Winter-mixing preconditioning of the spring phytoplankton bloom in the Bay of Biscay

Details

• Journal Title:
  Limnology and Oceanography
• Personal Author:
  González-Gil, Ricardo ; González Taboada, Fernando ; Cáceres, Carlos ; Largier, John L. ; Anadón, Ricardo
• NOAA Program & Office:
  OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; CICSP (Cooperative Institute for Climate Science) ; GFDL (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory)
• Description:
  The spring phytoplankton bloom plays a key role in the dynamics of temperate and polar seas. Nevertheless, the mechanisms and processes behind these blooms remain a subject of considerable debate. We analyzed the influence of deep mixing during winter on the spring phytoplankton bloom in the Cantabrian Sea (southern Bay of Biscay). To this end, we combined long-term physical and biogeochemical in situ data (1993-2012) and satellite observations (1997-2012). Deeper winter mixing led to higher nitrate and chlorophyll concentrations through the water column during the spring bloom. However, this effect was modified by short-term variability in near-surface stratification in spring. Winter-mixing preconditioning also influenced different spring bloom metrics: deeper and later mixing in winter was followed by later blooms with a larger peak. In these enhanced blooms, nitrate was taken up at faster rates, indicating higher rates of phytoplankton production. Winters with weaker mixing (that led to weaker spring blooms) were associated with warmer surface temperatures. This relationship suggests that the multi-decadal trend toward warmer surface temperatures in the Bay of Biscay may promote a decrease in the magnitude of the spring bloom, which could impact upper trophic levels and also deep carbon export in the future.
• Source:
  Limnology and Oceanography, 63(3), 1264-1282.
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10769
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Rights Information:
  Accepted Manuscript
• Rights Statement:
  The NOAA IR provides access to this content under the authority of the government's retained license to distribute publications and data resulting from federal funding. While users may legally access this content, the copyright owners retain rights that govern the reproduction, redistribution, and re-use of this work. The user is solely responsible for complying with applicable copyright law.
• Compliance:
  Submitted
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:879c377687d09e9247f674623d4e6a690694593314de960b3916028a1e361f014684b760004f2f2c8cf5b0bb17b34f9f502bf779b4ba9b9d5ca5af66576125b6
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/20596/noaa_20596_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.18 MB ]