Impact of improved light calculations on predicted phytoplankton growth and heating in an idealized upwelling‐downwelling channel geometry

Mobley, Curtis D.; Chai, Fei; Xiu, Peng; Sundman, Lydia K.

doi:10.1002/2014jc010588

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Fundamentally, the propagation of solar radiation in water is spectrally selective, where blue photons can penetrate much deeper than red photons in oceanic waters. Therefore, for precise description of the distribution of solar radiation in the upper water column, a full‐scale, hyperspectral, numerical model of the radiative transfer in ocean (e.g., Hydrolight) should be used (Mobley et al, ; Mobley & Boss, ; Mobley & Sundman, ). But such a scheme requires extremely high computational power that is not practical for large‐scale, high‐resolution, ocean circulation modeling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the Transmittance of Visible Solar Radiation in the Upper Ocean Using Secchi Disk Observations

Lee

Shang

et al. 2019

JGR Oceans

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Penetration of visible solar radiation (VSR) drives heating and phytoplankton photosynthesis in the upper water column; thus, it is always important to accurately describe the vertical distribution of VSR in the oceans. Before the invention and application of modern optical‐electronic instruments to measure the vertical profiles of VSR, the transmittance of VSR from surface to deeper ocean (TVSR) was commonly estimated based on water types and subsequently incorporated in dynamic ocean circulation models. However, the measurement of Secchi disk depth (ZSD) has been carried out since the 1860s and there are about a million of ZSD data available for the global oceans. Because ZSD represents a measure of water's transparency, here we present a scheme based on radiative transfer to accurately estimate TVSR with ZSD as the sole input. It is found that the median ratios between modeled and measured TVSR are ~0.8–1.0 for TVSR in a range of 1–100% for measurements made in coastal waters and oceanic gyres. However, this median ratio spans ~0.04–1.0 for the same measurements when the classical water‐type‐based model was applied. These results suggest a great advantage, and potentially significant impact, in incorporating the volumetric ZSD data to model the dynamic ocean–atmosphere systems in the past 100+ years.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the Transmittance of Visible Solar Radiation in the Upper Ocean Using Secchi Disk Observations

Lee

Shang

et al. 2019

JGR Oceans

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“…The remote sensing community has been developing satellite-derived products of PAR and inherent optical properties (IOPs, such as absorption and backscattering, diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490 nm), which are used to estimate PAR attenuation coefficients. [8][9][10] Also, there are well-established optical models, such as HydroLight and EcoLight, [11][12][13] to provide accurate attenuation of PAR with the depth. All of these products can certainly improve modeling of PAR and its attenuation with depth in physical oceanic models.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…11 However, optical models based on radiative transfer theory have not found wide applications in the numerical oceanic modeling community, mostly because of a high increase in computational cost when they are used with high resolution, data assimilative physical models. For this reason, most existing oceanic physical models [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] use a simplified optical model based on an exponential attenuation of PAR with the depth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of errors in short wave radiation and its attenuation on modeled upper ocean heat content

Shulman

Gould

Anderson

et al. 2017

J. Appl. Remote Sens

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Abstract. Photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) and its attenuation with the depth represent a forcing (source) term in the governing equation for the temperature in the oceanic dynamical models. PAR usually comes from the atmospheric model predictions, whereas PAR's attenuation schemes are internally prescribed (estimated) inside the oceanic dynamical model. We perform sensitivity analyses to investigate the impact that errors in model surface PAR and vertical attenuation of PAR have on the upper ocean model heat content. In the Monterey Bay area, we show that with a decrease in water clarity, the relative error in surface PAR introduces a larger error in the modeled upper 25 m ocean heat content than the same magnitude relative error in the attenuation coefficient. For Jerlov's type "IA" water (attenuation coefficient is 0.049 m −1 ), the relative error in surface PAR introduces an error twice as large into the model heat content as the same magnitude relative error in the attenuation coefficient. For the more turbid water Jerlov's type "III" (attenuation coefficient is 0.127 m −1 ), the relative error in surface PAR introduces error seven times as large into the model heat content than the same magnitude relative error in the attenuation coefficient. We present how the upper ocean heat content sensitivities to errors in PAR and its attenuation change in space and time. While the sensitivities to the errors in surface PAR are all positive, sensitivities to the errors in attenuation coefficient have positive and negative values, depending on location. They are positive in shallower water for locations on the shelf in the northern part of the bay and negative in deeper offshore waters. Sensitivities derived provide a capability to understand and control the impact of errors in PAR and its attenuation on the upper ocean model heat content predictions.

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“…Advances in computing power and availability of fast and accurate radiative transfer models (e.g. Ecolight, Sequoia Scientific) offer the potential to incorporate comprehensive light field models into aquatic ecosystem models, with the promise of significant improvements in the prediction of biogeochemical and physical properties (Mobley et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A bio-optical model for integration into ecosystem models for the Ligurian Sea

Bengil

McKee²,

Beşiktepe

et al. 2016

Progress in Oceanography

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A bio-optical model has been developed for the Ligurian Sea which encompasses both deep, oceanic Case 1 waters and shallow, coastal Case 2 waters. The model builds on earlier Case 1 models for the region and uses field data collected on the BP09 research cruise to establish new relationships for non-biogenic particles and CDOM. The bio-optical model reproduces in situ IOPs accurately and is used to parameterize radiative transfer simulations which demonstrate its utility for modeling underwater light levels and above surface remote sensing reflectance. Prediction of euphotic depth is found to be accurate to within ∼3.2 m (RMSE). Previously published light field models work well for deep oceanic parts of the Ligurian Sea that fit the Case 1 classification. However, they are found to significantly over-estimate euphotic depth in optically complex coastal waters where the influence of non-biogenic materials is strongest. For these coastal waters, the combination of the bio-optical model proposed here and full radiative transfer simulations provides significantly more accurate predictions of euphotic depth

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Impact of improved light calculations on predicted phytoplankton growth and heating in an idealized upwelling‐downwelling channel geometry

Cited by 26 publications

References 47 publications

Estimating the Transmittance of Visible Solar Radiation in the Upper Ocean Using Secchi Disk Observations

Estimating the Transmittance of Visible Solar Radiation in the Upper Ocean Using Secchi Disk Observations

Impact of errors in short wave radiation and its attenuation on modeled upper ocean heat content

A bio-optical model for integration into ecosystem models for the Ligurian Sea

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