Gulf of Mexico Primary Production Working Group

Steve Lohrenz (UMassD) - slohrenz@umassd.edu Sumit Chakraborty (UMassD) - schakraborty@umassd.edu

Markus Huettel (FSU) - mhuettel@fsu.eduJorge Herrera Silveira (Cinvestav-Mérida) - jherrera@mda.cinvestav.mx

Kjell Gundersen (USM) - kjell.gundersen@usm.eduDonald G Redalje (USM) - donald.redalje@usm.edu

Jerry Wiggert (USM) - jerry.wiggert@usm.eduBrook Erin Denton (USM) - Erin.Denton@eagles.usm.edu

Review of goals of Coastal Carbon Synthesis efforts

• The contribution of coastal margins to regional and global carbon budgets is not well understood, largely due to limited information about the magnitude, spatial distribution, and temporal variability of carbon sources and sinks in coastal waters

• Building on recommendations put forth during the 2005 North American Continental Margins (NACM) Synthesis and Planning Workshop, and progress made since then, the Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry (OCB) Program has been collaborating with the North American Carbon Program (NACP) to develop Coastal Synthesis Activity to stimulate the synthesis of observational and modeling results on carbon cycle fluxes and processes along the North American continental margins

• This activity has been divided geographically into five regions: East Coast, West Coast, Gulf of Mexico, Arctic, and Great Lakes.

Review of charge to Primary Production Working Group

• The Primary Production Working Group is charged with compiling relevant literature and databases related to primary production in the Gulf of Mexico in support of the development of a regional carbon budget

• In addition, the working group is encouraged to collaborate (including engaging other colleagues as appropriate) in developing a synthesis of the relevant information

Measurement Types• 14C-based primary production estimates - bottle incubations

– P-E based measurements – In situ– Simulated In Situ

• Oxygen-based primary production estimates • Other? (13C, 18O, etc.)• Satellite-derived primary production estimates

– Vertically Generalized Production Model, VGPM;– Carbon-based Productivity Model, CbPM– Wavelength-resolved models– Other algorithms?

• Ecosystem models of primary production • Benthic primary production

– In situ Chamber– Benthic chl

• Production of particulate and dissolved organic carbon?

Approach• Spatial and Temporal Distribution and Synthesis of

Literature• Group by area Gulf of Mexico be organized into different

regions including:– Northeastern Gulf of Mexico (NE)– North Central (NC)– Northwestern (NW)– West Florida Shelf (WFS)– Open Gulf of Mexico (OG)– Southern Gulf of Mexico

• Errors and uncertainties

Primary Production from Ship-based Studies

• Mainly concentrated in the north central Gulf

Longitude ( oW)

Latit

ude

(o N)

98 94 90 86 82 7818

22

26

30

34

Northern Gulf Productivity (to be updated)

Productivity in other regions

• Slide to be added

Photosynthesis-Irradiance

• Figure to be added

Benthic Primary Production

• Slide to be added

Satellite derived productivity

• Wiggert/Denton presentation

Synthesis Slide

• Updated estimates• Gaps• Other?