Modeling the sensitivity of coastal ocean primary production to

extreme melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet

Hilde Oliver1, Hao Luo1 , Kyle Mattingly2, Joshua Rosen2, Patricia Yager1
1The

University of Georgia, Department of Marine Sciences, Athens, GA

2The University of Georgia, Department of Geography, Athens, GA

Extreme melt event

In Summer 2012, rising air temperatures triggered the
first significant melt event of the Greenland Ice Sheet
since 1889, with 98.7% of the ice sheet surface melted by
12 July1 (Fig. 1).

PERTURBATIONS TO GROWTH DUE TO GLACIAL MELTWATER RUNOFF

98.7% melted

1) Sea ice absent

Can isolate meltwater signal

PAR: clouds
(more light
sensitivity)

Temperate diatoms5
Labrador Sea diatoms6

PAR: clear sky

(less light sensitivity)

Shallower
Mixed
Layers

Light
limitation
reduced

Enhanced
growth
rates

This projects aim is to use a numerical box model to

explain the effects of extreme ice sheet melt on primary
productivity in the coastal ocean southwest of Greenland.

River discharge (m2 s-1)

INFORMS

A unique multidisciplinary team

CRYOSPHERE:
Remote sensing:
Thomas Mote (UGA)
Climate/Ice Models:
Marco Tedesco (Columbia)
Hydrology:
Asa Rennermalm (Rutgers)

Scale:
proportion
of the max
possible
growth rate

10

AUG

SEP

High growth rate

20
30
40
50
JUL

Lower growth rate

AUG

SEP

2011

20
30
40
50

Even lower growth rate

JUL

AUG

0
10

SEP

West Coast: 63N-64N

30

50

AUG

SEP

Even lower growth rate

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

OCT

Mixed layer depths

with melt

PLOTTING MIXED
LAYER DEPTHS ON TOP Mixed layer

20

40

Max growth rate

increase in July
JUL

OCT

Low growth rate

Mixed layer
depths
without melt

depths
without melt

Max growth rate

increase in September
JUL AUG SEP OCT

WIND EVENT

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

Irradiance (mol quanta m-2 s-1)

SUMMER ENDS,
STRONGER WINDS

JUL

AUG

SEP

1) Increased cloud cover

increases the relative
meltwater impact to growth
because of the nonlinearity
of the PI curve
OCT

Chl a anomaly August 2012 (mg m-3).

Kevin Arrigo and Gert van Dijken,
Stanford University

West Coast: 63N-64N SEPTEMBER

Mixed layer depth (m)

INFORMS
2 CASES
COMPARED

BIOSPHERE:
Phytoplankon model: Hilde Oliver / Patricia Yager (UGA)

1) Glacial melting reduces

light limitation and can
increase potential
phytoplankton growth rates
by 62 ( 23) %.

2012

2010

2010

2008

2008

2006

2006

2004

2004

2) Meltwater protects
stratification from wind
mixing
Largest growth rate positive
anomalies occur when winds
are strong

2012

HYDOSPHERE:
Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS model):
Renato Castelao, Hao Luo (UGA)
ROMS model run for 2 cases:
1. Including glacial meltwater runoff
2. Excluding glacial meltwater runoff

Ocean color: Kevin Arrigo / Gert van Dijken (Stanford)

OCT

PLOTTING MIXED
LAYER DEPTHS ON TOP

2012: West Coast 60 63 N

1) With meltwater, increased resistance of stratified water column to wind

2) Greatest growth response to meltwater when winds are strong

2012

2010

OCT

10

with melt

Growth rate anomaly (d-1)

50
JUL
0

Mixed layer depth (-m)

Lower growth rate

West Coast: 61N-62N JULY

2009

40

Low growth rate

Growth rate anomaly (d-1)

Glacial
Melting

More light
over
mixed
layer

2012:
West
Coast
63 64 N

30

West Coast: 60N-61NMixed layer depths

Mixed layer depth (-m)

HYPOTHESIS:

20

Mixed layer depth (-m)

Meltwater and phytoplankton

10

Mixed layer depth (-m)

Ice sheet melt in Antarctic polynyas influences

productivity4, and although similarly dramatic
responses are also expected from melting in the Arctic,
the impact has yet to be quantified.

High growth rate

Mixed layer depth (-m)

2012:
West
Coast
61 62 N

Mixed layer depth (-m)

Mixed layer depth (-m)

COASTAL GREENLAND PRODUCTIVITY

Irradiance (mol quanta m-2 s-1)

1) Modest increases to growth in July

2) Larger increases in September growth

Irradiance (mol quanta m-2 s-1)

Losses in regional productivity observed during the past

decade3 are generally attributed to changing sea ice, yet
little is understood about the response of primary
productivity to a sudden influx of fresh water resulting
from extreme melting of the ice sheet.

Irradiance (mol quanta m-2 s-1)

2012: West Coast 63 64 N

Photosynthesis
(mg C [mg Chl a]-1 h-1)

40% melted

Photosynthesis
(mg C [mg Chl a]-1 h-1)

Figure 1
Greenland ice
sheet surface melt
(no melt=white,
melting=red and
pink) from
NASA1.

July 12

2012: West Coast 61 62 N

Photosynthesis (mg C [mg Chl a]-1 h-1)

July 8

2 ) Primarily light limited4

Model phytoplankton light limitation

Photosynthesis (mg C [mg Chl a]-1 h-1)

Depending on the distribution of the resulting flow,

increased ocean stratification could be brought upon by
the flow of buoyant, fresh meltwater into the sea.

Growth rate increase (d-1)

Growth rate increase (d-1)

1) Meltwaters impact to growth does not vary directly with discharge

2) Yet, larger increases in growth still occur in 2012
1. Nghiem, S. V., D. K. Hall, T. L. Mote, M. Tedesco, M. R. Albert, K. Keegan, C. a. Shuman, N. E. DiGirolamo, and G. Neumann (2012), The extreme melt across
the Greenland ice sheet in 2012, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39(20), 611, doi:10.1029/2012GL053611.
2. Arrigo, K. R., and G. L. van Dijken (2011), Secular trends in Arctic Ocean net primary production, J. Geophys. Res., 116(C9), 115, doi:10.1029/2011JC007151.
3. Yager, P. et al. (2012), ASPIRE: The Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition, Oceanography, 25(3), 4053, doi:10.5670/oceanog.2012.73.
4. Harrison, W. G., and W. K. W. Li (2008), Phytoplankton growth and regulation in the Labrador Sea: light and nutrient limitation, J. Northwest Atl. Fish. Sci., 39, 71
82, doi:10.2960/J.v39.m592.
5. Sarthou, G., K. R. Timmermans, S. Blain, and P. Trguer (2005), Growth physiology and fate of diatoms in the ocean: A review, J. Sea Res., 53(1-2 SPEC. ISS.),
2542, doi:10.1016/j.seares.2004.01.007.
6. Stuart, V., S. Sathyendranath, E. J. H. Head, T. Platt, B. Irwin, and H. Maass (2000), Bio-optical characteristics of diatom and prymnesiophyte populations in the
Labrador Sea, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 201(1991), 91106, doi:10.3354/meps201091.

1) Positive chlorophyll
anomalies on southwest
Greenland coast in late
summer 2012

This research supported by NASA grant #NNH12ZDA001NIDS (T. Mote, lead PI) and a University of Georgia
Presidential Fellowship awarded to H. Oliver.

3)

Large increases in growth

rates corresponded to
heavy meltwater discharge
in 2012
Non-direct relationship
between melt and growth
because of inter-annual
variability in mixing