Browning, Thomas J, Saito, Mak A, Garaba, Shungudzemwoyo P, Wang, Xuechao, Achterberg, Eric P, Moore, C Mark, Engel, Anja, Mcllvin, Matthew R, Moran, Dawn, Voss, Daniela et al (show 2 more authors)
(2023)
Persistent equatorial Pacific iron limitation under ENSO forcing.
NATURE, 621 (7978).
330-+.
Abstract
Projected responses of ocean net primary productivity to climate change are highly uncertain<sup>1</sup>. Models suggest that the climate sensitivity of phytoplankton nutrient limitation in the low-latitude Pacific Ocean plays a crucial role<sup>1-3</sup>, but this is poorly constrained by observations<sup>4</sup>. Here we show that changes in physical forcing drove coherent fluctuations in the strength of equatorial Pacific iron limitation through multiple El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycles, but that this was overestimated twofold by a state-of-the-art climate model. Our assessment was enabled by first using a combination of field nutrient-addition experiments, proteomics and above-water hyperspectral radiometry to show that phytoplankton physiological responses to iron limitation led to approximately threefold changes in chlorophyll-normalized phytoplankton fluorescence. We then exploited the >18-year satellite fluorescence record to quantify climate-induced nutrient limitation variability. Such synoptic constraints provide a powerful approach for benchmarking the realism of model projections of net primary productivity to climate changes.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Phytoplankton, Iron, Chlorophyll, Radiometry, Proteomics, Fluorescence, Pacific Ocean, Climate Change, El Nino-Southern Oscillation, Satellite Imagery, Nutrients, Climate Models |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Environmental Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Sep 2023 10:11 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Oct 2023 08:40 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41586-023-06439-0 |
| Open Access URL: | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06439-0 |
| Related URLs: | |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3172885 |
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