Particle dynamics in the deep water column of Sagami Bay, Japan. II: seasonal change in profiles of suspended phytodetritus

Abstract

Vertical distributions of turbidity & phytodetritus (Chl.a and pheopigment), and their seasonal variations were measured in the deep water column of Sagami Bay, Japan, in June 1999, February 2000 and May 2000. Observations were carried out at eight stations along an east-west section of Sagami Bay using a CTD/water sampling system equipped with a memory-type infrared back-scattering meter which had been calibrated for the suspended particles collected in Sagami Bay. Turbidity increased close to the bottom in both summer and winter, indicating the existence of a benthic nepheloid layer throughout the year. But the vertical gradient of turbidity was much larger in summer than in winter. The concentration of Chl.a and pheopigment also increased in the benthic layer in summer, sometimes reaching values of more than 0.01 and 0.2 μg/l, respectively, much higher than those reported in hemipelagic regions of the ocean. In winter, on the other hand, Chl.a kept a constant low value throughout the deep water column. This indicates that the turbid water mass formed in the benthic layer in summer derives from the deposition of large amounts of phytodetritus in spring and the resuspension of these aggregates, which are subsequently decomposed in the benthic layer during the following autumn. Unlike the benthic boundary layer, the turbidity of intermediate water was lower in summer rather than in winter. Because the phytoplankton aggregates exported from the surface water during the spring bloom not only supply phytodetritus to the benthic layer but also scavenge the suspended particles in the water column, the steep vertical gradient of turbidity observed in summer may reflect the dynamic interaction between suspended and sinking particles in the deep water column.