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© 2020 by the authors. Primary production by marine phytoplankton is one of the largest fluxes of carbon on our planet. In the past few decades, considerable progress has been made in estimating global primary production at high spatial and temporal scales by combining in situ measurements of primary production with remote-sensing observations of phytoplankton biomass. One of the major challenges in this approach lies in the assignment of the appropriate model parameters that define the photosynthetic response of phytoplankton to the light field. In the present study, a global database of in situ measurements of photosynthesis versus irradiance (P-I) parameters and a 20-year record of climate quality satellite observations were used to assess global primary production and its variability with seasons and locations as well as between years. In addition, the sensitivity of the computed primary production to potential changes in the photosynthetic response of phytoplankton cells under changing environmental conditions was investigated. Global annual primary production varied from 38.8 to 42.1 Gt C yr-1 over the period of 1998-2018. Inter-annual changes in global primary production did not follow a linear trend, and regional differences in the magnitude and direction of change in primary production were observed. Trends in primary production followed directly from changes in chlorophyll-a and were related to changes in the physico-chemical conditions of the water column due to inter-annual and multidecadal climate oscillations. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis in which P-I parameters were adjusted by ±1 standard deviation showed the importance of accurately assigning photosynthetic parameters in global and regional calculations of primary production. The assimilation number of the P-I curve showed strong relationships with environmental variables such as temperature and had a practically one-to-one relationship with the magnitude of change in primary production. In th

© 2018 Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography Nitrogen (N) availability affects phytoplankton photosynthetic performance and regulates marine primary production (MPP) across the global coast and oceans. Bio-optical tools including Fast Repetition Rate fluorometry (FRRf) are particularly well suited to examine MPP variability in coastal regions subjected to dynamic spatio-temporal fluctuations in nutrient availability. FRRf determines photosynthesis as an electron transport rate through Photosystem II (ETRPSII), requiring knowledge of an additional parameter, the electron requirement for carbon fixation (KC), to retrieve rates of CO2-fixation. KC strongly depends upon environmental conditions regulating photosynthesis, yet the importance of N-availability to this parameter has not been examined. Here, we use nutrient bioassays to isolate how N (relative to other macronutrients P, Si) regulates KC of phytoplankton communities from the Australian coast during summer, when N-availability is often highly variable. KC consistently responded to N-amendment, exhibiting up to a threefold reduction and hence an apparent increase in the efficiency with which electrons were used to drive C-fixation. However, the process driving this consistent reduction was dependent upon initial conditions. When diatoms dominated assemblages and N was undetectable (e.g., post bloom), KC decreased predominantly via a physiological adjustment of the existing community to N-amendment. Conversely, for mixed assemblages, N-addition achieved a similar reduction in KC through a change in community structure toward diatom domination. We generate new understanding and parameterization of KC that is particularly critical to advance how FRRf can be applied to examine C-uptake throughout the global ocean where nitrogen availability is highly variable and thus frequently limits primary productivity.

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd The phytoplankton absorption coefficient (a PHY ) has been suggested as a suitable alternate first order predictor of net primary productivity (NPP). We compiled a dataset of surface bio-optical properties and phytoplankton NPP measurements in coastal waters around Australia to examine the utility of an in-situ absorption model to estimate NPP. The magnitude of surface NPP (0.20–19.3 mmol C m -3 d -1 ) across sites was largely driven by phytoplankton biomass, with higher rates being attributed to the microplankton ( > 20 µm) size class. The phytoplankton absorption coefficient a PHY for PAR (photosynthetically active radiation; a PHY )) ranged from 0.003 to 0.073 m -1 , influenced by changes in phytoplankton community composition, physiology and environmental conditions. The a PHY coefficient also reflected changes in NPP and the absorption model-derived NPP could explain 73% of the variability in measured surface NPP (n = 41; RMSE = 2.49). The absorption model was applied to two contrasting coastal locations to examine NPP dynamics: a high chlorophyll-high variation (HCHV; Port Hacking National Reference Station) and moderate chlorophyll-low variation (MCLV; Yongala National Reference Station) location in eastern Australia using the GIOP-DC satellite a PHY product. Mean daily NPP rates between 2003 and 2015 were higher at the HCHV site (1.71 ± 0.03 mmol C m -3 d -1 ) with the annual maximum NPP occurring during the austral winter. In contrast, the MCLV site annual NPP peak occurred during the austral wet season and had lower mean daily NPP (1.43 ± 0.03 mmol C m -3 d -1 ) across the time-series. An absorption-based model to estimate NPP is a promising approach for exploring the spatio-temporal dynamics in phytoplankton NPP around the Australian continental shelf.

© 2016 Jeffries, Schmitz Fontes, Harrison, Van-Dongen-Vogels, Eyre, Ralph and Seymour. The abundant and diverse microorganisms that inhabit aquatic systems are both determinants and indicators of aquatic health, providing essential ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling but also causing harmful blooms and disease in impacted habitats. Estuaries are among the most urbanized coastal ecosystems and as a consequence experience substantial environmental pressures, providing ideal systems to study the influence of anthropogenic inputs on microbial ecology. Here we use the highly urbanized Sydney Harbor, Australia, as a model system to investigate shifts in microbial community composition and function along natural and anthopogenic physicochemical gradients, driven by stormwater inflows, tidal flushing and the input of contaminants and both naturally and anthropogenically derived nutrients. Using a combination of amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and shotgun metagenomics, we observed strong patterns in microbial biogeography across the estuary during two periods: one of high and another of low rainfall. These patterns were driven by shifts in nutrient concentration and dissolved oxygen leading to a partitioning of microbial community composition in different areas of the harbor with different nutrient regimes. Patterns in bacterial composition were related to shifts in the abundance of Rhodobacteraceae, Flavobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Halomonadaceae, Acidomicrobiales, and Synechococcus, coupled to an enrichment of total microbial metabolic pathways including phosphorus and nitrogen metabolism, sulfate reduction, virulence, and the degradation of hydrocarbons. Additionally, community beta-diversity was partitioned between the two sampling periods. This potentially reflected the influence of shifting allochtonous nutrient inputs on microbial communities and highlighted the temporally dynamic nature of the system. Combined, our results provide insights into

© 2015 The Authors. The measurement of phytoplankton carbon (Cphyto) in the field has been a long-sought but elusive goal in oceanography. Proxy measurements of Cphyto have been employed in the past, but are subject to many confounding influences that undermine their accuracy. Here we report the first directly measured Cphyto values from the open ocean. The Cphyto samples were collected from a diversity of environments, ranging from Pacific and Atlantic oligotrophic gyres to equatorial upwelling systems to temperate spring conditions. When compared to earlier proxies, direct measurements of Cphyto exhibit the strongest relationship with particulate backscattering coefficients (bbp) (R2=0.69). Chlorophyll concentration and total particulate organic carbon (POC) concentration accounted for ~20% less variability in Cphyto than bbp. Ratios of Cphyto to Chl a span an order of magnitude moving across and within distinct ecosystems. Similarly, Cphyto:POC ratios were variable with the lowest values coming from productive temperate waters and the highest from oligotrophic gyres. A strong relationship between Cphyto and bbp is particularly significant because bbp is a property retrievable from satellite ocean color measurements. Our results, therefore, are highly encouraging for the global monitoring of phytoplankton biomass from space. The continued application of our Cphyto measurement approach will enable validation of satellite retrievals and contribute to an improved understanding of environmental controls on phytoplankton biomass and physiology.

The influence of upwelling events on the structure of picophytoplankton communities was assessed at the annual scale from a station within the South Australian shelf region. In this region, local (wind) and global (La Niña/El Niño-Southern Oscillation) hydroclimatic conditions affect the development of upwelling over the austral summer. Using flow cytometry, changes in picophytoplankton community structure were investigated in relation to the properties of the water column when the nature and strength of upwelling event differed for the upwelling seasons of 2008, 2009, and 2010. In 2008, strong upwelling favorable southeasterlies were responsible for extensive upwelling and the dominance of picoeukaryotes. Alternatively, in 2009, the observed dominance of Prochlorococcus reflected the presence of oligotrophic conditions whilst southeasterlies were replaced by downwelling favorable north-westerlies that likely prohibited the full development of upwelling. In 2010, whilst southeasterlies remained relatively weak, particularly cold and low saline upwelled waters indicated enhanced upwelling events. This weak local wind field together with the occurrence of El Niño explained the observation of shallow upwelled waters below the warm surface layer and subsequent enhanced stratification. These conditions led to the dominance of Synechococcus in surface and fluorescence maximum depths, but of Prochlorococcus in bottom upwelled waters. The tight association between upwelling and stratification, i.e. whether upwelled waters reach shallower depths and/or mix with those of the surface as a result of variable climatic conditions, was suggested as the process driving the vertical heterogeneity of picophytoplankton populations. This study brings valuable information for changing picophytoplankton community structure with potential future changing hydroclimatic forcing. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

A two-dimensional microscale (5 cm resolution) sampler was used over the course of a phytoplankton spring bloom dominated by Phaeocystis globosa to investigate the structural properties of chlorophyll a and seawater excess viscosity distributions. The microscale distribution patterns of chlorophyll a and excess viscosity were never uniform nor random. Instead they exhibited different types and levels of aggregated spatial patterns that were related to the dynamics of the bloom. The chlorophyll a and seawater viscosity correlation patterns were also controlled by the dynamics of the bloom with positive and negative correlations before and after the formation of foam in the turbulent surf zone. The ecological relevance and implications of the observed patchiness and biologically induced increase in seawater viscosity are discussed and the combination of the enlarged colonial form and mucus secretion is suggested as a competitive advantage of P. globosa in highly turbulent environments where this species flourishes. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.