Glider observations of the biological response to Modified Circumpolar Deep Water Variability in the Ross Sea

The Ross Sea is the most productive area within the Southern Ocean, and is believed to play a significant role in the global marine carbon cycle. This region is also characterized by strong spatial and temporal variability in both physical and biogeochemical conditions; however this variability occurs on spatial and temporal scales that are difficult to resolve with traditional data sources. In order to better understand this variability, two gliders were deployed in the Ross Sea in late November 2010 during the early stages of the summer plankton bloom. Together, the two gliders made over 1500 dives and collected data (salinity, temperature, fluorescence and oxygen) throughout the water column for roughly two months. The data from these gliders were used to identify the presence of the relatively high-nutrient Modified Circumpolar Deep Water (MCDW), which has been hypothesized to be a significant factor affecting the spatial and temporal extent of the summer plankton blooms. Preliminary data analyses indicate a positive correlation between areas of MCDW and high chlorophyll concentrations. The glider data were also compared to contemporaneous cruise data and satellite data and were found to fit well with these other data, yet were better able to resolve the high temporal and spatial variability of this region. Specifically, the lower resolution of the cruise data, as compared to the glider data, made it difficult to resolve the correlation of MCDW to high chlorophyll from the cruise data alone.