United States Naval Research Laboratory
Bio-Optical/Physical Processes and Remote Sensing Section
6.1 Modeling Dynamic Bio-Optical Layers in Coastal Systems (DYaBOLIC)
Objective:
To determine and predict the impact of dinoflagellates on the three-dimensional biological/optical environment of the coastal ocean. The presence and importance of dinoflagellates are i
ncreasing in marine ecosystems around the world. Dinoflagellates are motile organisms capable of diel vertical migrations and many species are bioluminescent. Their behavior allows them to form dynamic layers, which affect the propagatio
n of light and the absorption of heat within the water column. These goals will be achieved through a modeling system consisting of a hierarchy of data-assimilative, coupled, ecological-optical-physical models within several nested domai
ns merged with comprehensive data collected from new and existing sensors and platforms. The following scientific questions will be addressed.
- What are the processes that govern dinoflagellate blooms and how do we model them?
- How are dinoflagellate layers formed and maintained?
- How do we determine phytoplankton community structure to initialize and validate the model?
- Under what conditions does the addition of the dinoflagellate modeling component improve our modeled subsurface light field?
- What role do dinoflagellates have in the distribution of bioluminescence potential?
