCPh), determined from the first-derivative of either cp or bbp, revealed ca. fourfold to eightfold lower daytime NCPh, twofold to fivefold lower daily maximum NCPh, and twice as much intraseasonal variability relative to the mean amplitude of diel variations for bbp. Although the timing of maximum of cp-derived NCPh was consistently prior to solar noon, significant seasonal differences in the timing of maximum bbp-derived NCPh was observed. Particulate backscattering may be used to infer biogeochemical properties, while greater understanding of the diel cycles of bbp is needed before bbp can be used to investigate daily community production 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/6199 10.4319/lo.2014.59.6.2133 American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc. fulltext
spellingShingle Barnes, M.
Antoine, David
Proxies of community production derived from the diel variability of particulate attenuation and backscattering coefficients in the northwest Mediterranean Sea
title Proxies of community production derived from the diel variability of particulate attenuation and backscattering coefficients in the northwest Mediterranean Sea
title_full Proxies of community production derived from the diel variability of particulate attenuation and backscattering coefficients in the northwest Mediterranean Sea
title_fullStr Proxies of community production derived from the diel variability of particulate attenuation and backscattering coefficients in the northwest Mediterranean Sea
title_full_unstemmed Proxies of community production derived from the diel variability of particulate attenuation and backscattering coefficients in the northwest Mediterranean Sea
title_short Proxies of community production derived from the diel variability of particulate attenuation and backscattering coefficients in the northwest Mediterranean Sea
title_sort proxies of community production derived from the diel variability of particulate attenuation and backscattering coefficients in the northwest mediterranean sea
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/6199