Siegel¹, D.A., N.B. Nelson¹, S. Maritorena¹, C.A. Carlson¹, A.F. Michaels², D.A. Hansell³ and D.K. Steinberg⁴

¹Institute for Computational Earth System Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93015-3060, USA, Tel: 805-893-4547, Fax: 805-893-2578, E-mail: davey@icess.ucsb.edu, ²Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0371, USA, ³Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, USA and ⁴Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, P.O., Box 1346, Gloucester Pt., VA 23062-1346, USA

Distribution, dynamics and biogeochemical implications of colored dissolved organic materials in the open ocean: discoveries made during the JGOFS era

The JGOFS decade coincided with marked improvements in our abilities to measure ocean optical properties both in the field and from satellite imagery. Amongst the discoveries made was the ubiquitous and dynamic nature of colored dissolved organic materials (CDOM). Here, we synthesize both remote and field observations to address the distribution, dynamics and implications of CDOM in the open ocean. Specifically, we will assess the global distribution near-surface CDOM concentrations, the processes regulating its variability, its relationship to the total pool of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and its influence on underwater light availability. Satellite ocean color imagery and advanced ocean color algorithms are used to assess global distribution of CDOM and its temporal variations. Field data, much of it taken as part of the U.S. JGOFS Bermuda Atlantic Time series Study (BATS), are used to develop new optical algorithms, to assess the sources and sinks of CDOM and to ascribe its relationship to the total pool of dissolved materials. These advancements in the knowledge of the open ocean CDOM pool opens many new doors for the quantification of global marine photoprocesses relevant to ocean biogeochemistry.