Investigating the relation between aerosol optical depth, dimethylsulphide production and phytoplankton dynamics in the Antarctic Southern Ocean

---- Public Summary from Project ----
Understanding the strength of possible biological feedbacks is crucial to the science of climate change. This project aims to improve our understanding of one such feedback, the biogenic production of dimethylsulphide (DMS) and its impact on atmospheric aerosols. The Antarctic ocean is potentially a major source of DMS-derived aerosols. The project will investigate the coupling between satellite-derived aerosol optical depth, phytoplankton biomass and DMS production in the Antarctic Southern Ocean.
From the abstract of the attached paper:
We analysed the correlation between zonal mean satellite data on surface chlorophyll (CHL) and aerosol optical depth (AOD), in the Southern Ocean (in 5-degree bands between 50-70 degrees south) for the period 1997-2004), and in sectors of the Eastern Antarctic, Ross and Weddell Seas.  Seasonality is moderate to strong in both CHL and AOD signatures throughout the study region.  Coherence in the CHL and AOD time series is strong between 50-60 degrees south, however this synchrony is absent south of 60 degrees south. Marked interannual variability in CHL occurs south of 60 degrees south.  We find a clear latitudinal difference in the cross-correlation between CHL and AOD, with the AOD peak preceding the CHL bloom by up to six weeks in the sea ice zone (SIZ).  This is consistent with the ventilation of dimethysulphide (DMS) from sea-ice during melting, and supports field data that records high levels of sulfur species in sea-ice and surface seawater during ice-melt.
The fields in this dataset are:
Timeseries Worksheet:
Date
Mean Chlorophyll (mg CHL/cubic metre)
Mean Aerosol Optical Depth (no units)
5 Day mean chlorophyll averages
5 day mean aerosol optical depth averages
Correlation Worksheet:
n - number
lag
r - correlation coefficient
t - student t statistic
Global Worksheet
Column A = SeaWiFS filename
Counter+1 is a counter to indicate the image number in series
Date
Mean Chlorophyll (mg CHL/cubic metre)
Mean Aerosol Optical Depth (no units)
Chlorophyll Standard Deviation
Mean Aerosol Optical Depth Standard Deviation
Chlorophyll Standard Error
Mean Aerosol Optical Depth Standard Error
Chlorophyll Count (the number of data 'pixels' in the image - the basic pixel size is 9x9km2)
Mean Aerosol Optical Depth (the number of data 'pixels' in the image - the basic pixel size is 9x9km2)

Tags: AEROSOL OPTICAL DEPTH, ALGAE, AMD, AMD/AU, ANTARCTICA, AOD, BLOOM, CEOS, CHL, CHLOROPHYLL, DATE, DIMETHYLSULPHIDE, DMS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > PLANTS > MICROALGAE, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS > BIOMASS DYNAMICS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > SPECIES LIFE HIS, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS > PLANKTON > PHYTOPLANKTON, EARTH SCIENCE > CRYOSPHERE > SEA ICE, EARTH SCIENCE > CRYOSPHERE > SEA ICE > ICE GROWTH/MELT, EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > MARINE ENVIRONMENT MONITORING, EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > PIGMENTS > CHLOROPHYLL, EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > TRACE ELEMENTS, EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN OPTICS > OPTICAL DEPTH, EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SEA ICE, EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SEA ICE > ICE GROWTH/MELT, EASTERN ANTARCTICA, GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR, OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN, OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN > Ross Sea, OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN > Weddell Sea, PHYTOPLANKTON, ROSS SEA, SATELLITE, SEA ICE, SEAWIFS, SOUTHERN OCEAN, SULFUR, WEDDELL SEA
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network