Abstract
Fluid flows in the ocean have a strong impact on the growth and distribution of planktonic communities. In this case study we apply a Lagrangian eddy detection and tracking tool and a transfer operator approach to data from a coupled hydrodynamical-chemical-biological model of the Western Baltic Sea and study the effects of eddies on plankton in the blooming period March to October 2010. We investigated the residence times of water bodies inside these eddies using a tracer analysis and found that eddies can act in two different ways: They can be transporters of an enclosed water body embodying nutrients and the plankton community and export them from the coast to the open sea and they can act as fluid dynamical niches enhancing the growth of certain species or functional groups by providing optimal temperature and nutrient composition.
Highlights
The distribution of plankton in the ocean results from an intricate interplay between biological processes like growth, competition, and grazing, as well as physical processes on different temporal and spatial scales like advection, turbulent mixing, and upwelling (e.g., Mackas et al, 1985; Lehmann and Myrberg, 2008; McGillicuddy, 2016)
If we compare our number of eddies to the volume of the Western Baltic Sea, we find 13/km3 eddies per volume
Looking at the propagation distance, about 10% of the eddies travel longer than 8 km, here the propagation distance is defined as the Euclidean distance between the start and the endpoint of the eddy track neglecting all meandering with the flow
Summary
The distribution of plankton in the ocean results from an intricate interplay between biological processes like growth, competition, and grazing, as well as physical processes on different temporal and spatial scales like advection, turbulent mixing, and upwelling (e.g., Mackas et al, 1985; Lehmann and Myrberg, 2008; McGillicuddy, 2016). Many researchers have addressed the impact of flow patterns in the ocean on the formation of plankton blooms (Lazier and Mann, 1989; Martin, 2005; McGillicuddy, 2016) as well as biodiversity patterns (Karolyi et al, 2000; Scheuring et al, 2000; Perruche et al, 2010, 2011) through modeling and measurements. Prants et al (2012) studied the positive impact of fronts—usually nutrient rich areas—on fish abundance. Bakun (2006) discussed a conceptual framework how eddies and fronts affect marine fish larvae, providing nutrients on the one hand, and being an attractive prey source for predators, on the other.
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