1. Ocean Productivity

2. OUTLINE The Microbial Revolution Major Types of Phytoplankton
What is Primary Production
From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites
Controls of Primary Production
Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production
HNLC Regions?
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
OUTLINE

3. The Microbial Revolution
1970s Discovery of tiny photosynthetic microbes - Gyres
Cyanobacteria (Blue Green Algae) - e.g. Prochlorococcus
Source of Incredible Marine Natural Products -
Make up ½ of phytoplankton in Oceans!
A Microbial Revolution
Annually new discoveries of
Microbes Alter the way We
Think about Ocean/systems

4. OUTLINE The Microbial Revolution Major Types of Phytoplankton
What is Primary Production
From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites
Controls of Primary Production
Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production
HNLC Regions?
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
OUTLINE

5. Major Types of Plankton
Challenge Question - What are they?
Pico phytoplankton ≤ 2 uM - Cyanobacteria (prochlorococcus)
Nano phytoplankton ≤ 20 uM – Small Diatoms
Micro phytoplankton ≤ 200 uM - Large Diatoms, dinoflagellates

6. Major Types of Plankton
Absorb UV light at different Wavelengths

7. OUTLINE The Microbial Revolution Major Types of Phytoplankton
What is Primary Production
From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites
Controls of Primary Production
Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production
HNLC Regions?
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
OUTLINE

8. What is Primary Production?
The rate of production of Organic matter by phytoplankton or photo autotrophs
What are some examples of algae producers besides phytoplankton (aka macro algae)?
Macroalgae (Kelp)
Zooxanthellae (Coral)
True Marine Plants
Mangroves
Seagrass
Marsh Plants

9. Primary Production (aka - a Bloom)
Light Reactions (Sunlight) -Photosynthesis
Dark Reactions (convert E from light w/ CO2  sugars)
CO2 + H2O + light  C6H12O + H2O + O2
106 CO H2O + 16 HNO3 + 1 H3PO4 
106 C6H12O + H2O 16 NH H3PO O2
THE REVERSE (grazing) RESPIRATION
Zooplakton, Fish, Whales, Humans
Eat e.g.Sugar  spit out CO2
(Sugar/Carbs)
(Sugar)

10. Fig. 13.8
Primary Production

11. OUTLINE The Microbial Revolution Major Types of Phytoplankton
What is Primary Production
From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites
Controls of Primary Production
Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production
HNLC Regions?
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
OUTLINE

12. From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites
Many ways exist to estimate primary production
Here are several important approaches

13. Light and Dark Bottle Method
From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites
Light and Dark Bottle Method

14. Challenge Question What is the Redfield Ratio?
Others look at elemental equivalents in Sea water remember Liebig’s Law of Minimum?
Challenge Question
What is the Redfield Ratio?
The optimum ratio of Macronutrients for Phytoplankton to bloom:
What is the ratio? Carbon Nitrogen Phosphorous
C106 N16 P1

15. Fig. 13.3

16. The C14 radioactive Tracer Method
From Studying Cell Counts
to Satellites
The C14 radioactive Tracer
Method

17. Artificial Fluorescence
From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites
Artificial Fluorescence

18. Artificial Fluorescence – compounds give off the color they are NOT absorbing

19. Natural Fluorescence From Space Satellites From Studying Cell Counts
Fig. 13.6
From Studying Cell Counts
to Satellites
Natural
Fluorescence
From Space
Satellites

20. From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites Confirming Your Knowledge
What are some Major ways in which Oceanographers estimate Phytoplankton 1˚production?
Light & Dark bottle method
Look for removal of Dissolved elements (det. Growth rates)
Carbon -14 (14C) radioactive tracer to bottle/ incubate in Sun, CO2 fixed = Rate of Photosyn.)
Artificial Fluorescence
Sun Stimulated Fluorescence of Chlorophyll (Satellite imagery)

21. OUTLINE The Microbial Revolution Major Types of Phytoplankton
What is Primary Production
From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites
Controls of Primary Production
Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production
HNLC Regions?
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
OUTLINE

22. Controls of Primary Production
Photosynthetic Light Limitation

23. Controls of Primary Production
Dissolved Inorganic Nutrients

24. Controls of Primary Production
Marine Bacteria and Nutrients
Reminerilization (recycling)

25. Controls of Primary Production
Zoo plankton Grazing – keeps food web under control

26. Controls of Primary Production
Fig
Controls of Primary Production
Vertical Mixing c c

27. Confirming Your Knowledge Question(s)?
What are some of the Major Control Mechanisms of Primary Production?
The Photosynthetic Light Limitation
Amt. of Dissolved Inorganic Nutrients (namely?)
Marine bacteria and Nutrient Recycling
Zooplankton Grazing
Vertical Mixing Issues

28. OUTLINE The Microbial Revolution Major Types of Phytoplankton
What is Primary Production
From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites
Controls of Primary Production
Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production
HNLC Regions?
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
OUTLINE

29. Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production
different places. . .

30. Fig a

31. OUTLINE The Microbial Revolution Major Types of Phytoplankton
What is Primary Production
From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites
Controls of Primary Production
Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production
HNLC Regions?
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
OUTLINE

32. HNLC Regions Challenge Question – What are They & where do they occur?
High Nutrients areas (e.g. Nitrogen “N” & Phosphorous “P”)
However Lower then Expected Chlorophyll is produced there. . .(HNLC)
What key trace elements could be lacking?
Iron (Fe), Great Transporter of Oxygen (key Element in Marine life)
Silica (SiO2) Diatom Shells . . .
Wooden Sunken Ship
Where is the marine Life?
Metal Sunken Ship
~ teaming with Life

33. HNLC Regions Challenge Question – What are they & Where do they occur?
Areas of low Iron (Fe) or Silica (Si) Input:
(either no Aeolian or no Sediment input or both)
e.g. Santa Cruz vs Big Sur
Santa Cruz, CA
Big Sur, CA

34. HNLC Regions Where do they occur?
Areas of low Iron (Fe) or Silica (Si) Input
e.g. Santa Cruz vs Big Sur
SeaWIFS image showing surface chlorophyll concentrations in squirts and eddies off the central California coast.
(Provided by Raphael Kudela)
Bathymetric Map of Central CA Coast.
(Provided by USGS)

35. HNLC regions Well –Who Cares? What does it matter?
Fe Enrichment Experiments? (Fertilize the Oceans>?)
John Martin ( the Iron Man) a reality?

36. TO DATE – 9 Iron Enrichment Experiments Done:
YES - GLOBAL HNLC regions
Southern Ocean – Lots of NO3
TO DATE – 9 Iron Enrichment Experiments Done:
( )
A: IronEx I
B: IronEx II
D: SOIREE
E: EisenEx
G: SEEDS
H: SOFeX
J: Planktos
K: SERIES
SOURCE:

37. HNLC Iron Enrichment Still under investigation. . . Stay tuned. . ..
Results
Inconclusive
Need to factor in what
Other element?
SOURCE:

38. OUTLINE The Microbial Revolution Major Types of Phytoplankton
What is Primary Production
From Studying Cell Counts to Satellites
Controls of Primary Production
Seasonal Cycle of Primary Production
HNLC Regions?
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
OUTLINE

39. Harmful Algal Blooms (HABS) aka red tides. . .
Challenge Questions
What are they & Where/How do they occur?
A bloom of phytoplankton
that is Harmful to the Environment
Can occur anywhere, esp. in areas of enhanced Nutrients
i.e. eutrophication zones. . What is that?

40. Limnology/ Oceanography
Eutrophic vs Oligotrophic Environments
Nutrient Rich Nutrient Poor
Lake Tahoe, CA
Little Nutrients/ Runoff/
But Increasing. . .
Clear Lake?, CA
LOTS of Nutrients/ Runoff
Pea Soup Green

41. Harmful Algal Blooms (HABS) aka red tides. . .
Where are some probable locations of HABS in the US & Why?
Mississippi
Washington Coast
Monterey Bay
Hypoxic/Anoxic Regions
if have Massive Blooms  Oxygen Depletion by Zooplankton

42. HABS – How are they Harmful?
the Gulf of Mexico - Lots of Nutrients from Where?
1) Hypoxic (low O2) and Anoxic Zones (No O2)  Fish Kills 

43. HABS – Steadily Increasing since the 1970s – why?
Many poisonings (Toxin ingestion) now associated with HABS. . .

44. HABS – How are they Harmful?
2) Planktonic production of Toxins (poisons)
i.e. (secondary metabolites), e.g. Marine Natural Products Chemistry
Toxins Ingested (as poisons)  biomagnify up Food Chain
Zooplankton  / mussel / anchovie  fish  bird
Two FAMOUS Cases -
Dinoflagelate –Paralytic Shellfish poisoning (PSP)
Alexandrium tamarense
Diatom –Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP)
Pseudonitzschia australis.
Saxitoxin
Domoic acid

45. HABS – How are they Harmful?
Not in the Textbooks - Yet
3) Planktonic secreted (foam) Marine Natural Products
As Topical agents - Alter organisms mobility
Surfactants (soapy compounds)
compromise viability of Marine Bird feathers
See Recent Publication

46. Confirming your Knowledge
HABS
Confirming your Knowledge
What are 3 major ways in which HABS can be harmful?
1) Hypoxic/anoxic zones
e.g Mississippi Nutrient Run off  massive blooms (O2 used up from Zooplankton)
Secondary Metabolite production (Marine Natural Products)
2) Toxins produced/ingested – Biomagnified up Food Chain
i.e. Plankton mussels  fish  birds  humans
e.g. Domoic Acid (ASP), Saxitoxin (DSP)
3) Topical agents - Alter organisms mobility
Surfactant production (soapy compounds) compromises feathers

48. A whole New World of DISOCOVERY
END
OCEAN PRODUCTIVTY
A whole New World of DISOCOVERY
Last Lecture Wednesday – Turn In all Assignments Wed. – LAST DAY – FRIDAY
HANG IN THERE – ALMOST DONE 

49. Page 267

50. Fig. 13.1

51. Fig. 13.5

52. Figure 13a

53. TABLES

54. Tab. 13.1

55. Tab. 13.2

56. Tab. 13.3

57. Tab. 13.4

58. Tab. 13.5