Ocean colour signature of climate change

Stephanie Dutkiewicz (), Anna E. Hickman, Oliver Jahn, Stephanie Henson, Claudie Beaulieu and Erwan Monier
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Stephanie Dutkiewicz: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Anna E. Hickman: University of Southampton, National Oceanography Centre Southampton
Oliver Jahn: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stephanie Henson: National Oceanography Centre Southampton
Claudie Beaulieu: University of Southampton, National Oceanography Centre Southampton
Erwan Monier: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Monitoring changes in marine phytoplankton is important as they form the foundation of the marine food web and are crucial in the carbon cycle. Often Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) is used to track changes in phytoplankton, since there are global, regular satellite-derived estimates. However, satellite sensors do not measure Chl-a directly. Instead, Chl-a is estimated from remote sensing reflectance (RRS): the ratio of upwelling radiance to the downwelling irradiance at the ocean’s surface. Using a model, we show that RRS in the blue-green spectrum is likely to have a stronger and earlier climate-change-driven signal than Chl-a. This is because RRS has lower natural variability and integrates not only changes to in-water Chl-a, but also alterations in other optically important constituents. Phytoplankton community structure, which strongly affects ocean optics, is likely to show one of the clearest and most rapid signatures of changes to the base of the marine ecosystem.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08457-x

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