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Algorithms to estimate Antarctic sea ice algal biomass from under-ice irradiance spectra at regional scales
Citation
Melbourne-Thomas, J and Meiners, KM and Mundy, CJ and Schallenberg, C and Tattersall, KL and Dieckmann, GS, Algorithms to estimate Antarctic sea ice algal biomass from under-ice irradiance spectra at regional scales, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 536 pp. 107-121. ISSN 0171-8630 (2015) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2015 Inter-Research
Abstract
The presence of algal pigments in sea ice alters under-ice irradiance spectra, and the relationship between these variables can be used as a non-invasive means for estimating ice-associated algal biomass on ecologically relevant spatial and temporal scales. While the influence of snow cover and ice algal biomass on spectra transmitted through the snow-ice matrix has been examined for the Arctic, it has not been tested for Antarctic sea ice at regional scales. We used paired measurements of sea ice core chl a concentrations and hyperspectral-transmitted under-ice irradiances from 59 sites sampled off East Antarctica and in the Weddell Sea to develop algorithms for estimating algal biomass in Antarctic pack ice. We compared 4 approaches that have been used in various bio-optical studies for marine systems: normalised difference indices, ratios of spectral irradiance, scaled band area and empirical orthogonal functions. The percentage of variance explained by these models ranged from 38 to 79%, with the best-performing approach being normalised difference indices. Given the low concentrations of integrated chl a observed in our study compared with previous studies, our statistical models performed surprisingly well in explaining variability in these concentrations. Our findings provide a basis for future work to develop methods for non-invasive time series measurements and medium- to large-scale spatial mapping of Antarctic ice algal biomass using instrumented underwater vehicles.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | sea ice algae, chl a, bio-optics, normalised difference index, Weddell Sea, East Antarctica |
| Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecological applications |
| Research Field: | Ecosystem function |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
| Objective Group: | Terrestrial systems and management |
| Objective Field: | Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems |
| UTAS Author: | Melbourne-Thomas, J (Dr Jessica Melbourne-Thomas) |
| UTAS Author: | Meiners, KM (Dr Klaus Meiners) |
| UTAS Author: | Schallenberg, C (Dr Christina Schallenberg) |
| UTAS Author: | Tattersall, KL (Ms Katherine Tattersall) |
| ID Code: | 103249 |
| Year Published: | 2015 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 21 |
| Deposited By: | CRC-Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems |
| Deposited On: | 2015-09-30 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-10-31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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