Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
phytoplankton communities are controlled by spatially and temporally variable
physical processes. In the past there has been an emphasis on taking the physics-
biogeochemistry link forwards to understand the responses of higher trophic levels to
the perceived patchiness in food supply. Physical processes can, however, influence
ecosystems in other ways than exerting control on the growth of the primary produ-
cers. We have seen how mean flows in shelf seas can lie at the heart of the life cycles
of organisms from phytoplankton to fish, and we are beginning to recognise that
neither chlorophyll nor community carbon fixation are sufficient indicators of how
an ecosystem reacts to physical processes. Instead we need to understand how
turbulence affects the mechanics of nutrient uptake and predator-prey interactions,
and how the developmental time scales of different trophic levels lead to different
links between the physical environment and the ecosystem.
Bringing together scientists from different fields of oceanography in interdisciplin-
ary studies is intellectually rewarding, but also has an increasing practical urgency.
Our exploitation of the resources provided by the shelf seas, including fisheries, fossil
fuels and renewable energy sources, has in the past often been pursued with little
attention to the broader impacts on the marine system. This approach has been
modified in the past decade or so as we begin to see how our use of these resources is
combining with anthropogenic climate change to place severe pressures on shallow
sea ecosystems. In these circumstances, there can be no doubt that there is a pressing
requirement for truly interdisciplinary research, where physicists, biologists, chemists
and ecologists work on problems unanswerable by any single discipline.
FURTHER READING
Follows, M. J., et al. Emergent biogeography of microbial communities in a model ocean.
Science, 2007,
(5820), 1843-1846. And the Darwin Project:
darwinproject.mit.edu/
The ASTroCAT model:
faculty.washington.edu/banasn/models/astrocat/index.html
Green, J.A.M. Ocean tides and resonance. Ocean Dynamics, 2010,
315
(5), 1243-1253.
Pauly, D. 5 Easy Pieces: the Impact of Fisheries on Marine Ecosystems. Island Press,
Washington, 2010.
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