About this Research Topic

Background

Feeding a growing human population and achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 are the great challenges of the 21st century. Whilst terrestrial resources are already utilized intensively by competing societal sectors, the vast ocean ecosystems still hold untapped potential. The productivity of the ocean is, however, limited by the transport of nutrient-rich deep waters to the sun-lit surface layer. In large parts of the global ocean, this transport is blocked by a temperature-induced density gradient, with warm light waters residing on top of heavier cold waters. The upward transport of nutrient-rich deep waters through artificial upwelling can break this blockade and enhance primary production. However, little is presently known about the ecological responses to forced upwelling in oligotrophic waters, their impacts on biogeochemical cycling and possible feedbacks to the climate system. In view of its potential contribution to securing marine food production and mitigating climate change, a comprehensive assessment of the feasibility, effectiveness, and associated risks of artificial upwelling is of particular scientific and societal interest.

Artificial upwelling for the purpose of increasing biological productivity has its greatest potential in the permanently stratified regions of the tropical and subtropical oceans, where low supply of nutrient-rich deep water to the euphotic zone severely limits primary production. Responses of the plankton community in these oligotrophic regions will likely depend on the mode, intensity and duration of artificial upwelling as well as the nutrient concentrations and stoichiometry of the deep water. Key questions in this context concern how effectively the increased productivity is channelled through the food web up to fish, whether the subsequent sinking of organic matter modulates the net CO2 drawn down via the biological pump, and what risks and adverse side effects for ecosystem health and services may result from this intervention.

This Research Topic provides an outlet for studies on artificial upwelling in marine environments using theoretical, experimental and modelling approaches. It invites articles on:
1. the optimization of artificial upwelling and in terms of volume transport, surface layer mixing ratio, duration of upwelling and deep-water nutrient stoichiometry;
2. the effectiveness of artificial upwelling in fertilizing ocean productivity and enhancing energy transfer to higher trophic levels;
3. the associated consequences for biogeochemical cycling including carbon to nutrient stoichiometry, export efficiency, and production of climate-relevant gases;
4. the potential risks and possible adverse side effects for marine biodiversity and ecosystem health.

The Topic Editors declare that they have collaborated on projects addressing studies on artificial upwelling in marine environments and hereby confirm their objectivity.

Keywords: Artificial upwelling, ecological responses, pelagic food web, trophic transfer, carbon export

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