The Ocean's Vital Skin: Toward an Integrated Understanding of the Sea Surface Microlayer

Frontiers in Marine Science

Alexander Soloviev¹  Christian Stolle³  Robert C. Upstill-Goddard⁴  Manuela van Pinxteren⁵  Hartmut Herrmann⁵  Luisa Galgani⁶  Anja Engel⁷  Markus Schartau⁷  Birthe Zäncker⁷  Hermann W. Bange⁷  Norbert Hertkorn⁸  Gernot Friedrichs⁹  Patricia K. Quinn^1,10  Susannah M. Burrows^1,11  Peter S. Liss^1,12  Martin Johnson^1,12  Michael Cunliffe^1,13 

[1] 0Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern UniversityFort Lauderdale, FL, United States;1Biological Oceanography, Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research WarnemuendeWarnemuende, Germany;2Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University OldenburgOldenburg, Germany;3School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle UniversityNewcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom;Chemistry of the Atmosphere, Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric ResearchLeipzig, Germany;Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of SienaSiena, Italy;GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research KielKiel, Germany;Helmholtz Zentrum München (HZ)Munich, Germany;Kiel Marine Science, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Kiel UniversityKiel, Germany;Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)Seattle, WA, United States;Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (DOE)Richland, WA, United States;School of Environmental Sciences, University of East AngliaNorwich, United Kingdom;The Marine Biological Association of the United KingdomPlymouth, United Kingdom;

关键词: sea surface microlayer;    air-sea exchange;    neuston;    aerosols;    surface films;    gas exchange;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmars.2017.00165

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Despite the huge extent of the ocean's surface, until now relatively little attention has been paid to the sea surface microlayer (SML) as the ultimate interface where heat, momentum and mass exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere takes place. Via the SML, large-scale environmental changes in the ocean such as warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and eutrophication potentially influence cloud formation, precipitation, and the global radiation balance. Due to the deep connectivity between biological, chemical, and physical processes, studies of the SML may reveal multiple sensitivities to global and regional changes. Understanding the processes at the ocean's surface, in particular involving the SML as an important and determinant interface, could therefore provide an essential contribution to the reduction of uncertainties regarding ocean-climate feedbacks. This review identifies gaps in our current knowledge of the SML and highlights a need to develop a holistic and mechanistic understanding of the diverse biological, chemical, and physical processes occurring at the ocean-atmosphere interface. We advocate the development of strong interdisciplinary expertise and collaboration in order to bridge between ocean and atmospheric sciences. Although this will pose significant methodological challenges, such an initiative would represent a new role model for interdisciplinary research in Earth System sciences.

【 授权许可】

Unknown