Antarctic pack-ice algal distribution: floe-scale spatial variability and predictability from physical parameters

K. M. Meiners; S. Arndt; S. Bestley; T. Krumpen; R. Ricker; M. Milnes; K. Newbery; U. Freier; S. Jarman; R. King; R. Proud; S. Kawaguchi; B. Meyer

doi:10.1002/2017GL074346

Antarctic pack-ice algal distribution: floe-scale spatial variability and predictability from physical parameters

K. M. Meiners, S. Arndt, S. Bestley, T. Krumpen, R. Ricker, M. Milnes, K. Newbery, U. Freier, S. Jarman, R. King, R. Proud, S. Kawaguchi, B. Meyer

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Antarctic pack ice serves as habitat for microalgae which contribute to Southern Ocean primary production and serve as important food source for pelagic herbivores. Ice algal biomass is highly patchy, and remains severely undersampled by classical methods such as spatially restricted ice-coring surveys. Here we provide an unprecedented view of ice algal biomass distribution, mapped (as chlorophyll-a) in a 100m-by-100m area of a Weddell Sea pack-ice floe, using under-ice irradiance measurements taken with an instrumented Remotely Operated Vehicle. We identified significant correlations (p <0.001) between algal biomass and concomitant in situ surface measurements of snow depth, ice thickness and estimated sea-ice freeboard levels using a statistical model. The model's explanatory power (r² = 0.30) indicates that these parameters alone may provide a first basis for spatial prediction of ice algal biomass, but parameterisation of additional determinants is needed to inform more robust upscaling efforts.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	7382-7390
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	44
Issue number	14
Early online date	29 Jul 2017
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074346
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 29 Jul 2017

Keywords

Sea-ice properties
Snow
Freeboard
Chlorophyll-a
Ice algae
Biomass

Access to Document

10.1002/2017GL074346

Meiners-2017-Antarctic-pack-ice-GRL-Early-view
© 2017, Commonwealth of Australia. This work has been made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at onlinelibrary.wiley.com / https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074346
Final published version, 1.35 MB

Cite this

Meiners, K. M., Arndt, S., Bestley, S., Krumpen, T., Ricker, R., Milnes, M., Newbery, K., Freier, U., Jarman, S., King, R., Proud, R., Kawaguchi, S., & Meyer, B. (2017). Antarctic pack-ice algal distribution: floe-scale spatial variability and predictability from physical parameters. Geophysical Research Letters, 44(14), 7382-7390. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074346

@article{bb98c792b15647c885b001c8863ddf64,

title = "Antarctic pack-ice algal distribution: floe-scale spatial variability and predictability from physical parameters",

abstract = "Antarctic pack ice serves as habitat for microalgae which contribute to Southern Ocean primary production and serve as important food source for pelagic herbivores. Ice algal biomass is highly patchy, and remains severely undersampled by classical methods such as spatially restricted ice-coring surveys. Here we provide an unprecedented view of ice algal biomass distribution, mapped (as chlorophyll-a) in a 100m-by-100m area of a Weddell Sea pack-ice floe, using under-ice irradiance measurements taken with an instrumented Remotely Operated Vehicle. We identified significant correlations (p <0.001) between algal biomass and concomitant in situ surface measurements of snow depth, ice thickness and estimated sea-ice freeboard levels using a statistical model. The model's explanatory power (r2 = 0.30) indicates that these parameters alone may provide a first basis for spatial prediction of ice algal biomass, but parameterisation of additional determinants is needed to inform more robust upscaling efforts.",

keywords = "Sea-ice properties, Snow, Freeboard, Chlorophyll-a, Ice algae, Biomass",

author = "Meiners, {K. M.} and S. Arndt and S. Bestley and T. Krumpen and R. Ricker and M. Milnes and K. Newbery and U. Freier and S. Jarman and R. King and R. Proud and S. Kawaguchi and B. Meyer",

note = "This study was supported by the PACES (Polar Regions and Coasts in a changing Earth System) program (Topic 1, WP 5) of the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, the Helmholtz Virtual Institute „PolarTime“ (VH-VI-500: Biological timing in a changing marine environment — clocks and rhythms in polar pelagic organisms), the Helmholtz Alliance “Remote Sensing and Earth System Dynamics” (HA-310); and by the Australian Government through i) Australian Antarctic Science projects (4073, 4298), ii) the Cooperative Research Centres Programme through the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC), and iii) the Antarctic Gateway Partnership special research initiative through the Australian Research Council. All data used in this study are available through the Australian Antarctic Data Centre as well as PANGAEA (doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.870706).",

year = "2017",

month = jul,

day = "29",

doi = "10.1002/2017GL074346",

language = "English",

volume = "44",

pages = "7382--7390",

journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",

issn = "1944-8007",

publisher = "John Wiley & Sons, Ltd",

number = "14",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Antarctic pack-ice algal distribution

T2 - floe-scale spatial variability and predictability from physical parameters

AU - Meiners, K. M.

AU - Arndt, S.

AU - Bestley, S.

AU - Krumpen, T.

AU - Ricker, R.

AU - Milnes, M.

AU - Newbery, K.

AU - Freier, U.

AU - Jarman, S.

AU - King, R.

AU - Proud, R.

AU - Kawaguchi, S.

AU - Meyer, B.

N1 - This study was supported by the PACES (Polar Regions and Coasts in a changing Earth System) program (Topic 1, WP 5) of the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, the Helmholtz Virtual Institute „PolarTime“ (VH-VI-500: Biological timing in a changing marine environment — clocks and rhythms in polar pelagic organisms), the Helmholtz Alliance “Remote Sensing and Earth System Dynamics” (HA-310); and by the Australian Government through i) Australian Antarctic Science projects (4073, 4298), ii) the Cooperative Research Centres Programme through the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC), and iii) the Antarctic Gateway Partnership special research initiative through the Australian Research Council. All data used in this study are available through the Australian Antarctic Data Centre as well as PANGAEA (doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.870706).

PY - 2017/7/29

Y1 - 2017/7/29

N2 - Antarctic pack ice serves as habitat for microalgae which contribute to Southern Ocean primary production and serve as important food source for pelagic herbivores. Ice algal biomass is highly patchy, and remains severely undersampled by classical methods such as spatially restricted ice-coring surveys. Here we provide an unprecedented view of ice algal biomass distribution, mapped (as chlorophyll-a) in a 100m-by-100m area of a Weddell Sea pack-ice floe, using under-ice irradiance measurements taken with an instrumented Remotely Operated Vehicle. We identified significant correlations (p <0.001) between algal biomass and concomitant in situ surface measurements of snow depth, ice thickness and estimated sea-ice freeboard levels using a statistical model. The model's explanatory power (r2 = 0.30) indicates that these parameters alone may provide a first basis for spatial prediction of ice algal biomass, but parameterisation of additional determinants is needed to inform more robust upscaling efforts.

AB - Antarctic pack ice serves as habitat for microalgae which contribute to Southern Ocean primary production and serve as important food source for pelagic herbivores. Ice algal biomass is highly patchy, and remains severely undersampled by classical methods such as spatially restricted ice-coring surveys. Here we provide an unprecedented view of ice algal biomass distribution, mapped (as chlorophyll-a) in a 100m-by-100m area of a Weddell Sea pack-ice floe, using under-ice irradiance measurements taken with an instrumented Remotely Operated Vehicle. We identified significant correlations (p <0.001) between algal biomass and concomitant in situ surface measurements of snow depth, ice thickness and estimated sea-ice freeboard levels using a statistical model. The model's explanatory power (r2 = 0.30) indicates that these parameters alone may provide a first basis for spatial prediction of ice algal biomass, but parameterisation of additional determinants is needed to inform more robust upscaling efforts.

KW - Sea-ice properties

KW - Snow

KW - Freeboard

KW - Chlorophyll-a

KW - Ice algae

KW - Biomass

UR - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017GL074346/full#footer-support-info

U2 - 10.1002/2017GL074346

DO - 10.1002/2017GL074346

M3 - Article

SN - 1944-8007

VL - 44

SP - 7382

EP - 7390

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

IS - 14

ER -

Antarctic pack-ice algal distribution: floe-scale spatial variability and predictability from physical parameters

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Influence of snow depth and surface flooding on light transmission through Antarctic pack ice, supplementary data

Cite this

Antarctic pack-ice algal distribution: floe-scale spatial variability and predictability from physical parameters

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Datasets

Influence of snow depth and surface flooding on light transmission through Antarctic pack ice, supplementary data

Cite this