The potential contribution of primary production by red tides to the west Florida shelf ecosystem1

Abstract

Production rates and the potential annual carbon input for blooms of the red‐tide dinoflagellate, Ptychodiscus brevis, on the west Florida shelf were estimated from field and laboratory measurements, a published value, and Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) imagery. Daily production rates during blooms based on measured and calculated values ranged from 0.8 to 3.8 g C m−2 d−1 and were 2–5 times higher than literature values or rates measured during nonbloom periods. Total production for blooms which ranged in size from 5.2 to 12.4 × 103 km2 was calculated as 2.9–7.1 × 105 t C month−1. Annual production (12 months) during nonbloom periods could have a range of 30–150 g C m−2 which yields an annual range of 6.9–35.2 × 105 t C yr−1 within a shelf area of 2.33 × 104 km2. Blooms dominated by P. brevis can therefore contribute a significant fraction of the annual production of the water column on the central west Florida shelf.