Articles | Volume 23, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-1859-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-1859-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
11 Mar 2026
Research article |
| 11 Mar 2026
| 11 Mar 2026
On the role of light and vertical mixing in shaping Southwestern Atlantic shelf blooms
Ana I. Dogliotti
Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio (IAFE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) – Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1428ZAA, Argentina
Instituto Franco-Argentino para el Estudio del Clima y sus Impactos (UMI-IFAECI, CNRS CONICET-UBA), Buenos Aires, C1428EGA, Argentina
Reinaldo A. Maenza
Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP), Paseo Victoria Ocampo No. 1, Escollera Norte, Mar del Plata, B7602HSA, Argentina
Moira Luz Clara
Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP), Paseo Victoria Ocampo No. 1, Escollera Norte, Mar del Plata, B7602HSA, Argentina
Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMYC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CC 1260, Mar del Plata, B7600, Argentina
Vivian A. Lutz
Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP), Paseo Victoria Ocampo No. 1, Escollera Norte, Mar del Plata, B7602HSA, Argentina
Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMYC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CC 1260, Mar del Plata, B7600, Argentina
Robert Frouin
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
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Salem Ibrahim Salem, Andre Valente, Shubha Sathyendranath, Andrei Chuprin, Théo Renard, Jaime Pitarch, Ruth Airs, Moreno Ana, Maria-Manuel Angelico, David Antoine, Robert Arnone, Florinda Artuso, Paulo O. Oliveira, William Balch, Kathryn Barker, Ray Barlow, Simon Bélanger, Marco Bellacicco, Jean-François Berthon, Şükrü Beşiktepe, Francesco Bignami, Yngve Borsheim, Astrid Bracher, Federica Braga, Vittorio Brando, Robert J. W. Brewin, Vanda Brotas, Elisabetta Canuti, Francisco P. Chavez, Andrés Cianca, Hervé Claustre, Lesley Clementson, Simone Colella, Raul Costa, Cristina Nunes, Richard Crout, Emmanuel Devred, Annalisa Di Cicco, Federico Falcini, Ivan Farace, Afonso Ferreira, Scott Freeman, Robert Frouin, Carlos García-Soto, Isabella Giardina, Stuart W. Gibb, Arthur Gleason, Ralf Goericke, Richard Gould, Michael Grant, Nathalie Guillocheau, Hiroto Higa, Stanford B. Hooker, Chuamin Hu, Joji Ishizaka, Thomas Jackson, Mati Kahru, Milton Kampel, Bokyung Kim, Holger Klein, Piotr Kowalczuk, Susanne Kratzer, Raphael Kudela, Antonia Lai, Rosario Lavezza, Jesus Ledesma, Huiwon Lee, Steven Lohrenz, Hubert Loisel, Vivian Lutz, Antonio Mannino, Francesca Margiotta, Victor Martinez-Vicente, Salvatore Marullo, Luca Massi, Patricia Matrai, Atsushi Matsuoka, David McKee, Chiara Melillo, Carlos B. Mendes, Brian G. Mitchell, Tiffany Moisan, Enrique Montes, Frank Muller-Karger, Aimee Neeley, Michael Novak, Leonie O'Dowd, Michael Ondrusek, Emanuele Organelli, Heeyoon Park, Trevor Platt, Francesca Polonelli, Alex Poulton, Mariella Ragni, Michel Repecaud, Maurizio Ribera d’Alcalà, Tamara Rodriguez-Ramos, Rüdiger Röttgers, Manuel Ruiz-Villarreal, Michela Sammartino, Rosalia Santoleri, Gian Marco Scarpa, Thomas Schroeder, Valeria Segura, Timothy Smyth, Denise Smythe-Wright, Heidi M. Sosik, Joanna Stoń-Egiert, Malcolm Taberner, Jing Tan, Rob Thomas, Crystal Thomas, Gavin Tilstone, Andreia Tracana, Michael Twardowski, Vincenzo Vellucci, Gianluca Volpe, Kenneth Voss, Jeremy Werdell, Marcel Wernand, Bozena Wojtasiewicz, Simon Wright, Sunmi Yang, Giuseppe Zibordi, Maria Laura Zoffoli, and Steve Groom
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-539, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-539, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
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This paper presents the fourth version of the ESA Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative global in situ bio-optical database. The updated compilation combines observations from many international data sources collected between 1996 and 2025 and includes major expansions in coverage and variables. The dataset provides a consistent reference for validating satellite ocean-colour products and supports algorithm development and long-term climate studies.
Jason Xavier Prochaska and Robert J. Frouin
Biogeosciences, 22, 4705–4728, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4705-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4705-2025, 2025
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Satellites monitor ocean health globally, but we discovered a fundamental physics limitation when measuring phytoplankton – tiny plants essential to marine ecosystems. Our analysis shows that even advanced satellites cannot reliably distinguish phytoplankton from other ocean components. This challenges decades of research and suggests that existing measurements have greater uncertainties than realized. Combining satellite data with direct ocean sampling is needed for better monitoring of these vital organisms.
Alexandra Kuwano, Amato T. Evan, Blake Walkowiak, and Robert Frouin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9843–9868, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9843-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9843-2024, 2024
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The dust direct radiative effect is highly uncertain. Here we used new measurements collected over 3 years and during dust storms at a field site in a desert region in the southwestern United States to estimate the regional dust direct radiative effect. We also used novel soil mineralogy retrieved from an airborne spectrometer to estimate this parameter with model output. We find that, in this region, dust has a minimal net cooling effect on this region's climate.
André Valente, Shubha Sathyendranath, Vanda Brotas, Steve Groom, Michael Grant, Thomas Jackson, Andrei Chuprin, Malcolm Taberner, Ruth Airs, David Antoine, Robert Arnone, William M. Balch, Kathryn Barker, Ray Barlow, Simon Bélanger, Jean-François Berthon, Şükrü Beşiktepe, Yngve Borsheim, Astrid Bracher, Vittorio Brando, Robert J. W. Brewin, Elisabetta Canuti, Francisco P. Chavez, Andrés Cianca, Hervé Claustre, Lesley Clementson, Richard Crout, Afonso Ferreira, Scott Freeman, Robert Frouin, Carlos García-Soto, Stuart W. Gibb, Ralf Goericke, Richard Gould, Nathalie Guillocheau, Stanford B. Hooker, Chuamin Hu, Mati Kahru, Milton Kampel, Holger Klein, Susanne Kratzer, Raphael Kudela, Jesus Ledesma, Steven Lohrenz, Hubert Loisel, Antonio Mannino, Victor Martinez-Vicente, Patricia Matrai, David McKee, Brian G. Mitchell, Tiffany Moisan, Enrique Montes, Frank Muller-Karger, Aimee Neeley, Michael Novak, Leonie O'Dowd, Michael Ondrusek, Trevor Platt, Alex J. Poulton, Michel Repecaud, Rüdiger Röttgers, Thomas Schroeder, Timothy Smyth, Denise Smythe-Wright, Heidi M. Sosik, Crystal Thomas, Rob Thomas, Gavin Tilstone, Andreia Tracana, Michael Twardowski, Vincenzo Vellucci, Kenneth Voss, Jeremy Werdell, Marcel Wernand, Bozena Wojtasiewicz, Simon Wright, and Giuseppe Zibordi
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 5737–5770, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-5737-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-5737-2022, 2022
Short summary
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A compiled set of in situ data is vital to evaluate the quality of ocean-colour satellite data records. Here we describe the global compilation of bio-optical in situ data (spanning from 1997 to 2021) used for the validation of the ocean-colour products from the ESA Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI). The compilation merges and harmonizes several in situ data sources into a simple format that could be used directly for the evaluation of satellite-derived ocean-colour data.
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Short summary
We analyzed 22 years of satellite and modeled data to study how light and mixing shape phytoplankton blooms on the Argentine Continental Shelf. Blooms start earlier on the central shelf and coast, and later on the deeper, colder Patagonian Shelf. Bloom intensity is highest in nutrient-rich, well-lit waters. Light penetration and mixing are key drivers, but local ocean features also influence bloom patterns. These findings improve our ability to predict ocean productivity and ecosystem behavior.
We analyzed 22 years of satellite and modeled data to study how light and mixing shape...
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