SOLAS, a decade of international research at the air-sea interface: main accomplishments and future goals

Cécile Guieu, Emilie Brévière and Véronique Garçon, on behalf of the international SOLAS Scientific Steering Committee

"to achieve quantitative understanding of the key biogeochemical-physical interactions and feedbacks between the ocean and atmosphere, and of how this

coupled system affects and is affected by climate and environmental change"

ANTHROPOGENIC and GLOBAL CHANGES,

CLIMATE

Processes taking place at the atmosphere-ocean interface are critical to the regulation of Earth climate, and for the delivery of key services provided by marine ecosystems

Focus 1: Biogeochemical interactions and feedbacks between ocean and

atmosphere

Focus 2: Exchange processes at the air-sea interface and the role of transport and transformation in the atmospheric

and oceanic boundary layers

Focus 3: Air-sea flux of CO2 and other long-lived radiatively-active gases

SOLAS Science Plan & Implementation Strategy, 2004:

White Papers on the Mid term strategy initiatives, 2009:

Evolving Research Directions in Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere (SOLAS) Science,

Law et al. 2013, Environmental Chemistry

SOLAS SCIENCE SINCE 2004

Joint SOLAS/IMBER Carbon WGs: WG1: Surface Ocean Systems WG2: Interior Ocean WG3: Ocean Acidification (OA-ICC)

2014 Synthesis

SOLAS SCIENCE SINCE 2004

Focus 1: Biogeochemical interactions and feedbacks between ocean and

atmosphere

Focus 2: Exchange processes at the air-sea interface and the role of transport and transformation in the atmospheric

and oceanic boundary layers

Focus 3: Air-sea flux of CO2 and other long-lived radiatively-active gases

SOLAS Science Plan & Implementation Strategy, 2004:

Joint SOLAS/IMBER Carbon WGs: WG1: Surface Ocean Systems WG2: Interior Ocean WG3: Ocean Acidification (OA-ICC)

White Papers on the Mid term strategy initiatives, 2009:

SOLAS SCIENCE SINCE 2004

2015, synthesis paper submitted to ANTHROPOCENE « Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study: scientific synthesis and contribution to Earth system science » Emilie H.G. Brévière et al.

Focus 1: Biogeochemical interactions and feedbacks between ocean and

atmosphere

Focus 2: Exchange processes at the air-sea interface and the role of transport and transformation in the atmospheric

and oceanic boundary layers

Focus 3: Air-sea flux of CO2 and other long-lived radiatively-active gases

SOLAS Science Plan & Implementation Strategy, 2004:

White Papers on the Mid term strategy initiatives, 2009:

Joint SOLAS/IMBER Carbon WGs: WG1: Surface Ocean Systems WG2: Interior Ocean WG3: Ocean Acidification (OA-ICC)

SOLAS FIRST DECADE: EX of SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

Improved quantification of Air-Sea Gas Transfer: a comparison of different wind speed relationships of the water side transfer velocity, kw.

from Johnson, 2012

a step forward to developing physically-based models and bulk parameterizations that predict air-sea fluxes of energy and gases

SOLAS FIRST DECADE: EX of SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

Quantification of the ocean carbon sink and its variation • The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) was

initiated in 2007. A huge international effort.

• Present Version 2 contains >10 million surface water fCO2 values

• SOCAT version 3 in September 2015 (OSC Kiel)

SOLAS FIRST DECADE: EX of SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

A revision of the CLAW hypothesis Field and laboratory experiments combined with model calculations performed over the past decades have shown that sources of CCN to the marine boundary layer are more complex than was recognized by the CLAW hypothesis.

Quinn and Bates, 2011

SOLAS FIRST DECADE: EX of SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

Quantification of the atmospheric source of nutrients to the ocean. Example: NITROGEN • reactive nitrogen (Nr) deposition, mainly derived from

anthropogenic combustion or agricultural sources is the main external source of new nitrogen to the ocean.

• Deposition has dramatically increased since pre-industrial time

• According to models, atmospheric Nr contributions to marine primary production in 2030 could approach current estimates of global marine biological N2 fixation, another source of Nr to the ocean

Duce et al, 2008.

SOLAS FIRST DECADE: EX of SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

Importance of iron biogeochemistry in the ocean, link with the atmospheric inputs and impact for global climate Thanks to • repeat transects the spatial gradients

and temporal trends in aerosol deposition and upper ocean iron cycling

• in situ manipulation experiments “ocean iron Addition Experiments”

Fe supply mechanisms from the atmosphere and ocean, and oceanic biological recycling

Implications of deliberate iron fertilisation for the natural Fe cycle

Potential implications of deliberate iron fertilisation for climate related processes.

Brévière et al., submitted

Some examples of SOLAS research with societal relevance

Megacities and the coastal zone: air-sea interactions (IGBP)

2013 Hutchinson Medal Institution of Chemical

Engineers (IChemE)

Published in 2010

Published in 2012

Ocean acidification

Crosscutting Themes:

– Integrated Topics – SOLAS and Geoengineering – SOLAS Science and Society

Greenhouse gases and the oceans

Air-sea interface and fluxes of mass and energy Atmospheric deposition and

ocean biogeochemistry

Aerosols, clouds, and ecosystems

Ocean biogeochemical controls on atmospheric

chemistry

SOLAS 2015-2025 core themes

NEW SCIENCE PLAN currently UNDER REVIEW

SOLAS Study Regions

Colored regions highlight areas of interest for research themes of SOLAS 2015-2025.

These five core themes will be investigated together in integrated, system-based projects across the entire ocean, as well as in focused laboratory studies.

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•IGBP is winding down in 2015 and Future Earth research for Global sustainability started in 2013 •SOLAS decided that it will transition from IGBP to Future Earth in the first half of 2014. •In this new landscape, SOLAS 2015-2025 will have more emphasis on the human relevance of SOLAS science (e.g. geoengineering and ecosystem services)

SOLAS in the new landscape of Global Change science coordination

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Strategic Research Agenda 2014

Dynamic Planet Global Sustainable

Development

Transformations towards

Sustainability

… for sustainable management of marine ecosystem services

Future Earth = three Research Themes

SOLAS fundamental research on air-sea interactions ….

… are required

8 key Global Challenges

2025 vision

5 Core Themes + Crosscutting Themes

SOLAS 2015-2025

Water energy

food

8 key Global Challenges

2025 vision

5 Core Themes + Crosscutting Themes

SOLAS 2015-2025

7

Water energy

food

Upcoming event

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SOLAS International Project Office: GEOMAR- Helmholtz-Zentrum fuer Ozeanforschung Kiel 24105 Kiel, Germany www.solas-int.org solasairsea@gmail.com SOLAS Sponsors:

SOLAS Funders: