Spatial variability of the primary production and chlorophyll a concentration in the drake passage in the austral spring

Abstract

The spatial distribution of the primary production (PP) and the chlorophyll a concentration (Chl) were investigated during two research cruises in the Drake Passage area in October–November of 2007 and 2008. The algorithm evaluating the integral PP (PPint) for the water column in this area was developed based on the data on the surface chlorophyll (Chls) and the incident solar irradiance obtained in 2004–2008 in the Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean. The results obtained both by the experimental and model approaches suggested that the Polar Front (PF) region of the Drake Passage was characterized by low values of both the PPint (<100 mg C/m2 per day) and Chls (0.08–0.20 mg/m3) in October–November. Low values of the Chls and relatively high phaeophytine a concentrations indicated the winter succession state of the phytoplankton community in the Antarctic Ocean and the southern Polar Frontal Zone (PFZ). The seasonal warming of the surface water layers and the developing pycnocline resulted in a phytoplankton bloom and a Chls concentration of more than 1 mg/m3 in mid-November in this area and the Subantarctic waters.