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Revaluating ocean warming impacts on global phytoplankton

Nature Climate Change volume 6, pages 323–330 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Global satellite observations document expansions of the low-chlorophyll central ocean gyres and an overall inverse relationship between anomalies in sea surface temperature and phytoplankton chlorophyll concentrations. These findings can provide an invaluable glimpse into potential future ocean changes, but only if the story they tell is accurately interpreted. Chlorophyll is not simply a measure of phytoplankton biomass, but also registers changes in intracellular pigmentation arising from light-driven (photoacclimation) and nutrient-driven physiological responses. Here, we show that the photoacclimation response is an important component of temporal chlorophyll variability across the global ocean. This attribution implies that contemporary relationships between chlorophyll changes and ocean warming are not indicative of proportional changes in productivity, as light-driven decreases in chlorophyll can be associated with constant or even increased photosynthesis. Extension of these results to future change, however, requires further evaluation of how the multifaceted stressors of a warmer, higher-CO2 world will impact plankton communities.

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Figure 1: Photophysiology of phytoplankton.
Figure 2: Modelling photoacclimation in the surface ocean mixed layer.
Figure 3: Carbon-to-chlorophyll (θ) variability in the global ocean.
Figure 4: Temporal patterns in satellite-observed carbon-to-chlorophyll (θ) and model-based variability attributable to photoacclimation.
Figure 5: Physiological contributions to global chlorophyll anomalies.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Cordley Hall 2082, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-2902, USA

    Michael J. Behrenfeld, Robert T. O’Malley, Toby K. Westberry, Jason R. Graff, Allen J. Milligan & Matthew B. Brown

  2. School of Marine Sciences, 5706 Aubert Hall, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469-5741, USA

    Emmanuel S. Boss

  3. Department of Microbiology, 220 Nash Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97330, USA

    Kimberly H. Halsey

  4. Earth Research Institute and Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-3060, USA

    David A. Siegel

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Contributions

M.J.B. designed the study; M.J.B., R.T.O’M. and E.S.B. conducted satellite data analyses and photoacclimation model development; M.J.B. and R.T.O’M. prepared display items; M.J.B. wrote the manuscript with contributions from all authors.

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Correspondence to Michael J. Behrenfeld.

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Behrenfeld, M., O’Malley, R., Boss, E. et al. Revaluating ocean warming impacts on global phytoplankton. Nature Clim Change 6, 323–330 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2838

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