Polar systems are undersampled due to the difficulty of sampling remote and challenging environments; however, these systems are critical components of global biogeochemical cycles. Measurements on primary productivity in specific areas can quantify the input of organic matter to food webs, and so are of critical ecological importance as well. However, long-term measurements using the same methodology are available only for a few polar systems. Primary productivity measurements using 14C-uptake incubations from the Ross Sea, Antarctica, are synthesized, along with chlorophyll concentrations at the same depths and locations. A total of 19 independent cruises were completed, and 449 stations occupied where measurements of primary productivity (each with 7 depths) were completed. The incubations used the same basic simulated in situ methodology for all. Integrated water column productivity for all stations averaged 1.10 ± 1.20 g C m-2 d-1, and the maximum was 13.1 g C m-2 d-1. Annual productivity calculated from the means throughout the growing season equalled 146 g C m-2 yr-1. The mean chlorophyll concentration in the euphotic zone (the 1% irradiance level) was 2.85 ± 2.68 mg m-3 (maximum observed concentration was 19.1 mg m-3). Maximum photosynthetic rates above the 30% isolume (normalized to chlorophyll) averaged 0.98 ± 0.71 mg C (mg chl)-1 h-1, similar to the maximum rate found in photosynthesis-irradiance measurements. Productivity measurements are consistent with the temporal patterns of biomass found previously, with biomass and productivity peaking in late December; mixed layers were at a minimum at this time as well. Estimates of plankton composition also suggest that pre-January productivity was largely driven by the haptophyte Phaeocystis antarctica, and summer productivity by diatoms. The data set will be useful for a comparison to other Antarctic regions and provide a basis for refined bio-optical models of regional primary productivity and biogeochemical models for the Southern Ocean.

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The data in the file include primary productivity data collected over 30 years in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Also provided are chlorophyll concentrations, integrated biomass data, mixed layer depths, and the composition of the dominant plankton. Parallel methods were employed through all studies, making this a coherent data set that provides for excellent temporal coverage on a seasonal basis. Some of the data have been published in individual papers previously (all are referenced in the paper), as well as details of the methodology. Data have been quality controlled and the means for doing so described. The data are analyzed with respect to temporal patterns, influence of vertical mixing, influence of plankton composition, and biomass, providing an excellent assessment of the magnitude of regional productivity that can be compared to remote sensing and modeled estimates.

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SMITH O. Walker . (2022). Ross Sea productivity. A Big Earth Data Platform for Three Poles, DOI: 10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.863815.2. (Download the reference： RIS | Bibtex )

Related Literatures:

1. Smith, W.O., Jr. (2022). Primary productivity measurements in the Ross Sea, Antarctica: A regional synthesis. Earth Syst. Science Data (in press). https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2021-351( View Details | Bibtex)

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National Natural Science Foundation of China (No:41101325)

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