Can phytoplankton change SST and upper ocean circulation?
Investigators: Toshiaki Shinoda (CIRES, University of Colorado), Weiqing Han (ATOC, University of Colorado) Research Theme, Background and Importance. It is well known that the turbidity of upper ocean water is primarily determined by phytoplankton distribution. Hence the phytoplankton pigment concentration in the upper ocean significantly affects the mixed layer absorption and penetration of solar radiation. Given that solar radiation is the largest component of surface heat fluxes that determine the sea surface and upper ocean temperature in tropical oceans, variation of phytoplankton distribution can directly influence sea surface temperature (SST) and upper ocean thermal structure. As a result, upper ocean circulation can also be altered due to its sensitivity to the thermal structure. In most state-of-the-art ocean general circulation models (OGCM), however, turbidity of water is parameterized by a constant water type, and therefore spatial and temporal variations of phytoplankton