Modeling Plankton Production in the Eastern Mediterranean: Application of a 1-D Vertically-Resolved Physical-Biological Model to the Ionian and Rhodes Basins

Abstract

A one dimensional, coupled physical-biological model is used to study the biological production characteristics of the Rhodes and western Ionian basins of the Eastern Mediterranean. The biological model involves single aggregated compartments of phytoplankton, zooplankton, detritus as well as ammonium and nitrate forms of the inorganic nitrogen. The model simulations point to the importance of the contrasting dynamical characteristics of these two basins on affecting their yearly planktonic structures. The western Ionian basin is shown to possess only 10% of the Rhodes’ productivity and therefore represent a most oligotrophic site in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Rhodes basin reveals a strong bloom in early spring, typically in March, a weaker bloom in early winter, typically in January, and a subsurface production below the seasonal thermocline during summer. This structure is slightly modified in the western Ionian basin, and the early winter and early spring blooms are merged to cover the entire winter. These results are supported favorably by the available observations both in their magnitudes and timing.