Incorporating new knowledge of phytoplankton diversity and nutrient utilisation into an ocean-climate model to improve forecasts of ocean function

Funding: 2014: $130,000
2015: $120,000
2016: $125,000

Project Member(s): Doblin, M., Murray, S.

Funding or Partner Organisation: Australian Research Council (ARC Discovery Projects)
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO Division of Minerals (Partnership Funding))
University of Southern California

Start year: 2014

Summary: Phytoplankton drive ocean biogeochemical cycles and regulate Earth's climate yet are poorly represented in ocean-climate models. This project will use advanced cell sorting and analysis techniques and innovative selection experiments to gain a deeper understanding of phytoplankton diversity and nutrient utilisation under projected climate change. This new knowledge will be used to improve the biological structure of an existing coupled ocean-climate model and reduce key uncertainties in forecasts of ocean function. This research will provide managers and industry with more accurate insight into the effects of ongoing climate change on the delivery of ecosystem services in eastern Australian waters.

Publications:

McInnes, AS, Laczka, OF, Baker, KG, Larsson, ME, Robinson, CM, Clark, JS, Laiolo, L, Alvarez, M, Laverock, B, Kremer, CT, van Sebille, E & Doblin, MA 2019, 'Live cell analysis at sea reveals divergent thermal performance between photosynthetic ocean microbial eukaryote populations', The ISME Journal, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 1374-1378.
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Baker, KG, Radford, DT, Evenhuis, C, Kuzhiumparam, U, Ralph, PJ & Doblin, MA 2018, 'Thermal niche evolution of functional traits in a tropical marine phototroph', Journal of Phycology, vol. 54, no. 6, pp. 799-810.
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Laiolo, L, Matear, R, Baird, ME, Soja-Woźniak, M & Doblin, MA 2018, 'Information content of in situ and remotely sensed chlorophyll-a: Learning from size-structured phytoplankton model', Journal of Marine Systems, vol. 183, pp. 1-12.
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Larsson, ME, Laczka, OF, Suthers, IM, Ajani, PA & Doblin, MA 2018, 'Hitchhiking in the East Australian Current: rafting as a dispersal mechanism for harmful epibenthic dinoflagellates', Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 596, pp. 49-60.
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Robinson, CM, Cherukuru, N, Hardman-Mountford, NJ, Everett, JD, McLaughlin, MJ, Davies, KP, Van Dongen-Vogels, V, Ralph, PJ & Doblin, MA 2017, 'Phytoplankton absorption predicts patterns in primary productivity in Australian coastal shelf waters', Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, vol. 192, pp. 1-16.
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Davies, CH, Coughlan, A, Hallegraeff, G, Ajani, P, Armbrecht, L, Atkins, N, Bonham, P, Brett, S, Brinkman, R, Burford, M, Clementson, L, Coad, P, Coman, F, Davies, D, Dela-Cruz, J, Devlin, M, Edgar, S, Eriksen, R, Furnas, M, Hassler, C, Hill, D, Holmes, M, Ingleton, T, Jameson, I, Leterme, SC, Lønborg, C, McLaughlin, J, McEnnulty, F, McKinnon, AD, Miller, M, Murray, S, Nayar, S, Patten, R, Pausina, SA, Pritchard, T, Proctor, R, Purcell-Meyerink, D, Raes, E, Rissik, D, Ruszczyk, J, Slotwinski, A, Swadling, KM, Tattersall, K, Thompson, P, Thomson, P, Tonks, M, Trull, TW, Uribe-Palomino, J, Waite, AM, Yauwenas, R, Zammit, A & Richardson, AJ 2016, 'Correction: Corrigendum: A database of marine phytoplankton abundance, biomass and species composition in Australian waters', Scientific Data, vol. 3, no. 1.
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Doblin, MA & van Sebille, E 2016, 'Drift in ocean currents impacts intergenerational microbial exposure to temperature', PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, vol. 113, no. 20, pp. 5700-5705.
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Doblin, MA, Petrou, K, Sinutok, S, Seymour, JR, Messer, LF, Brown, MV, Norman, L, Everett, JD, McInnes, AS, Ralph, PJ, Thompson, PA & Hassler, CS 2016, 'Nutrient uplift in a cyclonic eddy increases diversity, primary productivity and iron demand of microbial communities relative to a western boundary current', PEERJ, vol. 4, no. 4.
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McInnes, AS, Messer, LF, Laiolo, L, Laverock, B, Laczka, O, Brown, M, Seymour, JR & Doblin, MA 2016, 'Microbial utilization of nitrogen in cold core eddies: size does matter'.

Everett, JD & Doblin, MA 2015, 'Characterising primary productivity measurements across a dynamic western boundary current region', DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS, vol. 100, pp. 105-116.
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Keywords: biological oceanography: phytoplankton,marine eukaryote diversity,phytoplankton biogeochemistry

FOR Codes: Microbial Ecology, Effects of Climate Change and Variability on Australia (excl. Social Impacts), Biological Oceanography, Marine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity, Climate Change Models, Marine biodiversity, Effects of climate change on Australia (excl. social impacts)

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.