College
College of Marine Science
Mentor Information
Margaret Mars Brisbin
Description
Sea-ice melt strongly influences the coastal waters of Antarctica by lowering surface salinity, reducing vertical mixing, and changing MLD (mixed layer depth). These changes can affect phytoplankton biomass, particle formation, and carbon export. This poster examines how meltwater, and mixed layer depth relate to fluorescence, particle abundance, and particle biovolume in the Weddell Sea region of the Western Antarctic Peninsula. CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) casts from the Polar Rapid cruise were used to analyze temperature, salinity, density, and fluorescence across multiple transects, and stations. Salinity was used to estimate meltwater percent in the water column, while density and temperature were used to estimate MLD. Fluorescence was used as an indicator for phytoplankton biomass, for both surface fluorescence, and deep chlorophyll maximum. A LISST-Holo2 camera was used to take holographic images of particles throughout the water column, which were then used to quantify particle abundance and biovolume. Results suggest that meltwater influence and MLD may help explain differences in fluorescence and particle distributions across different transects, and stations. Lower surface salinity indicates a stronger meltwater influence, while differences in fluorescence and particle biovolume suggest that mixing and water column structure may affect where phytoplankton and marine snow like particles accumulate. Correlation analyses help assess how meltwater influence and MLD shape phytoplankton biomass, and particle distributions in Antarctic coastal waters.
Linking Sea Ice Melt, Water-Column Structure, and Particle Distributions in the Weddell Sea
Sea-ice melt strongly influences the coastal waters of Antarctica by lowering surface salinity, reducing vertical mixing, and changing MLD (mixed layer depth). These changes can affect phytoplankton biomass, particle formation, and carbon export. This poster examines how meltwater, and mixed layer depth relate to fluorescence, particle abundance, and particle biovolume in the Weddell Sea region of the Western Antarctic Peninsula. CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) casts from the Polar Rapid cruise were used to analyze temperature, salinity, density, and fluorescence across multiple transects, and stations. Salinity was used to estimate meltwater percent in the water column, while density and temperature were used to estimate MLD. Fluorescence was used as an indicator for phytoplankton biomass, for both surface fluorescence, and deep chlorophyll maximum. A LISST-Holo2 camera was used to take holographic images of particles throughout the water column, which were then used to quantify particle abundance and biovolume. Results suggest that meltwater influence and MLD may help explain differences in fluorescence and particle distributions across different transects, and stations. Lower surface salinity indicates a stronger meltwater influence, while differences in fluorescence and particle biovolume suggest that mixing and water column structure may affect where phytoplankton and marine snow like particles accumulate. Correlation analyses help assess how meltwater influence and MLD shape phytoplankton biomass, and particle distributions in Antarctic coastal waters.
