The Biosphere

Carla MakinenMarine TechnicianNASA Wallops Flight FacilityWallops Island, Virginia

What is the Biosphere?

• All regions of the Earth that are capable of supporting life.

• Evolved about 3.5 billion years ago

• 20-30 km thickness (deep ocean trenches into the atmosphere)

• Includes portions of the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and cryosphere.

The Spheres of the Biosphere

• Hydrosphere– Water

• Lithosphere– Substrate (land, ocean floor, etc.)

• Atmosphere– Air

• Cryosphere– Ice

Hydrosphere• The “Blue Planet”

• Physical forms– Solid

– Liquid

– Gas

• Why Water?– Acts as an

insulator because its high heat capacity

– Necessary for cellular processes and chemical reactions to occur

– Habitat

Lithosphere• Outer layer of the Earth’s surface• Uneven surface• Can change with movement of plates

– Earthquakes– Mountain-building– Volcanoes– Continental Drift

• Biological role– Provides protection/shelter to many

organisms– Substrate for growth– Accumulation (of good and bad)

http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/softshore.html

Atmosphere• Layer of air surrounding the Earth• Primarily N2 (78%) and O2 (21%)• Divided into four layers:

– Troposphere– Stratosphere– Mesosphere– Thermosphere

• Importance to organisms:– Provides gases for respiration– Protects organisms from UV rays– Absorbs energy from the sun and acts as an insulator

Ultraviolet light

Ultraviolet light

Earth

Cryosphere

• Parts of the Earth where water is in the solid form (ice).

• Snow, Glaciers, Frost, etc.

• Importance– Irrigation (run-off of

melted snow from mountain regions

– Freshwater supply– Habitat

Changes in the Biosphere

• Land use– Urban Sprawl– Landfills– Resource use

• Habitat destruction– Fragmented landscapes

• Pollution/run-off– Eutrophication

• Ozone– UV rays

• Climate change– Carbon-related???

Carbon Cycle

Burning fossil fuels

photosynthesis respiration

photosynthesis

photosynthesis

respiration

decomposition

So What?

Rise in Atmospheric CO2

IncreasedGreenhouse Effect

Melting of Ice Sheets

Altered Biomes

Temporal changes

Rise in sea level

Loss of coastal habitat

Extinction ofSome species

Global warming

Increased rainfalland evaporation

Flooding

Breeding pests

Disease

PhytoplanktonWhat are Phytoplankton?

Microscopic, photosynthetic organisms, either aquatic or marine

Limited swimming ability

Primary producers

Basis of the food chain

Environmental indicators

Why Phytoplankton?

• Ecosystem Health Indicators– Nutrient loads

• Harmful Algal Blooms

• Carbon Cycling– Decreased CO2

http://www.redtide.whoi.edu/hab/rtphotos/rtphotos.html

• Kill marine life by oxygen depletion, light shading, gill irritation, and toxin production

• Produce toxins that can cause illness, paralysis, amnesia, other neurotoxic effects, and death

• Cause millions of dollars in damages yearly to fisheries and aquaculture facilities

• Decrease revenues for businesses in coastal areas due to water discoloration and beach closures

What is a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB)?

A harmful algal bloom is an increased abundance of a species of phytoplankton that has a negative impact on the surrounding environment.

What are some of the negative impacts of these HABs?

What can we do about these blooms?

• Study these blooms to:• Help better predict the occurrence of a HAB• Determine the conditions which cause these events

• Develop methods for controlling the blooms

Characterize the optical properties of phytoplankton

Describe spatial distribution of oceanic and coastal phytoplankton

Measurement of phytoplankton primary productivity

Identification down to class from remote sensors

Characterization of physical ocean processes and variables

Value of phytoplankton in the regulation of carbon

What we do…..and why we do it!

Our LaboratoryEnvironmental chamber

Low temperature incubator

Two laminar flow hoods

Photosynthetron

Pulse Amplitude Modulation Fluorometer

UV/VIS Spectrophotometer

Spectrofluorometer

Fluorometer

Liquid Scintillation Counter

Microscope (epifluorescence)

WorkbenchManipulations of Growth Environment

Llight/Dark Profile

Temperature Regime

Nutrient Flux

Measurements

Carbon Dioxide Uptake/Release

Oxygen Uptake/Release

Nitrate Concentration

Discreet Sampling

Chlorophyll Concentration (growth rate)

Population Density

Light Absorption

Fluorescence (pigment composition)

Physiological Health

Elemental Analyses (POC/PON)

21

(Ambient Air)

Bubbler

Condenser

Flow meter&

Barometer

GasSampler

O2

Analyzer

CO2

Analyzer

Room Air In

Chemostat In

Re

fere

nc

e O

ut

Sa

mp

le O

ut

Standard Air In

Nitrogen In

Air

N2

40.040.0

22.6

SAM

REF

Pump Pump

Pump

Pump

Solenoid Valves&

Drying Unit

Chemostat

TS

I

4100

Ser

ies

LI-COR

40.0 62.5 -22.512.20 8.50 -3.70

Gas Flow

Liquid Flow

Tungsten-HalogenLights

NitrateSensor

BIOME CruiseTrack

Bio-physical Interactions in Ocean Margin

Ecosystems (BIOME) Oceanographic Cruise

RV Cape Henlopen

WETLabs DOLPHINNASA’s SLF

Optical Profiling Instruments

• A collaboration between NASA, Old Dominion University, and University of Delaware to study the biological and physical oceanographic properties of coastal waters.

• Three 4-day cruises each year (Spring, Summer, Fall)

Buoy

Wa-COOLHQ

ECO VSF

a-betaMicrocat CTD

ac-s

ac-9

ECO TripletFluorometer

HydroScat-2

Multi-Wavelength Fluorometer

Radiometric Robotic Arm

ISUS Nitrate Sensor

Bottom-mountedADCP

Microcat CTD

ECO TripletFluorometer

AcousticRelease

Continuous measurement of:1. Absorption2. Backscatter3. Beam Attenuation4. Conductivity5. Fluorescence (chl a, CDOM, etc.)6. Nitrate Concentration7. Solar Irradiance8. Temperature9. Vertical Current Profile10. Volume Scattering Function

* Plus Standard Meteorological Measurements

Ocean-Atmosphere Sensor Integration System (OASIS)

Advantages of the OASIS platform

• Surface Autonomous Vehicle (SAV)

• Solar-panels power an electric motor (3 knots) and suite of scientific instrumentation

• Controlled via satellite (real-time)

• Uses fleet software to efficiently map withmultiple vessels

• Can support a large scientific payload

• Inexpensive to fabricate (~$20,000)

Ocean Color Images

Bering Sea, SeaWiFS 1998

SeaWiFS (Gene Feldman)

Average Chlorophyll Concentration, 1997-2000 and Vegetation Index, SeaWiFS

Galapagos

May 9, 1998

May 24, 1998

How Can We Relate?

• HAB quick response

• Conditions of occurrence (before and during blooms)

• Prediction of blooms

• Identification of species, or at least family

Outreach•Summer Interns

•Cruises

•Web Data

•Foundations of Phytoplanktonhttp://phytoplankton.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Classroom Activity

• Hand-held spectrometer (Micropac)– Light properties (wavelengths/colors)– Field equipment– Comparison with SeaWiFS images– Patterns of change

• Seasonal• Yearly

– Physical properties of the ocean

Activity: Light Scatter

• See Phytoplankton PosterFour bottles: Dye A & Dye B

Addition of liquid antacid

Scattered light allows colors to be distinguished (reflected to eye)

A B

Addition of water

Shallow Baking Dishes with 12 Pennies

Scattering of Light

Absorprtion

Reflection