Course content

Labs and sampling:

We will have 4 different labs / field sampling programs. The students will be divided in 4 groups (4-5 / group); each group will spend 2 days in 2 of the experiments (= everyone does 2 out of 4 experiments).

1. Primary production and its variability - Erla Bjork Ornolfsdottir
2. Vertical flux - Sediment traps and particle profiles - Marit Reigstad, Camilla Svensen, Christian Wexels Riser, George Jackson, David Checkley
3. Zooplankton rate measurements: grazing and pellet production - Sigrun Jόnasdόttir, Marja Koski, Jörg Dutz
4. Phytoplankton coagulation - Thomas Kiørboe

Statistics:

• Short lectures on basic statistics best applicable for field sampling and biological experiments. Office hours for personal consultation on statistical problems with own data - Ellen Toby.

Model:

• Construction of a model describing particle dynamics (particle distribution, flux feeding etc.) - George Jackson, Dave Checkley, Patrizio Mariani and Andy Visser. Introductory lectures and computer exercise, summarising the results of the field sampling and experiments.

Preliminary lecture titles:

1. Marine snow and vertical flux introduction – George Jackson
2. Primary production and phytoplankton blooms - Erla Bjork Ornolfsdottir
3. Biogeochemical fluxes and the surface layer - Jón Ólafsson
4. Small-scale aggregate dynamics: formation and bacterial degradation - Thomas Kiørboe
5. Zooplankton grazing and vertical migration - Sigrún Jόnasdόttir
6. Vertical flux regulation and the role of copepods - Camilla Svensen / Marit Reigstad/ Christian Wexels Riser
7. Zooplankton degradation of sinking flux - Marja Koski
8. Working with particle size measurements: what you can do with them? – George Jackson
9. Measuring particle distributions – Dave Checkley
10. The Twilight zone: Insights from the past and thrills for the future – Richard Lampitt
11. Ocean acidification and vertical flux - Jörg Dutz
12. The potential for and challenges of enhancing ocean uptake of carbon – Richard Lampitt

Debate:

• The students will debate in 2 groups (4-5 students + a teacher for support/ group) about up-to-date topics connected to vertical flux (for instance iron fertilisation); based on mandatory reading before the course and lectures. Two topics, so two debates.