Annual report 2005-06.indd - Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems ...

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ocean control of carbon dioxideCO2-04: Effect of elevated CO 2on phytoplanktonProject leaderSimon Wright, AADProject staffA Davidson, F Scott, P Thomson, R van denEnden, K Westwood, AAD; W Howard, A Moy,ACE; B Griffiths, B Tilbrook, CMAR; G Hallegraeff,UTAS; T Trull, CMAR/UTASProject AimThis project will describe how Southern Oceanphytoplankton and microbial communities willchange as atmospheric CO 2concentrationsincrease. The research team will study thelikely changes in phytoplankton species andsize distribution, in rates of uptake of carbondioxide through photosynthesis, and the extentto which CO 2is recycled through the microbialloop or sedimented to the deep ocean. Thisknowledge is vital to predictions of the role ofthe Southern Ocean in absorbing and storingCO 2produced through human activity and soits role in influencing global carbon budgets.The results will also be important for developingecosystem models that allow assessment ofimpacts of climate change on Antarctic marineecosystems and provide advice for ecosystembased management of Southern Ocean fisheries,particularly those regulated through CCAMLR.Key achievements in 2005-06• The distribution and carbonate shellcharacteristics of the globally importantphytoplankton Emiliania huxleyi weredetermined from samples collected by theunderway observation program onboard theFrench Antarctic resupply ship l’Astrolabe.In comparison to results from the 1980s,E. huxleyi populations showed expansionsouthward all the way to the Antarctic seaice, but with lower calcification in southernsamples. This poleward expansion parallelsresults from the Northern Hemisphere andmay be a response to ocean warming. Thereduced calcification is consistent withexpectations from laboratory experimentson the response to ocean acidificationby anthropogenic CO 2. This complexityof response to global change typifies thedifficulty of ecosystem predictions and alsothe occurrence of transient states as thesystem evolves.• Initiation of a study of the genetic diversityof E. huxleyi phytoplankton as the next stepin understanding their response to oceanacidification.• Award of research funds from the AustralianGreenhouse Office to initiate a study intothe links between ocean acidity and thecarbonate shell compositions of SouthernOcean foraminifera (a globally important typeof amoebic zooplankton).• This project has growing collaborations withour partner agencies, including S Blackburnand P Thompson (CMAR) and U Bjima (AWI).32 Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems CRC - Annual Report 2005-06
ocean control of carbon dioxideCO2-05: BiogeochemicalsimulationsProject leaderRichard Matear – CMARProject staffM Mongin, T Roy, ACE; M Nuñez, L Forbes, UTAS;C Rathbone, T Moore, CMAR; T Trull CMAR/UTASProject AimThrough the development and application ofocean carbon models, we are quantifying theSouthern Ocean uptake of atmospheric CO 2and exploring potential feedbacks of projectedglobal warming on this uptake. The results ofthis research will be vital to predicting the rolethe Southern Ocean will play in absorbing andstoring anthropogenic CO 2in the future and,therefore, how future atmospheric CO 2levels willevolve.• Investigation of possible microbial ecosystemresponses to elevated iron inputs andocean stratification using a model tuned toreproduce seasonal cycles at the Kerfix PolarFrontal Zone time series site suggests that10-fold increases in aerosol iron deliveryare insufficient to induce significant change,but that 100-fold and, especially, 1000-fold increases lead to significant increasesin production and changes in ecosystemstructure. Increased stratification ofthe upper water column in response toapproximately 3-fold decreases in windstresses can induce similar increasesin production, emphasising that lightlimitation is also a key factor in SouthernOcean productivity (Mongin et al., GlobalBiogeochemical Cycles, in review).Key achievements in 2005-06• Simulation of ocean acidification through theend of this century suggests major impactson carbonate-shell forming organisms, andthat the greatest effects are likely to occurin Antarctic waters (in collaboration with US,European, and Japanese researchers, Orret al., Nature, 2005). This work emphasisesthe direct effect of anthropogenic CO 2onmarine ecosystem, which is not dependent onclimate warming.• Assessment of spatial and temporal variabilityof air-sea CO 2exchange in the SouthernOcean from a global ocean circulationand biogeochemical model suggests thatmeasuring uptake with sufficient precision tocapture interannual variability in the net fluxover the whole Southern Ocean will requirean approximate two-fold improvementspatial coverage by observational networks(Lenton et al., Global Biogeochemical Cycles,in review). Further investigation suggeststhat large scale atmospheric dynamics (theSouthern Annular Mode) are importantdrivers of internannual variability (Lentonand Matear, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, inreview).Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems CRC - Annual Report 2005-06 33
Page 5 and 6: executive summaryResearch by the AC
Page 7: governanceThe ACE CRC was successfu
Page 13 and 14: commercialisationSpin-offs and pate
Page 15 and 16: commercialisationEnd-user involveme
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Page 19 and 20: climate variability & changeProgram
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Page 25 and 26: climate variability & changeProgres
Page 27 and 28: ocean control of carbon dioxideProg
Page 29 and 30: ocean control of carbon dioxidePlan
Page 31: ocean control of carbon dioxidesepa
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Page 37 and 38: antarctic marine ecosystemsof field
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Page 44 and 45: sea-level risePlans for 2006-07•
Page 46 and 47: sea-level riseSLR-04: Modelling ext
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Page 50 and 51: policyOverviewAustralia will face a
Page 52 and 53: policyPOL-04: The management of‘a
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Page 56 and 57: esearch collaborationProjectReasses
Page 58 and 59: esearch collaborationProjectKerguel
Page 60 and 61: esearch collaborationProjectImpact
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Page 64 and 65: esearch collaborationStaff NameReid
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Page 72 and 73: education & trainingProgram LeaderP
Page 74 and 75: education & trainingProgress agains
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Page 78 and 79: education & trainingCurrent student
Page 80 and 81: performance measuresObjective 1: En
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performance measures2.3 To ensure r
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communication strategyThe ACE CRC C
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specified personnelSpecified person
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appendix a: scientific presentation
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appendix b: public presentationsSta
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appendix c: media interviewsMedia i
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appendix d: honours & awardsHonours
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appendix e: publicationsChurch, J a
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appendix e: publicationsRalph P, Mc
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appendix e: publicationsPublished c
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appendix e: publicationsTechnical r
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appendix f: acronymsCLIVARCMARCNESC
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appendix g: staff resourcesStaff Na
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appendix g: staff resourcesStaff Na
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Mailing AddressACE CRCPrivate Bag 8
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