Seasonal modulation of phytoplankton biomass in the Southern Ocean.

ABSTRACT: Over the last ten years, satellite and geographically constrained in situ observations largely focused on the northern hemisphere have suggested that annual phytoplankton biomass cycles cannot be fully understood from environmental properties controlling phytoplankton division rates (e.g., nutrients and light), as they omit the role of ecological and environmental loss processes (e.g., grazing, viruses, sinking). Here, we use multi-year observations from a very large array of robotic drifting floats in the Southern Ocean to determine key factors governing phytoplankton biomass dynamics over the annual cycle. Our analysis reveals seasonal phytoplankton accumulation ('blooming') events occurring during periods of declining modeled division rates, an observation that highlights the importance

SUBMITTER: Arteaga LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7584623 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature