Developing a framework for trace element, isotope, and other biogeochemical research in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.


Session ID#: 36067

Session Description:
In addition to their dynamical influence on the formation of the Gulf Stream, the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea are strongly affected by continental margin processes such as major river inputs and significant submarine groundwater discharges. GEOTRACES studies have increasingly demonstrated the importance of ocean margins in affecting trace element and isotope (TEI) fluxes to the open ocean. Given the importance of these marginal fluxes for cycling of carbon and nutrients, the Gulf of Mexico has been a regional focus for recent OCB activities. However, these activities, as well as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, have revealed major gaps in our understanding of how inputs to the shelf influence biogeochemical and biological processes in open waters, especially with regard to TEIs. Most such Gulf studies have focused on the Louisiana and West Florida shelves, with little attention to open waters and interactions with the Loop Current. The steering committees of US GEOTRACES and OCB are beginning a conversation devoted to TEI research in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. We invite GEOTRACES, OCB, and other ocean scientists interested in these marginal seas to discuss processes of interest, existing programs and data sets, and potential steps forward.
Primary Contact:  Alan M Shiller, University of Southern Mississippi, Department of Marine Science, Stennis Space Center, MS, United States
Presenters:  Heather M Benway, Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst., Woods Hole, MA, United States, Robert F Anderson, Columbia University & Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY, United States, Angela N Knapp, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States, Benjamin S Twining, Bigelow Lab for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United States, Kristen N Buck, University of South Florida, St, Bermuda, Matthew A Charette, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States and Bethany D. Jenkins, University of Rhode Island, Cell and Molecular Biology and Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett, RI, United States
Cross-Topics:
  • BN - Biogeochemistry and Nutrients
  • CT - Chemical Tracers, Organic Matter and Trace Elements
  • OC - Ocean Change: Acidification and Hypoxia
  • RS - Regional Studies
 

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