Ocean Optics and Biogeochemistry Protocols for Satellite Ocean Colour Sensor Validation, Volume 6.0: Particulate Organic Matter Sampling and Measurement Protocols: Consensus Towards Future Ocean Color Missions.

Abstract

This document is the product of a multi-year effort that started with a two-and-a-half-day workshop organized by the NASA Ocean Ecology Lab Field Support Group and hosted at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from November 30–December 2, 2016. The original objective was to produce community consensus protocols for sample collection, filtration, storage, analysis, and quality assurance for particulate organic carbon in all natural waters, emphasizing marine ecosystems, appropriate for satellite algorithm development and validation. Given the close link between global cycles of carbon and nitrogen and that current analytical protocols usually are geared towards their simultaneous measurement, recommendations for analysis of nitrogen in particles are also included. The hope is that the protocols presented here can be widely adopted by the academic scientific community engaged in aquatic C and N cycle research, particularly in activities that support ocean color validation. The resulting protocol review document: Particulate Organic Matter Sampling and Measurement Protocols: Consensus Towards Future Ocean Color Missions, and the associated workshop activity were sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), including funding for the Field Support Group (NASA Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program) and a ROSES NNH15ZDA001N-TWSC award to Antonio Mannino, Ivona Cetinić, Joaquín Chaves, Michael Novak, and Jeremy Werdell under the NASA Program Topical Workshops, Symposia, and Conferences Program with additional support for contributing authors and workshop participants by their respective institutions. This document provides a detailed discussion of state-of-the-art technologies and protocols for sampling and measuring aquatic particulate organic carbon and particulate nitrogen. Appendix A provides a summary of best practices and recommendations for those developing a research program that includes measurements of POM. Significant contributions by all authors and reviewers made the completion of this document possible. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, processes, or services by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement or recommendation by the authors or their employers.