The FjordPhyto citizen science project in the Antarctic Peninsula

FjordPhyto, funded by the United States National Science Foundation (NSF)
in 2016-2019 and by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA)
Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program IN 2021, is a citizen science
project that examines the impacts of increasing glacier meltwater on local
ecosystems at the ice-ocean interface of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP),
with an emphasis on the western coast (WAP). The citizen science module is
based on a collaboration with the International Association of Antarctica
Tour Operators (IAATO). Citizen scientists participate in a “validation
safari” in which satellite data informs sampling to validate and refine a
new ocean color algorithm to detect the glacial meltwater content of
seawater from space. The in-situ measurements are combined with remote
sensing data products to address scientific questions related to the
impacts of glacial meltwater on phytoplankton community abundance and
taxonomic composition. This project implements new field sampling
techniques and conducts analyses of phytoplankton diversity through a
microscopic and genomics approach. The scientific goals of this Citizen
Science project are to determine the spatial extent of glacial meltwater
through the seasons and identify concomitant shifts in phytoplankton
abundance and community diversity in coastal Antarctic waters. Repeated
sampling of this region from November to March along 3-6 degrees of
latitude (62° S to 65° S and down to 68° S) is only feasible with tourist
ships, or through remote sensing. The addition of a remote sensing
component, validated by citizen scientists, is crucial for describing
long-term synoptic trends and variability in the abundance and
spatio-temporal extent of phytoplankton in this region, and for discerning
how these patterns are likely to alter in response to changes in climate.
This study provides a foundation to better understand phytoplankton
diversity under current and potential future ocean conditions, and lead to
more robust predictions on potential impacts to upper trophic levels and
biogeochemical cycling within this rapidly changing ecosystem.