Lionel Arteaga (610.1/UMBC) is lead author of a paper accepted for publication in Global Biogeochemical Cycles and is part of a special edition. 

Arteaga, L. A., M, Behrenfeld, E. Boss, and T. K. Westberry (2022), Vertical structure in phytoplankton growth and productivity inferred from Biogeochemical-Argo floats and the Carbon-based Productivity Model, in Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Special Edition: Southern Ocean and Climate: Biogeochemical and Physical Fluxes and Processes, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GB007389.

From Dr. Arteaga: "The oceanic production of organic carbon by photosynthesis is a key process that regulates marine food-webs and the planet's climate. This production takes place not only at the surface of the ocean, but also in the subsurface, where it is difficult for ocean-viewing satellites to retrieve accurate information. In this work, we combine information on water column biogeochemical properties collected by bio-optical sensors on autonomous profiling floats with a mathematical model to estimate biological primary production throughout the water column. Our results show that this combination of model and float data can reproduce depth profiles of productivity observed in various ocean regions. We also test the ability of the model to infer subsurface productivity in Southern Ocean waters based on information of averaged biogeochemical properties in the surface ocean mixed layer alone. We find that the model improves the estimation of subsurface productivity when accounting for the limiting effect of scarce nutrients in Antarctic waters, such as iron. Our results provide confidence in the combination of float data and existing models to describe the vertical structure in marine biological productivity, and guide the improvement of productivity algorithms in specific regions of the global ocean."