Nutrient and phytoplankton dynamics during the stationary and declining phases of a phytoplankton bloom induced by iron-enrichment in the eastern subarctic Pacific

Abstract

Abstract This paper reports on the variations in nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton dynamics during the stationary and declining phases of a phytoplankton bloom induced by a mesoscale iron-enrichment conducted in the high-nutrient low-chlorophyll (HNLC) eastern subarctic Pacific. During the 26-d sampling period, the main pycnocline was located between 30 and 45 m with a shallow pycnocline developing at 10 m, 19 d after the first iron-enrichment. The iron-induced bloom dominated by diatoms peaked during days 15 and 18, a period of high chlorophyll a concentrations (ca. 5 mg m−3), and declined thereafter. Nitrogenous nutrients and phosphate were not depleted during the whole experiment. In contrast, silicic acid and iron concentrations became very low during the stationary phase of the diatom bloom (days 15–18) and Fv/Fm declined. These observations suggest that silicic acid and iron limitation probably prevented further development of the diatom bloom. The decline in chlorophyll a concentrations during days 19–24 was mostly due to the decrease in diatom abundance. On the other hand, cell abundances of pico- and nanophytoplankton exhibited little change until day 24. In the layer located between the main and the shallow pycnocline (10–30 m), ammonium and silicic acid concentration increased during days 19–26, suggesting recycling of these nutrients. The amount of silicic acid recycled during that period was estimated at 71.3–99.2 mmol m−2, while the dissolution rate of biogenic silica (BSi) was estimated to be 5.9–9.2% d−1 in the upper 50 m of the water column. These results show that the development of a shallow pycnocline during the experiment accelerated the iron and silicic acid depletion in the upper mixed layer and influenced the recycling of the organic matter assimilated during the iron-induced bloom in the ocean surface.