Project: Accomplishment Based Renewal: An iron limitation mosaic within the central California Current System

NSF Award Abstract:
Eastern boundary upwelling systems have long been recognized for their high phytoplankton productivity. Carr and Kearns (2003), in a detailed comparison of eastern boundary current systems, reported that biomass sustained by a given macronutrient concentration in Atlantic eastern boundary current systems was twice as large as those systems in the Pacific. The authors concluded "It is not clear whether the apparent difference in biomass supported by available nutrients is due to differences in the efficiency of the phytoplankton community, perhaps related to the availability of iron, or to grazing pressure." They suggested that the width of the shelf might be considered a proxy for the benthic availability of iron. The lowest biomass for a given macronutrient concentration was in the Peru-Humboldt Current and in the northern California region of the California Current System, both areas with low dust inputs and a relatively narrow shelf.

In this Accomplishment Based Renewal project, a marine trace metal geochemist at the University of California - Santa Cruz and his students and colleagues will continue a decades-old quest to understand the role of iron in the central California Current System (cCCS). Field efforts will combine continuous underway iron and nutrient data in surface waters and a series of vertical profiles. The focus will include three regions within the cCCS: a variety of active Fe-replete and Fe-deplete coastal upwelling regimes, the eddy-rich California Current transition zone that is Fe-limited and has elevated nitrate but relatively low and uniform chlorophyll concentrations, and the offshore, oligotrophic California Current. They will map surface and depth distributions of Fe and other micro- and macronutrients. There are four specific goals dealing with characterizing the organic Fe(III)-binding organic ligands, determining Fe(II) and Fe(III) concentrations in hypoxic waters over the shelf, examining the exchange between particulate and dissolved forms of Fe, and studying the roles of eddies in the eddy-rich transition waters of the cCCS.

Broader Impacts

Direct Benefits to Science: There is a great deal of interest in the CCS because of its importance in terms of phytoplankton productivity and the support of higher trophic levels. Until now, the emphasis in studies of the CCS has been on relationships between physics and biology. This study will insert the important role of micronutrient chemistry into the picture. It will also serve an important role in securing ship time in advance and providing logistical support for other collaborative studies. This is extremely valuable and cost effective for collaborating scientists since with the hydrography, nutrient and trace metal data provided, they can focus on their complimentary research efforts.

Outreach and Education: The project will provide funding for two current graduate students at UCSC, where they will also receive course training in a curriculum that includes i) scientific communication, ii) careers in marine science, and iii) grant writing. A broader impact goal of this project is to facilitate teaching and learning on marine science-related topics through translating research objectives into widely distributed educational materials for classroom use. To accomplish this, the team will partner with the Seymour Discovery Center at the Long Marine Lab, UCSC. The Discovery Center receives 14,000 visitors each year, and the project will provide funds to develop an interactive display on limiting nutrients and phytoplankton bloom development in the CCS.