Journal
JOURNAL OF MARINE SYSTEMS
Volume 94, Issue -, Pages 135-144Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2011.11.013
Keywords
Principle components; Temperature; Phaeocystis; Variability; Hydrography
Funding
- NSF [OPP 0087401, 0338157]
- Office of Polar Programs (OPP)
- Directorate For Geosciences [0338157] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The continental shelf of the Ross Sea, Antarctica, is characterized by extreme seasonal and interannual changes in atmospheric and oceanographic processes, which result in distinct temporal patterns in phytoplankton biomass and assemblage composition. However, the environmental forcing of these variations remains uncertain, especially when a series of correlated variables are considered. Hydrological profiles, dissolved nutrients, particulate matter, and phytoplankton pigments were measured in the southern Ross Sea in austral spring and summer during four years (1996-97,2003-04, 2004-05, and 2005-06), and a series of multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the causative mechanisms in the control of phytoplankton distributions in the Ross Sea. Our results demonstrate that the significant interannual, seasonal and spatial variability that occurs in the southern Ross Sea in hydrographic and chemical properties is highly correlated with the variability in phytoplankton distributions. Although multiple controlling mechanisms were suggested, mixed layer depths did not appear to be a dominant factor regulating phytoplankton biomass or composition; conversely, we found a significant role of water column temperature in structuring phytoplankton assemblage composition in the southern Ross Sea, in that cooler water strongly selects for Phaeocystis antarctica, which is a dominant control of carbon flux to depth, and thus of substantial biogeochemical importance. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available