Biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem dynamics during strong El Niño events

Abstract:

El Niño events are known to induce substantial variability in carbon cycle, biological production and ecosystem structure and metabolism in the tropical Pacific and globally. The magnitude and spatial extend of this variability strongly depends on the intensity as well as type of event. Understanding and predicting biological processes are hampered because the existing in situ observing system focuses primarily on physical measurements and does not observe key biological parameters.

The 1997–98 El Niño, by some measures was the strongest on record and resulted in drastic effect on heat, carbon and nutrient dynamics as well as biological production in tropical Pacific. Here, we compare current El Niño conditions during 2015 to 1997–98 event and explore the implications for biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem dynamics.