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NASA NTRS · Accepted Manuscript (Version with final changes)

Observing Ocean Ecosystem Responses to Volcanic Ash

Published 2023-12-27 From Goddard Space Flight Center 14 authors
Read paper (PDF) ↗ View on NASA NTRS ↗

Attribution

This is the abstract and citation. Full text lives at NASA NTRS — we link out rather than host. All credit to the authors and Goddard Space Flight Center.

Abstract

Verbatim from NASA NTRS. Not paraphrased, not summarized.

Volcanic eruptions can be catastrophic events, particularly when they occur in inhabited coastal environments. They also play important roles in climate and biogeochemical cycles, including through nutrient deposition in the ocean. Volcanic ash studies in the ocean have focused on the phytoplankton response, generally quantifying changes in chlorophyll-a concentration. Many gaps remain in addressing fundamental questions regarding why volcanic ash deposition may enhance or limit both phytoplankton growth and/or drive community composition shifts. Here we outline a wide, multidisciplinary vision for monitoring volcanic eruptions near ocean ecosystems from satellites, including considerations for characteristics of airborne volcanic ash and ash geochemistry in seawater. Ultimately, observations beyond chlorophyll-a are needed to quantify phytoplankton communities (including harmful algal blooms) and possible impacts across higher trophic levels. We synthesize relevant research from volcanic studies as well as atmospheric and ocean sciences to identify the ‘known unknowns’ in ash-ecosystem studies. Our goal is to move toward an improved understanding of how real-time and near-real-time monitoring of volcanic eruptions can help address societally relevant questions.

Authors

  • K. M. Bisson Oregon State University
  • S. Gasso University of Maryland, College Park
  • N. Mahowald Cornell University
  • S. Wagner Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • B. Koffman Colby College
  • S A Carn Michigan Technological University
  • S. Deutsch Cornell University
  • E. Gazel Cornell University
  • S. Kramer Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
  • N. Krotkov Goddard Space Flight Center
  • C. Mitchell Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
  • M. E. Pritchard Cornell University
  • K. Stamieszkin Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
  • C. Wilson NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Keywords

  • volcano
  • phytoplankton
  • ecosystem

Citation: K. M. Bisson, S. Gasso, N. Mahowald , et al. (2023). Observing Ocean Ecosystem Responses to Volcanic Ash. Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA NTRS ID 20230018286. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20230018286 ↗