From Communities to Carbon (“C2C”): BGC glider surveys of export on the Oleander Line
Project Summary:
This project investigates how phytoplankton communities influence the ocean’s biological carbon pump. Researchers will combine data from an Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) aboard the CMV Oleander, a current OVSN project, with measurements from a biogeochemical ocean glider operating across the Middle Atlantic Bight shelfbreak. The glider will collect surface-to-seafloor observations of physical, chemical, and biological conditions over a five-month period. The project will create a three-dimensional view of the interactions between ocean physics, chemistry, and biology that drive carbon cycling. The work builds on existing observing infrastructure and programs to improve understanding of carbon export processes in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean.