Abstract
Field data on chlorophyll distribution are investigated in a two-dimensional spatial domain of the Mediterranean Sea by using for phytoplankton abundances an advection-diffusion-reaction model, which includes real values for physical and biological variables. The study exploits indeed hydrological and nutrients data acquired in situ, and includes intraspecific competition for limiting factors, i.e. light intensity and phosphate concentration. As a result, the model allows to analyze how both the velocity field of marine currents and the two components of turbulent diffusivity affect the spatial distributions of phytoplankton abundances in the Modified Atlantic Water, the upper layer of the water column of the Mediterranean Sea. Specifically, the spatio-temporal dynamics of four phytoplankton populations, responsible for about 80% of the total chlorophyll a, are reproduced. Results for phytoplankton abundances obtained by the model are converted in chlorophyll a concentrations and compared with field data collected in twelve marine sites along the Cape Passero (Sicily)- Misurata (Libya) transect. Statistical checks indicate a good agreement between theoretical and experimental distributions of chlorophyll concentration. The study can be extended to predict the spatio-temporal behaviour of the primary production, and to prevent the consequent decline of some fish species in the Mediterranean Sea.
Highlights
Theoretical models for population dynamics allowed to reproduce the spatio-temporal distributions of phytoplankton groups in a one-dimensional spatial domain by considering the effects of heterogeneity of the limiting factors along the water column[4, 5, 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19]
We used a technique based on the Method of Lines (MOL) approach, where space and time discretizations are considered separately
In this work we presented an innovative study on the spatio-temporal dynamics of phytoplankton in a marine ecosystem located in the Strait of Sicily
Summary
Theoretical models for population dynamics allowed to reproduce the spatio-temporal distributions of phytoplankton groups in a one-dimensional spatial domain by considering the effects of heterogeneity of the limiting factors along the water column[4, 5, 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19]. Some authors introduced two- and three-dimensional models[20, 21], in which the habitat of planktonic groups is considered homogenous for the nutrient and the environmental parameters are fixed constant in the whole ecosystem These assumptions are connected with the lack of experimental data, whose availability is crucial for the estimation of some environmental variables[16, 18], such as the light intensity, the velocity field of marine currents, the horizontal and vertical turbulent diffusivities. The strong winds support the upwelling of nutrients close to the Sicilian coast This favours the growth of phytoplankton populations during the summer season when, on the contrary, it should be expected a decrease of the primary production of biomass due to the reduced water mixing. The whole area represents an important region for the spawning and growth of sardines and anchovies[7, 27], and for the fishery activities carried out in the Strait of Sicily[25]
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