How are phytoplankton affected by seasons?
Basically, the seasonal cycle is driven by sea-surface temperature and the onset of the thermocline leading to phytoplankton blooms during spring, the prevalence of thermal stratification leading to exhaustion of nutrients and subsequent demise of phytoplankton during summer-autumn, and remixing and regeneration of …
Does phytoplankton reduce CO2?
Phytoplankton has an impact on climate change by reducing atmospheric CO2 levels through the sinking of produced organic and inorganic matter to the deep ocean.
Why are there seasonal variations in CO2 production in surface waters?
This is attributed to the upwelling of deep waters rich in CO2 and nutrients during winter, and the intense photosynthesis occurring in strongly stratified upper layers during summer. On the other hand, subtropical waters were a CO2 source in summer and a sink in winter.
How does phytoplankton affect the carbon cycle?
Climate and the Carbon Cycle Phytoplankton are responsible for most of the transfer of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the ocean. Carbon dioxide is consumed during photosynthesis, and the carbon is incorporated in the phytoplankton, just as carbon is stored in the wood and leaves of a tree.
What percent of primary production comes from phytoplankton?
Although phytoplankton organisms account for only 1-2% of the total global biomass, they are responsible for producing 30-60% of the global annual fixation of carbon on Earth, thus they provide the necessary energy for consumers and ultimately, to human beings.
Is Southern Ocean Oligotrophic?
We therefore subdivided the Southern Ocean into four primary zones of differing physical and biogeochemical characteristics (Methods): a Subtropical Zone (STZ) roughly encompassing oligotrophic waters between 30∘S and 40∘S, a Subantarctic Zone (SAZ) and a Polar Antarctic Zone (PAZ) that together cover the circumpolar …
Does phytoplankton produce oxygen?
The ocean produces oxygen through the plants (phytoplankton, kelp, and algal plankton) that live in it. These plants produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis, a process which converts carbon dioxide and sunlight into sugars the organism can use for energy.
Why is there seasonal variation in CO2 levels?
The amount of CO2 found in the atmosphere varies over the course of a year. Much of this variation happens because of the role of plants in the carbon cycle. Respiration occurs all the time, but dominates during the colder months of the year, resulting in higher CO2 levels in the atmosphere during those months.
What might account for the seasonal variation in CO2 concentration?
The large temperate land mass in the northern hemisphere is the primary cause of those seasonal variations in CO2 levels in the northern hemisphere. Plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere in the spring and summer, and release CO2 back to the atmosphere in the fall and winter.
Does plankton absorb CO2?
Phytoplankton on the surface of the ocean absorb carbon dioxide, and are eaten by zooplankton, carrying the CO2 deeper into the ocean.
Where are seasonal CO2 fluctuations strongest at Northern?
The station at Barrow, Alaska (71° N latitude), for example, experiences enormous swings in seasonal CO 2. In fact, at this site, the daily 400 part-per-million (ppm) benchmark was passed for brief periods starting in 2006.
Why does CO2 decrease in the spring and summer?
As plants begin to photosynthesize in the spring and summer, they consume CO 2 from the atmosphere and eventually use it as a carbon source for growth and reproduction. This causes the decrease in CO 2 levels that begins every year in May. Once winter arrives, plants save energy by decreasing photosynthesis.
How are human activities causing increase in CO 2 levels?
It means that not only are human activities causing the overall increase in CO 2 levels over time, but through the effect on global temperatures, people are also controlling CO 2 fluctuaton from season to season. – Kelley Gallagher is a fourth-year student with microbial ecologist Paul Jensen at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego.
Why are CO2 levels rising at the South Pole?
Today, the Mauna Loa Observatory is just one of many places where these measurements are taken regularly, spanning from the South Pole to the Arctic. At all sites, there is an accelerating upward trend in CO 2 levels driven mostly by fossil fuel burning.