The plankton community on Sukkertop and Fylla Banks Off West Greenland during a spring bloom and post-bloom period: Hydrography, phytoplankton and protozooplankton

Abstract

Abstract The plankton community structure was investigated on Sukkertop and Fylla Banks off West Greenland during the spring bloom in May 2000 and the post-bloom period in June 1999. In May a small change in density, clearly illustrated by the profile of potential energy, was sufficient to support a spring bloom in the upper part of the water column. The spring-bloom phytoplankton community displayed high biomass (92 ± 45 mg C m3) dominated by species of the genera Thalassiosira and Chaetoceros. The phytoplankton species composition, ongoing sedimentation and nutrient depletion indicated late spring-bloom conditions. Spring-bloom heterotrophic biomass (17 ± 7 mg C m-3) was dominated by large heterotrophic dinoflagellates (> 20 μm). In June, low autotrophic biomass was present at post-bloom stations (2 ± 1 mg C m-3) and small autotrophic flagellates (< 10 μm), mostly haptophytes, dominated the phytoplankton community. Heterotrophic biomass was low (5 ± 1 mg C m-3) and an important part was comprised by het...