Bio-Optical Monitoring and Evaluation System (BIOMES) for Improving Satellite Estimates of Ocean Net Primary Production for Carbon Cycling and Climate Change Studies

DESCRIPTION: The overarching goal of our study is to improve the accuracy of net primary production (NPP) estimates in the global oceans using remotely sensed color and other satellite datasets. Our central premise is that current estimates of NPP based on satellite datasets are beset with large uncertainties because these rely on phytoplankton biomass, estimated using one size-fits-all’ algorithms for the global ocean. In this project we will develop a model that is based on the light absorption properties of resident phytoplankton, their photo-physiology and their photosynthetic capacity of resident. Improved region wide, ocean basin scale and global scale maps of net primary production developed from this effort will help greatly reduce uncertainties in our ability to assess the capacity of the oceans to sequester carbon on daily, weekly, monthly, annual and interannual time scales These products will be essential for understanding the impacts of episodic climate events (such as El-Nino, La-Nina) and long-term climate change on the ability of the oceans to drawdown atmospheric carbon dioxide.