Spaceborne Lidar in the Study of Marine Systems

Satellite passive ocean color instruments have provided an unbroken ∼20-year record of global ocean plankton properties, but this measurement approach has inherent limitations in terms of spatial-temporal sampling and ability to resolve vertical structure within the water column. These limitations can be addressed by coupling ocean color data with measurements from a spaceborne lidar. Airborne lidars have been used for decades to study ocean subsurface properties, but recent breakthroughs have now demonstrated that plankton properties can be measured with a satellite lidar. The satellite lidar era in oceanography has arrived. Here, we present a review of the lidar technique, its applications in marine systems, a perspective on what can be accomplished in the near future with an ocean- and atmosphere-optimized satellite lidar, and a vision for a multiplatform virtual constellation of observational assets that would enable a three-dimensional reconstruction of global ocean ecosystems.

Dispersion/dilution enhances phytoplankton blooms in low-nutrient waters

Spatial characteristics of phytoplankton blooms often reflect the horizontal transport properties of the oceanic turbulent flow in which they are embedded. Classically, bloom response to horizontal stirring is regarded in terms of generation of patchiness following large-scale bloom initiation. Here, using satellite observations from the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and a simple ecosystem model, we show that the opposite scenario of turbulence dispersing and diluting fine-scale (∼1–100 km) nutrient-enriched water patches has the critical effect of regulating the dynamics of nutrients–phytoplankton–zooplankton ecosystems and enhancing accumulation of photosynthetic biomass in low-nutrient oceanic environments. A key factor in determining ecological and biogeochemical consequences of turbulent stirring is the horizontal dilution rate, which depends on the effective eddy diffusivity and surface area of the enriched patches. Implementation of the notion of horizontal dilution rate explains quantitatively plankton response to turbulence and improves our ability to represent ecological and biogeochemical processes in oligotrophic oceans.

The degree to which horizontal transport affects phytoplankton ecosystems remains understudied. Here, the authors combine satellite observations, ARGO float data and a simple ecosystem model to explore the impact of horizontal stirring on naturally-stimulated fine-scale phytoplankton blooms.

What percentage of the oceanic mixed layer is accessible to marine Lidar? Global and the Gulf of Mexico prospective

The oceanic mixed layer is a nearly homogenous region of the upper ocean which, in principle, has a little or no variation in turbulence strength, temperature or density with depth. This layer mediates oceanic fluxes of gas, momentum and heat. Here, based on the chosen marine Lidar system, we have carried out estimates of the depth penetration of the Lidar when compared to the local mixed layer depth. On average, we have found that at least 50% of the global oceanic mixed layer depth is accessible to the Lidar observations. When operating in a single scattering mode, which is more attenuating but more amenable to analysis, the modeled Lidar was found to access 0.4 of global mixed layer depth in half of the cases. The single scattering Lidar was found to access a large fraction of the equatorial mixed layer - a region very important when addressing global climatic issues. In a coastal environment such as the Gulf of Mexico the single scattering Lidar was found to penetrate upper half of the mixed layer, underscoring the potential for Lidar to address environmental issues there.