Can you hear marine snow falling?
Lead Research Organisation:
National Oceanography Centre
Department Name: Science and Technology
Abstract
The global ocean plays a key role in our climate system by extracting and storing much of the carbon released by humans into the atmosphere, thereby buffering the effects of global warming. However, there are uncertainties as to how this important ocean-carbon sink may change in future, and critically a better understanding of the ocean-carbon system is needed to accurately predict the Earth's climate. A key driver of ocean carbon uptake is marine life: plants that live in the surface ocean convert the atmospheric carbon that is absorbed into the ocean into their body organic matter through photosynthesis. This organic matter eventually sinks to the deep ocean in the form of 'marine snow' where it can be locked up for thousands of years in seafloor sediments. Oceanographers typically use sediment-traps to capture and measure marine snow, however sediment traps can only collect data in one place on typically monthly timescales. The result is a severe lack of information about the shorter time and space scale variability of marine snow, making it difficult to understand the processes that mediate ocean carbon storage. In this project we will develop a novel method to repurpose standard oceanographic acoustic current meter data, typically collected alongside sediment traps, to estimate carbon fluxes at much higher temporal resolutions (hours). We will use backscatter data, also recorded by the acoustic current meter but normally disregarded as a bi-product. To test the method, we will analyse an exemplar data set collected in the Southern Ocean which consists of both sediment-trap and acoustic backscatter data. As well as providing carbon flux data at yet unresolved temporal scales, output from this project can be applied to a wealth of legacy acoustic data (e.g. current data records collected across the world oceans over past decades), greatly improving the global coverage of past and present carbon flux estimates. Ultimately, we will improve the ability to understand and predict the future carbon storage capacity of the ocean and hence the Earth's climate.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Sarah Lou Carolin Giering (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | We have developed a new method that enables us to re-purpose data collected by instruments to measure water flows (i.e. current meters) in the ocean to be used to capture new information about how the ocean stores carbon. In particular we have shown that the data from current meter instruments (of which there is a wealth of legacy data available for analysis) can be used to give information about how ocean carbon uptake changes on very short time scales (i.e. hourly) as opposed to weekly-monthly as is normally measured. Out data shows that ocean carbon uptake shows high variability on sub-daily timescales and therefore this new approach to using legacy data is likely key to understanding ocean carbon uptake in the past and future. |
| Exploitation Route | Outcomes will be highly useful for scientists studying carbon uptake in the ocean. The methodology proven within this project will be easily useable by other scientists to adapt current meter data to provide more insights into the processes that drive ocean carbon uptake. Furthermore there is scope for refined analysis of the method, use of a wealth of freely available legacy data and ensuring that the correct current meters are deployed on further ocean carbon moorings, and the relevant backscatter data saved. |
| Sectors | Environment |
| Title | Using backscatter data from acoustic current meters to assess marine snow in the ocean |
| Description | We have now demonstrated that backscatter data, normally a secondary output, as recorded from instruments that measure ocean currents can be used to assess particulate organic carbon fluxes within the ocean at very high temporal resolutions. This is a new methodology. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | We are in the process of submitting a paper for publication describing the new methodology such that it can be utilised by others. Impacts include utility of legacy current meter data to provide more information on ocean carbon uptake. |
| Description | Partnerships with co-investigators |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Through this award, the partnership between Katy Sheen (KS - Principle Investigator) and post-doctoral researcher Tobias Ehmen (TE) at Exeter, Sarah Giering (SG) based at the National Oceanography Centre, and Sophie Fielding (SF) and Clara Manno (CM) from the British Antarctic Survey has strengthened. The award is the first time that KS and TE have worked directly with SG and CM, and through the award and future grant applications this is an exciting new collaboration. In the short time the project has been running (suspended due to maternity leave in Feb 23 and due to re-start in April 24) , KS has contributed to managing the project, expertise, ideas and mentoring of TE. Update: Feb 2025 Following the above, the project was re-started in summer of 2024, with a new post-doc Marika Takeuchi (TE) seconded from the National Oceanography Center, Southampton. The new post-doc was because TE had other longer-term post-doc positions. The collaborations as mentioned above have been strengthened further, and new collaboration initiated regards further work with the environmental maths department at the University of Exeter. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SG has contributed to supervision of TE through several project meetings, alongside expertise of interpretation of results so far and ideas around novel analysis of POC using acoustics, based on her expertise in optical methods. SF has contributed to supervision of TE in meetings and her expert knowledge of acoustic backscatter data in terms of analysis approaches. CL has provided expert knowledge in sediment trap data collection and interpretation and provided the data sets used in this project to date. Update, Feb 25/ Since previous reporting, the above has continued but now with the addition of MT to the team. TE has continued to input on the project as well, despite not being directly funded anymore due to other post-doc positions. |
| Impact | Outputs to date are some novel results from data analysis of the project. Yes, it is multi-disciplinary covering ocean physics/dynamics, acoustic data interpretation, marine biogeochemistry and biology. As above, but we now have final exciting results from the project which are currently written up as a draft paper very close to being submitted to ScienceAdvances (i.e. within the next month all being well). |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Partnerships with co-investigators |
| Organisation | University of Exeter |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Through this award, the partnership between Katy Sheen (KS - Principle Investigator) and post-doctoral researcher Tobias Ehmen (TE) at Exeter, Sarah Giering (SG) based at the National Oceanography Centre, and Sophie Fielding (SF) and Clara Manno (CM) from the British Antarctic Survey has strengthened. The award is the first time that KS and TE have worked directly with SG and CM, and through the award and future grant applications this is an exciting new collaboration. In the short time the project has been running (suspended due to maternity leave in Feb 23 and due to re-start in April 24) , KS has contributed to managing the project, expertise, ideas and mentoring of TE. Update: Feb 2025 Following the above, the project was re-started in summer of 2024, with a new post-doc Marika Takeuchi (TE) seconded from the National Oceanography Center, Southampton. The new post-doc was because TE had other longer-term post-doc positions. The collaborations as mentioned above have been strengthened further, and new collaboration initiated regards further work with the environmental maths department at the University of Exeter. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SG has contributed to supervision of TE through several project meetings, alongside expertise of interpretation of results so far and ideas around novel analysis of POC using acoustics, based on her expertise in optical methods. SF has contributed to supervision of TE in meetings and her expert knowledge of acoustic backscatter data in terms of analysis approaches. CL has provided expert knowledge in sediment trap data collection and interpretation and provided the data sets used in this project to date. Update, Feb 25/ Since previous reporting, the above has continued but now with the addition of MT to the team. TE has continued to input on the project as well, despite not being directly funded anymore due to other post-doc positions. |
| Impact | Outputs to date are some novel results from data analysis of the project. Yes, it is multi-disciplinary covering ocean physics/dynamics, acoustic data interpretation, marine biogeochemistry and biology. As above, but we now have final exciting results from the project which are currently written up as a draft paper very close to being submitted to ScienceAdvances (i.e. within the next month all being well). |
| Start Year | 2022 |