Assessing the laboratory and field responses of diatoms and coccolithophores to ocean alkalinity enhancement

PI:  Adam Subhas, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 
Start Year: 2023 | Duration: 3 years
Partners: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Rutgers University

Project Abstract:

This project aims to address potential impacts of ocean alkalinity enhancement on phytoplankton by conducting laboratory and field experiments. Laboratory experiments will assess the effects of ocean alkalinity enhancement on representative diatom and coccolithophore species. Next, the team will study the response of natural diatom and coccolithophore communities to ocean alkalinity enhancement during research cruises. They hypothesize that the impact of ocean alkalinity enhancement will depend on the dominant phytoplankton species in the community. Lastly, this study will evaluate the response of a natural microbial community to a dispersing plume of dissolved alkalinity during a field trial. The research team anticipates that the differences in the community response inside and outside the plume will be measurable but insignificant. The project also evaluates the effect of biomass loading during a bloom progression, assessing community composition, mineral production, particle dynamics, and carbon export.