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Global Ocean Biomes Data (ESSD) Discussions Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., 7, 107–128, 2014 Earth System www.earth-syst-sci-data-discuss.net/7/107/2014/ Science doi:10.5194/essdd-7-107-2014 ESSDD © Author(s) 2014. CC Attribution 3.0 License. 7, 107–128, 2014 Open Access Open Data This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal Earth System Science Global ocean biomes Data (ESSD). Please refer to the corresponding final paper in ESSD if available. A. R. Fay and Global ocean biomes: mean and temporal G. A. McKinley variability Title Page A. R. Fay1 and G. A. McKinley2 Abstract Instruments 1Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1225 W. Dayton Data Provenance & Structure St., Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA 2Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1225 Tables Figures W. Dayton St., Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA J I Received: 15 February 2014 – Accepted: 27 February 2014 – Published: 26 March 2014 Correspondence to: A. R. Fay ([email protected]) J I Published by Copernicus Publications. Back Close Full Screen / Esc Printer-friendly Version Interactive Discussion 107 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Abstract ESSDD Large-scale studies of ocean biogeochemistry and carbon cycling have often parti- tioned the ocean into regions along lines of latitude and longitude despite the fact 7, 107–128, 2014 that spatially more complex boundaries would be closer to the true biogeography of 5 the ocean. Herein, we define 17 open-ocean biomes defined by environmental en- Global ocean biomes velopes incorporating 4 criteria: sea surface temperature (SST), spring/summer chloro- phyll a concentrations (Chl), ice fraction, and maximum mixed layer depth (maxMLD) A. R. Fay and on a one-by-one degree grid (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.828650). By considering interan- G. A. McKinley nual variability for each input, we create dynamic ocean biome boundaries that shift 10 annually between 1998 and 2010. Additionally we create a core biome map, which in- cludes only the gridcells that do not change biome assignment across the 13 years of Title Page the time-varying biomes. These ocean biomes can be used in future studies to distin- Abstract Instruments guish large-scale ocean regions based on biogeochemical function. Data Provenance & Structure 1 Introduction Tables Figures 15 In recent decades, many studies have partitioned the pelagic environment into gyre- J I scale regions in order to investigate biogeochemical processes at the large-scale (Longhurst, 1995; Sarmiento et al., 2004; Gurney et al., 2008; Reygondeau et al., J I 2013). Recent studies of the terrestrial carbon cycle have moved beyond the division Back Close of the landmasses into latitudinally defined regions (Gurney et al., 2008). Despite the 20 clear limitation of this latitudinal-defined approach in the oceans, recent studies have Full Screen / Esc generally used such definitions (Gruber et al., 2009; Schuster et al., 2013). This is, at least in part, due to the lack of an alternative biome map available from the peer- Printer-friendly Version reviewed literature. Limited sampling means that our knowledge of the detailed biogeography of the Interactive Discussion 25 global oceans is more elementary than that of the terrestrial biosphere, though satellite- based estimates of surface ocean chlorophyll has helped to remedy this since the late 108 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | 1990s. Additionally, ocean biogeochemistry is organized, to first order, by the large- scale ocean circulation. In this study, we take advantage of satellite chlorophyll and ESSDD variables associated with the large-scale circulation to define 17 surface ocean biomes 7, 107–128, 2014 that capture patterns of large-scale biogeochemical function at the basin scale. This 5 work builds upon previous biome definitions (McKinley et al., 2011; Fay and McKinley, 2013), with the addition of biome boundaries that shift annually due to variability in Global ocean biomes physical state and surface chlorophyll. In contrast to previous work by Reygondeau et al. (2013) and Longhurst (1995), A. R. Fay and which consider sub-basin scale ocean provinces, the biomes presented here are for G. A. McKinley 10 only open ocean regions and do not include coastal regions. These biomes are sub- stantially larger than the provinces proposed initially by Longhurst (1995) in order to Title Page address the first-order differences in biogeochemical function at the scale of the ocean gyres. These ocean biomes are of a similar scale to those used in TransCom (the At- Abstract Instruments mosphere Tracer Transport Model Intercomparison Project), a global intercomparison Data Provenance & Structure 15 of atmospheric inversion for surface-air CO2 fluxes (e.g. Gurney et al., 2008) (available at transcom.project.asu.edu), which have become a standard for global ocean carbon Tables Figures research (Jacobson et al., 2007; Mikaloff-Fletcher et al., 2007; Gruber et al., 2009; Canadell et al., 2011; Lenton et al., 2013; Schuster et al., 2013). There is substantial J I similarity between these biomes and the TransCom partitions. We argue that these 20 biomes are preferable because they are defined by relevant environmental parameters J I instead of by lines of latitude. Going forward, these biomes could be used as a new ba- Back Close sis for a wide range of analyses and intercomparison studies in ocean biogeochemistry and carbon cycling. Full Screen / Esc Herein, we present time varying biomes for the global ocean, spanning 1998 through 25 2010 (limited by chlorophyll a data availability). We also present a mean biome map and Printer-friendly Version a core biome map, which assigns a biome classification only for those ocean gridcells that retain the same biome classification for all 13 years of the time-varying biomes. Interactive Discussion 109 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | 2 Methodology ESSDD We create physical, biologically defined regions or “biomes” delineated based on four climatological criteria: maximum mixed layer depth (maxMLD), spring/summer chloro- 7, 107–128, 2014 phyll a (Chl), sea surface temperature (SST), and sea ice coverage (Table 1). Global ocean biomes 5 2.1 Biome descriptions A. R. Fay and Using the four criteria discussed in detail in Sects. 2.2–2.5, the ocean is divided into G. A. McKinley biomes. Each biome is characterized by a range of values from the observational fields (Table 1) and, if multiple criteria define a biome, all must be met for the gridcell to be assigned to that biome. Title Page 10 Cooler, polar waters that have at least 50 % ice cover during some part of the year are grouped into the marginal sea ice (ICE) biome. Abstract Instruments Subpolar seasonally stratified (SPSS) biomes have divergent surface flow driven by Data Provenance & Structure the positive wind stress curl and thus upwelling from below, allowing for higher sum- mer chlorophyll concentrations due to continual nutrient resupply. The Pacific and At- Tables Figures 15 lantic oceans have different constraints, with the Pacific allowing warmer, lower chloro- phyll waters, while in the North Atlantic, cooler water with higher chlorophyll levels is J I required. The Pacific is a warmer and less productive high nutrient, low chlorophyll (HNLC) region (Table 1). J I The subtropical seasonally stratified (STSS) biome is an area of downwelling due Back Close 20 to negative wind stress curl, but intermediate chlorophyll concentrations due to deep winter maxMLDs. The subtropical permanently stratified (STPS) biome experiences Full Screen / Esc negative wind stress curl, leading to convergence and year-round stratification, such that maxMLDs are shallow and chlorophyll is low. Printer-friendly Version Equatorial biomes (EQU) are defined by latitude (5◦ S to 5◦ N) as is consistent with Interactive Discussion 25 previous studies in this region (Sarmiento et al., 2004; Gierach et al., 2012). While other studies have allowed the equatorial region to extend farther north and south (Feely et al., 2004; Lenton et al., 2012), we opted for the conservative definition (5◦ S to 5◦ N) 110 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | due to previous work (Fay and McKinley, 2013) that shows that this restrictive definition is able to capture ENSO signals in surface ocean partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in ESSDD this area. The Pacific Equatorial biome is also separated into an east and west sub- 7, 107–128, 2014 biome, divided at 160◦ W. In the Indian Ocean, the equatorial region is grouped in with 5 the STPS biome due to seasonally varying physical ocean circulation patterns linked to the monsoon. Global ocean biomes Ocean areas not defined by any of these biomes are largely coastal or influenced by coastal upwelling. A few open ocean points also cannot be grouped into biomes by our A. R. Fay and criteria. These anomalous regions are omitted. G. A. McKinley 10 For calculation of the mean biomes, 1998–2010 mean chlorophyll, SST and ice frac- tion are used with the climatological maxMLD. Title Page 2.2 Monthly ice fraction and sea surface temperature Abstract Instruments The Hadley Centre Meteorological Office provides monthly mean gridded, global frac- Data Provenance & Structure tional sea ice coverage and sea surface temperature (SST) for years 1870 to present Tables Figures 15 (HADISST) (Rayner et al., 2003). HADISST sea ice coverage is reported as a fraction of each 1◦ × 1◦ degree cell. A minimum threshold of 0.5 fractional coverage in any month of the year designates J I the ICE biome. This contrasts to Sarmiento et al. (2004) who define their ICE region J I as having any sea ice coverage in any part of the year. 20 For annual mean SST and ice fraction climatology, monthly means for years 1998– Back Close 2010 are averaged. SST criteria for each biome are presented in Table 1.
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