Temporal variation in phytoplankton composition related to water mass properties in the central part of Sagami Bay

Abstract

Temporal variations in water mass properties and the composition of phytoplankton pigments in the central part of Sagami Bay were investigated by monthly observations from June 2002 to May 2004. Eleven pigments were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) from 100%, 20%, and 5% light depths relative to the surface; the class-specific composition of phytoplankton community was then obtained by CHEMTAX analysis. The study area was influenced by the Kuroshio water for most of the observation period. The mean contribution of diatoms in all samples was relatively low (29%), while that of flagellates, mainly chlorophytes or cryptophytes, was quite high (60%). The phytoplankton composition at the three depths was uniform throughout the observation period, indicating that the vertical structure of the phytoplankton community did not develop significantly over time. A distinct temporal pattern was observed: flagellates dominated during the summer of 2002 and the winters of 2002–2003 and 2003–2004, while diatoms dominated during the summer of 2003. This pattern was associated with water mass changes. The community in the summer of 2003 was influenced by coastal water. While no distinct spring bloom of phytoplankton was observed, a weak increase in chlorophyll a was observed during the spring of 2004. Ocean color satellite data showed that fluctuations in chlorophyll a concentrations at time scales much shorter than a month occurred during the spring of 2003 and that the elevations in chlorophyll a levels were not continuous. The fluctuations were probably associated with rapid flushing by the Kuroshio water, which has low chlorophyll a content.