Project Funding: 2008 - 2012

Funded by NASA

Abstract:
Although the oceans play a major role in the uptake of fossil fuel CO2 from the atmosphere, there is much debate about the contribution from continental shelves, since many key shelf fluxes are not yet well quantified: the exchange of carbon across the land-ocean and shelf-slope interfaces, air-sea exchange of CO2, burial, and biological processes including productivity. Our goal is to quantify these carbon fluxes along the eastern U.S. coast using models quantitatively verified by comparison to observations, and to establish a framework for predicting how these fluxes may be modified as a result of climate and land use change. Our research questions build on those addressed with previous NASA funding for the USECoS (U.S. Eastern Continental Shelf Carbon Cycling) project. We have developed a coupled biogeochemical ocean circulation model configured for this study region and have extensively evaluated this model with both in situ and remotely-sensed data. Results indicate that to further reduce uncertainties in the shelf component of the global carbon cycle, future efforts must be directed towards 1) increasing the resolution of the physical model via nesting and 2) making refinements to the biogeochemical model and quantitatively evaluating these via the assimilation of biogeochemical data (in situ and remotely-sensed). These model improvements are essential for better understanding and reducing estimates of uncertainties in current and future carbon transformations and cycling in continental shelf systems. Our approach and science questions are particularly germane to the carbon cycle science goals of the NASA Earth Science Research Program as well as the U.S. Climate Change Research Program and the North American Carbon Program. Our interdisciplinary research team consists of scientists who have expertise in the physics and biogeochemistry of the U.S. eastern continental shelf, remote-sensing data analysis and data assimilative numerical models.

Publications:

Druon, J-N, A. Mannino, C. McClain, M. Friedrichs, J. Wilkin, K. Fennel, 2010. Modeling the dynamics and export of dissolved organic matter in the Northeastern U.S. continental shelf. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 88, 488-507.

Fennel, K., Wilkin, J., Levin, J., Moisan, J., O'Reilly, J., Haidvogel, D. 2006. Nitrogen cycling in the Middle Atlantic Bight: Results from a three-dimensional model and implications for the North Atlantic nitrogen budget. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 20(3). DOI: 10.1029/2005GB002456

Fennel, K., Wilkin, J. 2009. Quantifying biological carbon export for the northwest North Atlantic continental shelves. Geophysical Research Letters. 36(18). DOI: 10.1029/2009GL039818

Gregg, W. W., Friedrichs, M. A., Robinson, A. R., Rose, K. A., Schlitzer, R., Thompson, K. R., Doney, S. C. 2009. Skill assessment in ocean biological data assimilation. Journal of Marine Systems. 76(1-2), 16-33. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2008.05.006

Hofmann, E., J.-N. Druon, K. Fennel, M. Friedrichs, D. Haidvogel, C. Lee, A. Mannino, C. McClain, R. Najjar, J. O'Reilly, D. Pollard, M. Previdi, S. Seitzinger, J. Siewert, S. Signorini, J. Wilkin, 2008. Eastern US continental shelf carbon budget: integrating models, data assimilation and analysis. Oceanography, 21, 32-40.

Hofmann, E. E., Cahill, B., Fennel, K., Friedrichs, M. A., Hyde, K., Lee, C., Mannino, A., Najjar, R. G., O'Reilly, J. E., Wilkin, J., Xue, J. 2011. Modeling the Dynamics of Continental Shelf Carbon. Annual Review of Marine Science. 3(1), 93-122. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-120709-142740

Hyde, K. J., O'Reilly, J. E., Oviatt, C. A. 2007. Validation of SeaWiFS chlorophyll a in Massachusetts Bay. Continental Shelf Research. 27(12), 1677-1691. DOI: 10.1016/j.csr.2007.02.002

Jolliff, J. K., Kindle, J. C., Shulman, I., Penta, B., Friedrichs, M. A., Helber, R., Arnone, R. A. 2009. Summary diagrams for coupled hydrodynamic-ecosystem model skill assessment. Journal of Marine Systems. 76(1-2), 64-82. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2008.05.014

Marra, J., Trees, C. C., O'Reilly, J. E. 2007. Phytoplankton pigment absorption: A strong predictor of primary productivity in the surface ocean. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 54(2), 155-163. DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr.2006.12.001

Mannino, A., Russ, M. E., Hooker, S. B. 2008. Algorithm development and validation for satellite-derived distributions of DOC and CDOM in the U.S. Middle Atlantic Bight. Journal of Geophysical Research. 113(C7). DOI: 10.1029/2007JC004493

Najjar, R., D. Butman, W.-J. Cai, M.A.M. Friedrichs, K. Kroeger, A. Mannino, P. Raymond, J. Salisbury, D. Vandemark, P. Vlahos, 2010, Carbon Budget for the Continental Shelf of the Eastern United States: A Preliminary Synthesis, Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry News, Volume 3, Number 1, pages 1-4.

He, Q., Li, C., Tang, X., Li, H., Geng, F., Wu, Y. 2010. Validation of MODIS derived aerosol optical depth over the Yangtze River Delta in China. Remote Sensing of Environment. 114(8), 1649-1661. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2010.02.015

Pan, X., Mannino, A., Marshall, H. G., Filippino, K. C., Mulholland, M. R. 2011. Remote sensing of phytoplankton community composition along the northeast coast of the United States. Remote Sensing of Environment. 115(12), 3731-3747. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2011.09.011

Previdi, M., Fennel, K., Wilkin, J., Haidvogel, D. 2009. Interannual variability in atmospheric CO2uptake on the northeast U.S. continental shelf. Journal of Geophysical Research. 114(G4). DOI: 10.1029/2008JG000881

Saba, V. S., Friedrichs, M. A. M., Antoine, D., Armstrong, R. A., Asanuma, I., Behrenfeld, M. J., Ciotti, A. M., Dowell, M., Hoepffner, N., Hyde, K. J. W., Ishizaka, J., Kameda, T., Marra, J., Melin, F., Morel, A., O'Reilly, J., Scardi, M., Smith, W. O., Smyth, T. J., Tang, S., Uitz, J., Waters, K., Westberry, T. K. 2011. An evaluation of ocean color model estimates of marine primary productivity in coastal and pelagic regions across the globe. Biogeosciences. 8(2), 489-503. DOI: 10.5194/bg-8-489-2011

Signorini, S. R., McClain, C. R. 2007. Large-scale forcing impact on biomass variability in the South Atlantic Bight. Geophysical Research Letters. 34(21). DOI: 10.1029/2007GL031121

Stow, C. A., Jolliff, J., McGillicuddy, D. J., Doney, S. C., Allen, J. I., Friedrichs, M. A., Rose, K. A., Wallhead, P. 2009. Skill assessment for coupled biological/physical models of marine systems. Journal of Marine Systems. 76(1-2), 4-15. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2008.03.011

2015 NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Joint Science Workshop Poster(s)

• Satellite-Derived Properties of Dissolved Organic Matter within Estuarine and Continental Shelf Waters Along the Northeastern U.S. Coast   --   (Antonio Mannino, Michael Novak, Peter Hernes, Kimberly Hyde, Sergio Signorini)   [abstract]
• Synergistic impacts of population growth, urbanization, and climate change on watersheds and coastal ecology of the northeastern United States   --   (Raymond Najjar, Marjorie Friedrichs, Eileen Hofmann, Kimberly Hyde, Antonio Mannino, Hanqin Tian, John Wilkin, Sergio Signorini)   [abstract]

More details may be found in the following project profile(s):

• North American Carbon Program (NACP) Project Profile