Chalk-Ex: Transport of Optically Active Particles from the Surface Mixed Layer
Abstract
Manipulative field experiments were performed in which optically-active CaCO3 coccoliths (from Cretaceous chalk) were injected into the mixed layer to create a "chalk patch". Experiments were performed at two stations, one mesotrophic and one eutrophic, during two times of the year, June and November. The scientific rationale for this experiment was that by seeding a patch, the particle production term was known absolutely, so that effort could be focused on the particle loss terms. Each patch was surveyed quasi-synoptically for several days, as the optical and physical properties evolved. Each experiment included spatial and aerial surveys, deployment of drifting sediment traps, measurements of grazing and aggregation from in-situ samples and determination of the distribution of dissolved organic matter. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst. contributions to the field work focused on three issues: Determining the surface forcing during and after each chalk deployment; Tracking the chalk patch with Lagrangian drifters; and Determining the temporal evolution of stratification and shear in the upper ocean. The results demonstrate how important physical conditions are to the initiation and retention of a highly reflective coccolithophore bloom.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 02, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA444169
Entities
People
- Albert J. Plueddemann
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution