WHOI PO
Bofu Zheng, WHOI - Physical and biological modulations of the nutrient field in a coastal environment
| Date |
Time |
Location |
| September 24th, 2024 |
3:05pm-4:05pm |
Clark 507 |
Title: Physical and biological modulations of the nutrient field in a coastal environment
Abstract: In this talk, I will show results from two case studies to illustrate how physical processes and biological activities, respectively, are able to effectively module the nutrient field offshore coastal San Diego. For case one, previously near-surface isopycnals were deepened into the bottom boundary layer, where elevated mixing led to enhanced vertical nitrate flux that resulted in a substantial increase of nitrate on isopycnals layers that are normally depleted with nitrate. Meanwhile, a land-sea breeze-induced diurnal oscillation transported nitrate from onshore to offshore along isopycnals, redistributing nitrate in a cross-shore fashion. For case two, We showed that the dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedra’s vertical migration led to the depletion of deep nitrate during a 2020 red tide event. Losses of nitrate at depth were balanced by proportional increases in phytoplankton chlorophyll concentrations and suspended particle load, conclusively linking the physiological, behavioral, and metabolic dynamics of a red tide-forming organism. Together, these two cases aim to demonstrate the power of integrating novel platforms, sensors, and imaging systems to enable the collection of high-resolution multi-scale data to improve our understanding of oceanic physical and biogeochemical processes.