The ocean's vital skin: Toward an integrated understanding of the sea surface microlayer

Engel, Anja, Bange, Hermann W., Cunliffe, Michael, Burrows, Susannah M., Friedrichs, Gernot, Galgani, Luisa, Herrmann, Hartmut, Hertkorn, Norbert, Johnson, Martin, Liss, Peter S., Quinn, Patricia K., Schartau, Markus, Soloviev, Alexander, Stolle, Christian, Upstill-Goddard, Robert C., van Pinxteren, Manuela and Zäncker, Birthe (2017) The ocean's vital skin: Toward an integrated understanding of the sea surface microlayer. Frontiers in Marine Science, 4. ISSN 2296-7745

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Abstract

Despite the huge extent of the ocean's surface, until now relatively little attention has been paid to the sea surface microlayer (SML) as the ultimate interface where heat, momentum and mass exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere takes place. Via the SML, large-scale environmental changes in the ocean such as warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and eutrophication potentially influence cloud formation, precipitation, and the global radiation balance. Due to the deep connectivity between biological, chemical, and physical processes, studies of the SML may reveal multiple sensitivities to global and regional changes. Understanding the processes at the ocean's surface, in particular involving the SML as an important and determinant interface, could therefore provide an essential contribution to the reduction of uncertainties regarding ocean-climate feedbacks. This review identifies gaps in our current knowledge of the SML and highlights a need to develop a holistic and mechanistic understanding of the diverse biological, chemical, and physical processes occurring at the ocean-atmosphere interface. We advocate the development of strong interdisciplinary expertise and collaboration in order to bridge between ocean and atmospheric sciences. Although this will pose significant methodological challenges, such an initiative would represent a new role model for interdisciplinary research in Earth System sciences.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	sea surface microlayer,air-sea exchange,neuston,aerosols,surface films,gas exchange,review
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Climate, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (former - to 2017) Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (former - to 2017) Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Climatic Research Unit
Related URLs:	http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/1...
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	06 Jun 2017 05:09
Last Modified:	28 Mar 2025 08:11
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/63686
DOI:	10.3389/fmars.2017.00165

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