page_title: North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study
section_title: Competing hypotheses of plankton blooms
hierarchical_section_title: North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study / Background / Competing hypotheses of plankton blooms
caption_attribution_description: English: Figure adapted from Behrenfeld and Boss, 2014. Courtesy of https://naames.larc.nasa.gov/science-objectives.html.
context_page_description: The North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study was a five-year scientific research program that investigated aspects of phytoplankton dynamics in ocean ecosystems, and how such dynamics influence atmospheric aerosols, clouds, and climate. The study focused on the sub-arctic region of the North Atlantic Ocean, which is the site of one of Earth's largest recurring phytoplankton blooms. The long history of research in this location, as well as relative ease of accessibility, made the North Atlantic an ideal location to test prevailing scientific hypotheses in an effort to better understand the role of phytoplankton aerosol emissions on Earth's energy budget.
  NAAMES was led by scientists from Oregon State University and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. They conducted four field campaigns from 2015-2018 that were designed to target specific phases of the annual phytoplankton cycle: minimum, climax, intermediary decreasing biomass, and increasing intermediary biomass. The campaigns were designed to observe each unique phase, in order to resolve the scientific debates on the timing of bloom formations and the patterns driving annual bloom re-creation.
context_section_description: NAAMES sought to better understand the impact of bioaerosol emissions on cloud dynamics and climate. It also aimed to test two competing hypotheses on plankton blooms:
caption: Competing scientific hypothesis of plankton variability. Figure adapted from.[19] Courtesy of https://naames.larc.nasa.gov/science-objectives.html
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