Regional polynya-biogeochemical connections in coastal Antarctica
Alice DuVivier, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, duvivier@ucar.edu (Presenter)
Laura Landrum, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, landrum@ucar.edu
Kristen Krumhardt, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, kristenk@ucar.edu
Zephyr Sylvester, University of Colorado Boulder, zephyr.sylvester@colorado.edu
Cassandra Brooks, University of Colorado Boulder, cassandra.brooks@colorado.edu
Marika Holland, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, mholland@ucar.edu
Polynyas – open water areas within the sea ice – are unique Antarctic features and likely hot spots of high biological productivity, yet they remain understudied. Connections between coastal polynyas and primary and secondary biological production are important to quantify in both present and future climate conditions as these areas are particularly relevant for possible protection. This poster will describe how coupled Earth-System-Models can be used to group coastal regions that frequently have polynyas based on how they covary physically and biologically. We describe the characteristic polynya regions identified from satellite sea ice data and compare these to polynya regions identified from a forced ice-ocean hindcast Community Earth System Model (CESM). The CESM hindcast includes a marine ecosystem model with multiple phytoplankton and zooplankton types that allow for better estimation of potential food resources for upper trophic levels. The ecosystem model provides valuable data in regions where satellite observations of primary productivity are sparse due to cloud and ice cover. We will also provide some discussion of how this method can be used to understand projected changes in polynya and productivity in the 21st century using the CESM2-Large Ensemble future projections.
Poster: Poster_DuVivier_1-46_43_35.pdf
Associated Project(s):
Poster Location ID: 1-46
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Poster Session 1
Session Date: Tue (May 9) 5:00-7:00 PM
CCE Program: BDEC