1/25/17: Galen McKinley

Please join us for a Great Lakes Seminar Series presentation:
Time: 10:30-11:30 am EST
Location: NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Lake Superior Hall
Presenter: Galen McKinley, Professor, University of Wisconsin
Title: Spatio-temporal Variability in Great Lakes Biogeochemistry

Event Flyer

Webinar recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m80c5Zbxctk 

Abstract: Biogeochemical and carbon cycling in Great Lakes occurs in the context of a highly variable aquatic landscape that is significantly impacted by physical forcing. In order to understand biogeochemical cycling in its mean state and as it changes, we must quantify the role of physical variability in space and time. Here, three carbon cycle examples will be presented. In Lake Superior, analysis of a coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model (MITgcm.Superior) shows that physical gradients cause large variation in rates of both production (P) and respiration (R) between nearshore and offshore waters.  Accounting for this variability helps to bring the lake-wide carbon budget into balance (Bennington et al. 2012, JGR). In the model, fluxes of organic carbon from nearshore lead to elevated R:P ratios in the slope region, which could support the observed enhanced heterotrophic biomass on the slope (McKinley and Bennington, in prep). Lastly, in all the Great Lakes, I demonstrate that increasing atmospheric CO2 should lead to a reduction of pH by ~0.3 units by 2100, quantitatively the same as projections for “ocean acidification” in the global oceans. In the Great Lakes, the existing carbon cycle observational system is insufficient to track such changes (Phillips et al. 2015).

Bio: Professor McKinley studies the mechanisms of the carbon cycle in the global oceans and Great Lakes, with her research lying at the intersection of physical and chemical oceanography. Her primary tools are numerical models and analysis of large datasets. More specifically, her research addresses the physical drivers of ecosystem and carbon cycle variability in the North Atlantic, global oceans and Great Lakes. Professor McKinley teaches oceanography and climate science in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at University of Wisconsin – Madison. She is also very active in service to the national and international scientific and policy-making communities.

Important Visitor Information
All in-person seminar attendees are required to receive a visitor badge from the front desk at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory facility. Seminar attendees need to present a valid U.S. photo ID or green card. If you are a Foreign National, advance notification of at least 48 hours is needed so that security guidelines are followed. You will need to present your passport (a copy will NOT work). For questions regarding building access, or assistance in obtaining Foreign National clearance, please call 734-741-2393. Email contact: [email protected]
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Questions? Contact Mary Ogdahl: [email protected]