Patterns of Phytoplankton Dynamics in Coastal Ecosystems: Comparative Analysis of Time Series Observation

Identify existing long time series of phytoplankton data in coastal oceans around the world

Facilitate migration of individual data sets to a permanent and secure electronic archive. (Requirements for development of a fully stocked phytoplankton database greatly exceed the resources of this WG. However, we expect to produce a small working prototype, based on the existing archive (to be identified) to demonstrate the value of sharing data through an international database.)

Develop the methodology for global comparisons for within-region and within-time period data summarization (e.g., spatial, seasonal and annual averaging, summation within taxonomic and functional group categories). The goal is to clarify what level of detail provides the optimal trade-off (i.e., information gain vs. processing effort).

Based on the above, develop priorities and recommendations for future monitoring efforts and for more detailed re-analysis of existing data sets.

Carry out a global comparison of phytoplankton time series using (in parallel) a diverse suite of numerical methods. We will examine (a) synchronies in timing of major fluctuations, of whatever form; correlation structure (scale and spatial pattern) for particular modes of phytoplankton variability (e.g., changes in total biomass, species composition shifts, among different geographic distribution); amplitude of variability, both for total biomass and for individual dominant species, and a comparison to the amplitude of population fluctuations; and likely causal mechanisms and consequences for the phytoplankton variability, based on spatial and temporal coherence with water quality time series.

Through comparative analysis, we will address the 3 guiding questions.

18-22 October 2010 in Hangzhou, China

26-30 September 2011 in Naples, Italy

12-14 October 2012 in Hiroshima, Japan

2-4 November 2013 in San Diego, California, USA

3-7 November 2014 in Zhuhai, China