Award Abstract # 9310599
Grazing and Carbon Cycling by the Epipelagic Crustacean Zooplankton of the Arabian Sea

NSF Org: OCE
Division Of Ocean Sciences
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
Initial Amendment Date: July 21, 1994
Latest Amendment Date: August 11, 1998
Award Number: 9310599
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Phillip R. Taylor
OCE
 Division Of Ocean Sciences
GEO
 Directorate For Geosciences
Start Date: July 15, 1994
End Date: December 31, 1999 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $719,355.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $719,355.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 1994 = $270,219.00
FY 1996 = $349,136.00

FY 1998 = $100,000.00
History of Investigator:
  • Sharon Smith (Principal Investigator)
    sharon.smith@rsmas.miami.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Miami
1251 MEMORIAL DR
CORAL GABLES
FL  US  33146-2509
(305)421-4089
Sponsor Congressional District: 27
Primary Place of Performance: University of Miami
1251 MEMORIAL DR
CORAL GABLES
FL  US  33146-2509
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
27
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): KXN7HGCF6K91
Parent UEI: VNZZYCJ55TC4
NSF Program(s): BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY,
Chemical Oceanography,
CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE PROGR
Primary Program Source:
Program Reference Code(s): 1315, 1650, 4444, 5939, EGCH
Program Element Code(s): 1650, 1670, 5979
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT

Smith 9310599 Some of the strongest atomspheric forcing of oceanic properties anywhere on our planet is observed in the Arabian Sea where seasonally reversing monsoon winds drive fast- flowing, vertically extensive currents, complex eddy fields, broad-scale, open ocean upwelling, coastal upwelling and pronounced mixed-layer deepening. Cycles of production in this region are seasonal oscillations. During the southwest monsoon season (June-September inclusive), primary productivity is maximal owing to strong winds which not only cause the uplift of deep water rich in nutrient, but also deliver aeolian dust to the surface layer of this tropical ocean. During the northeast monsoon (October-November inclusive) and intermonsoon periods, primary productivity is markedly reduced. Biomass of zooplankton and secondary productivity are also elevated during the southwest monsoon season. Based upon earlier studies off Somalia, the epipelagic zooplankton off Oman is hypothesized to undergo significant changes in species composition from one monsoon season to another, with biomass during the southwest monsoon dominated by rapidly growing meso- and macrozooplanktonic grazers such as Calanoides and Eucalanus. These grazers exist in reduced abundance at subsurface depths during other seasons. The seasonal appearance of relatively large, fast growing grazers determines, to a large extent, the grazing impact of the zooplanktonic community on the phytoplankton assemblage that develops in the Arabian Sea during the southwest monsoon (upwelling). The grazing impact in turn modulates the flux of carbon to depth and is an important factor in the spatial and temporal patterns in carbon deposition in this region. In the Arabian Sea off Oman, carbon fluxes driven by large, seasonal changes in the grazing community of the upwelling area can be studied in combination with investigation of the grazing contribution to carbon fluxes associated with the perennially oligotrophi c region of the central Arabian Sea. A steep gradient in oxygen concentration located at approximately 150 meters acts to restrict most epipelagic grazers to a surface layer above this depth. The role of the epipelagic meso- and macrozooplanktonic grazers will be studied using: multiple opening/closing nets (MOCNESS) to determine distribution and abundance with particular attention to the oxic-suboxic interface and incubation experiments to determine ingestion, fecal pellet production, and growth rates

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