Increased Phytoplankton Production Research Articles

Decoupled growth and grazing rates of diatoms and green algae drive increased phytoplankton productivity on HNLC sub‐Antarctic plateaux

AbstractThe combination of iron limitation and microzooplankton grazing controls phytoplankton productivity and taxonomic composition in high‐nutrient low‐chlorophyll (HNLC) regions. While increased productivity and diatom contribution triggered by iron enrichment support this view, direct measurements of underpinning group‐specific growth and grazing rates are scarce for the Southern Ocean. To assess these rates, we conducted dilution experiments coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography and flow‐cytometry in sub‐Antarctic waters on and off Campbell Plateau, southeast of Aotearoa‐New Zealand. Off the plateau, growth and grazing were closely balanced for all groups despite a two‐fold difference between slow‐ and fast‐growing groups. On Campbell Plateau, where HNLC conditions were alleviated, the balance was disrupted, mainly by the preferential growth of diatoms and green algae, which was stimulated beyond grazing. Our results expand the recognized ability of diatoms to escape grazing control to picoplanktonic green algae that also avoid grazing and contribute significantly to phytoplankton productivity and biomass accumulation.

Deglacial and Holocene sea-ice and climate dynamics in the Bransfield Strait, northern Antarctic Peninsula

Abstract. The reconstruction of past sea-ice distribution in the Southern Ocean is crucial for an improved understanding of ice–ocean–atmosphere feedbacks and the evaluation of Earth system and Antarctic ice sheet models. The Antarctic Peninsula (AP) has been experiencing a warming since the start of regular monitoring of the atmospheric temperature in the 1950s. The associated decrease in sea-ice cover contrasts the trend of growing sea-ice extent in East Antarctica. To reveal the long-term sea-ice history at the northern Antarctic Peninsula (NAP) under changing climate conditions, we examined a marine sediment core from the eastern basin of the Bransfield Strait covering the last Deglacial and the Holocene. For sea-ice reconstructions, we focused on the specific sea-ice biomarker lipid IPSO25, a highly branched isoprenoid (HBI), and sea-ice diatoms, whereas a phytoplankton-derived HBI triene (C25:3) and warmer open-ocean diatom assemblages reflect predominantly ice-free conditions. We further reconstruct ocean temperatures using glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) and diatom assemblages and compare our sea-ice and temperature records with published marine sediment and ice core data. A maximum ice cover is observed during the Antarctic Cold Reversal 13 800–13 000 years before present (13.8–13 ka), while seasonally ice-free conditions permitting (summer) phytoplankton productivity are reconstructed for the late Deglacial and the Early Holocene from 13 to 8.3 ka. An overall decreasing sea-ice trend throughout the Middle Holocene coincides with summer ocean warming and increasing phytoplankton productivity. The Late Holocene is characterized by highly variable winter sea-ice concentrations and a sustained decline in the duration and/or concentration of spring sea ice. Overall diverging trends in GDGT-based TEX86L and RI-OH' subsurface ocean temperatures (SOTs) are found to be linked to opposing spring and summer insolation trends, respectively.

Iron Reduction in Profundal Sediments of Ultraoligotrophic Lake Tahoe under Oxygen-Limited Conditions.

Increased periods of bottom water anoxia in deep temperate lakes due to decreasing frequency and depth of water column mixing in a warming climate may result in the reductive dissolution of iron minerals and increased flux of nutrients from the sediment into the water column. Here, we assessed the sediment properties and reactivities under depleted oxygen concentrations of Lake Tahoe, a deep ultraoligotrophic lake in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Using whole-core incubation experiments, we found that a decrease in dissolved oxygen concentration in the top 2 cm of the sediment resulted in an extension of the microbial iron reduction zone from below 4.5 to below 1.5 cm depth. Concentrations of reactive iron generally decreased with sediment depth, and microbial iron reduction seemingly ceased as concentrations of Fe(II) approximated concentrations of reactive iron. These findings suggest that microorganisms preferentially utilized reactive iron and/or iron minerals became less reactive due to mineral transformation and surface passivation. The estimated release of iron mineral-associated phosphorus is not expected to change Lake Tahoe's trophic state but will likely contribute to increased phytoplankton productivity if mixed into surface waters.

Seasonal and tidal controls of the quantity and quality of dissolved organic matter at the marsh creek-estuarine interface

Tidal marshes are an important source of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to estuaries, and DOM plays an integral role in regulating water quality and health of coastal ecosystems. However, our understanding of temporal patterns of DOM quantity and composition at the marsh-estuarine interface is limited. This study investigated temporal changes in colored DOM (CDOM), an important component of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), exchanged across a brackish marsh-estuarine system. The sources of DOC were examined using stable carbon isotope values whereas the sources of CDOM were based on spectroscopic properties, including absorbance and fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs). Samplings at the Taskinas marsh creek-interface in Virginia (USA) captured a range of tidal stages, seasons, and environmental conditions over a three-year timeseries. Water from low and high tides was used to represent marsh and estuarine endmembers, respectively. Absorbance of CDOM at 440 nm ranged from 0.83 to 6.75 m-1, and the highest values were found during low tides (mean 2.78 ± 0.21 m −1). EEMs were composed of three humic-like components (C1, C2, C3) and one protein-like component (C4). Generally, the terrestrial humic-like (C1) and marine humic-like (C2) components were more abundant than other measured components. Seasonally, CDOM absorbance was highest in spring and summer. Contributions of CDOM from terrestrial sources increased in spring during periods of high runoff and peaked in summer during periods of high marsh productivity. Higher contributions of terrestrially derived CDOM were also measured in fall during periods of plant senescence. The aquatic component (C4) was higher during periods of increased phytoplankton production and during periods of high microbial respiration of terrestrial and planktonic organic matter. Although the amount of marsh exported CDOM varied with season, its composition varied considerably less, especially with respect to autochthonous CDOM. In a focused study in 2018, inferences about the terrestrial versus estuarine sources of CDOM were compared to source inferences made using measurements of stable carbon isotopes (δ13C) of DOC and DIC. δ13CDOC values ranged from −32.25 to −25.91‰, indicative of wetland organic matter and humic-like DOM; δ13CDIC ranged from −9.69 to −3.12‰, consistent with groundwater and estuarine sources. Overall, CDOM and stable isotope measurements indicate that humic materials were the primary source of DOM at this marsh-estuarine interface, including inputs from marsh plants and soils and products from microbial degradation of marsh and terrestrial materials, with lesser contributions from aquatic sources.

Extensive Carbon Contribution of Inundated Terrestrial Plants to Zooplankton Biomass in a Eutrophic Lake.

Organic carbon derived from terrestrial plants contributes to aquatic consumers, e.g., zooplankton in lakes. The degree of the contribution depends on the availability of terrestrial organic carbon in lake organic pool and the transfer efficiency of the carbon. Terrestrial organic carbon is poor-quality food for zooplankton with a mismatch of nutrition content and was incorporated to zooplankton with much lower efficiency than phytoplankton. Contributions of terrestrial carbon to zooplankton generally decrease with an increase in phytoplankton production, indicating a preferential incorporation of phytoplankton in previous investigations. However, in eutrophic lakes, the dominating cyanobacteria were of poor quality and incorporated to consumers inefficiently too. In that case, zooplankton in eutrophic wetlands, where cyanobacteria dominate the phytoplankton production and massive terrestrial plants are inundated, may not preferentially incorporate poor food-quality phytoplankton resource to their biomass. Therefore, we hypothesize that carbon contributions of terrestrial vegetation to zooplankton and to lake particulate organic pool should be similar in such aquatic ecosystems. We tested this hypothesis by sampling zooplankton and carbon sources in Ming Lake (Jinan University Campus, southern China) which was overgrown by terrestrial plants after drying and re-flooded. After 60days of observations at weekly (or biweekly) intervals, applying stable carbon (13C), nitrogen (15N), and hydrogen (2H) isotopic analysis and a stable isotope mixing model, we estimated the occurrence of extensive carbon contribution (≥ 50%) of flooded terrestrial plants to cladocerans and copepods. Contribution of inundated terrestrial plants to cladocerans was similar to that to lake particulate organic pool. Thus, our study quantified the role of terrestrial carbon in eutrophic wetlands, enhancing our understanding of cross-ecosystem interactions in food webs with an emphasis on the resource quality.

Marine biorefinery: an environmentally sustainable solution to turn marine biomass and processing wastes into value-added products and profits

Marine biorefinery: an environmentally sustainable solution to turn marine biomass and processing wastes into value-added products and profits

Oceanographic and human impacts on the compositions of sedimentary organic matter along the southern coast of Zhoushan

Three sediment cores were collected from the southern coastal area of Zhoushan Island, and their lignin-derived phenol, bulk elemental composition, stable carbon isotope, particle size and 210 Pb activities were determined. The objective of this study was to determine the compositional changes of the sedimentary organic matter along this coastal area in the past 80 years as a result of anthropogenic and oceanographic-related processes. The results of this study showed that the sources and distribution of sedimentary organic matter along this coastal area were affected by the accelerated development on these islands and mainland China. Moreover, the increased contribution of terrestrial organic matter from the rivers in the mainland from the 1930s to the 1980s was likely the result of human activities. The drastic increase in the vanillic acid to vanillin ratio, (Ad/Al)v, in the 1970s and 1980s coincided with the start of rapid development in Zhoushan, resulting in the increased erosion of more degraded terrestrial organic matter along the coast. Trends of increasing marine organic matter toward the present could be due to a combination of reduced river input and sea level rise. Overall, our results showed that the sedimentary organic matter along the southern coastal zone of Zhoushan main island was affected by riverine input from the mainland, and showed a tendency toward decreasing terrestrial organic matter and particle size. Thus, local input and increased phytoplankton production will play a more important role in the carbon dynamics in this coastal area in the future. (245 words). • Sedimentary organic matter along the southern coast of Zhoushan main island was affected by human activities. • There was increased signal of marine organic matter due to sea level rise. • Decreased terrestrial organic matter and particle size toward the present could be due to river input from the mainland.

The distribution of Fe across the shelf of the Western Antarctic Peninsula at the start of the phytoplankton growing season

The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a rapidly changing region with receding sea-ice cover. This region generally has increased phytoplankton productivity on the continental slope with a decrease observed in off-shelf waters located further northward. This study aims to improve the understanding of the distribution of iron (Fe) in this climatically important oceanic region during early sea-ice retreat, as well as the impact of receding ice cover on Fe concentrations and the importance of Fe and its sources at the beginning of the phytoplankton growth season. Five ocean transects were sampled along the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (Pal-LTER) grid with an additional oceanward extension to access off-shelf waters during the austral spring (October and November) of 2014. High Fe inputs into the entire water column from ice melt as well as from sediments increased dissolved Fe (DFe) and total dissolvable Fe (TDFe) concentrations across the shelf (off-shelf DFe: 0.38 ± 0.30 nmol/L and TDFe: 2.23 ± 2.95 nmol/L versus shelf DFe: 1.54 ± 1.38 nmol/L and TDFe: 19.47 ± 23.82 nmol/L). The combination of meteoric meltwater and shallow sedimentary sources is strongest over the shelf and increased landward towards the WAP. Additionally, a winter sea-ice formation signature was detected in inner shelf waters that appeared to contribute to DFe concentrations. Relatively warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) that flows onto the shelf through troughs is likely modified by non-reductive sedimentary input of Fe into the water column. The increase in Fe concentrations in WAP waters in early spring could trigger enhanced phytoplankton productivity across the shelf, although the highest productivity levels were observed in off-shelf waters, likely related to improved light conditions following receding sea-ice cover. The relatively high productivity levels in WAP off-shelf waters are presumably caused by two factors: (1) supply from below, and (2) the transport of Fe from the shelf to the off-shelf region. However, 80–90% of Fe introduced into shelf waters was removed from the upper water column prior to reaching off-shelf waters, reducing the influence of the coastal Fe source. Low concentrations of DFe (0.24 ± 0.26 nmol/L) in off-shelf waters (upper 100 m) of the WAP coincide with relatively elevated chlorophyll a concentrations (0.66 ± 0.56 μg/L), implying that uptake of available DFe had already occurred prior to sampling. Our results imply that the horizontal supply of DFe from the shelf as well as total DFe supply into the surface mixed layer might not be sufficiently high to support productivity in the off-shelf waters of the WAP, underlining the development of an Fe deficit early in the growth season.

Relationships Between Northern Hemisphere Teleconnection Patterns and Phytoplankton Productivity in the Neva Estuary (Northeastern Baltic Sea)

Teleconnection patterns can be an important tool for investigating the impact of climate change on biological communities. The aim of the study was, using 2003–2020 data on chlorophyll a concentrations (CHL) and plankton primary production (PP) in midsummer, to determine which of the teleconnection patterns have most pronounced effects on phytoplankton productivity in the estuary located on the border between western and eastern Europe. CHL correlated significantly with the winter values of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAOw) and Scandinavia (SCANDw) indices, as well as with the values of the annual Polar/Eurasian (POLy) and annual Arctic Oscillation (AOy) indices. PP was significantly correlated with the values of POLy. East Atlantic/Western Russia pattern showed no significant correlation with both phytoplankton indicators. Stepwise multiple linear regressions were performed to determine the most influential indices affecting CHL and PP in the Neva Estuary. POLy, SCANDw, and NAOw appeared to be the main predictors in CHL multiple regression model, while the values of POLy and the July NAO and SCAND values were the main predictors in the PP model. According to our research, the productivity of phytoplankton in the Neva Estuary, located in the most northeastern part of the Baltic Sea, showed a significant relationship with the POL, which determines weather conditions in the northeastern regions of Eurasia. Possible mechanisms of the influence of these teleconnection patterns on phytoplankton productivity are discussed. Using the obtained multi-regression equations and the values of climatic indices, we calculated the values of CHL and PP for 1951–2002 and compared them with the results of field observations. The calculated and measured values of CHL and PP showed a significant increase in phytoplankton productivity in the Neva Estuary in the second half of the 2010s compared to earlier periods. In some years of the 1950s, 1980s, and late 1990s, CHL could also be above average and the low phytoplankton productivity should have been observed in the 1960s–1970s. This indicates a significant contribution of current climate change to fluctuation in phytoplankton productivity observed in recent decades, which should be taken into account when developing measures to protect aquatic ecosystems from eutrophication.

Combining sterols with stable carbon isotope as indicators for assessing the organic matter sources and primary productivity evolution in the coastal areas of the East China Sea

To identify the sedimentary organic matter (OM) sources and reconstruct primary productivity evolution process in the coastal areas of the East China Sea (ECS), carbon, nitrogen and carbon stable isotope (δ13C) combined with sterols were studied in the surface and core sediments. The quantitative calculations of δ13C model and characteristic sterols suggested that the OM is derived from mixed marine and terrestrial inputs. Sinking marine phytoplankton was the dominant marine OM (MOM) source, with the average MOM proportion calculated by two end-member model of δ13C and characteristic sterol analysis of 73% and 62%, respectively. Terrestrial organic matter (TOM) displayed a decreasing trend seaward, attributed to the Changjiang River input as the dominant terrestrial source pathway. The decreased proportion of TOM with age in the core sediment was mainly controlled by the fluctuating changes of freshwater and sediment influxes of the Changjiang River. The sum content of epi-brassicasterol and dinosterol increased with age in recent 30 years, suggesting the increasing phytoplankton productivity. Enhanced anthropogenic nutrient inputs from the Changjiang River as well as the incremental nutrient supplement from the deep waters of the coastal upwelling area aggravated the phytoplankton blooms. Besides, the increasing ratio of epi-brassicasterol to dinosterol contents (B/D ratio) with age revealed the increasing diatom productivity relative to dinoflagellate productivity. This variation was mostly attributed to the natural forcing of the increased nutrient supplement from intensified coastal upwelling in the Zhejiang coastal mud area.

Metal isotope signatures from lava-seawater interaction during the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea

The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea was associated with massive input of molten lava into the coastal ocean, which altered seawater chemistry and increased phytoplankton production. In seawater plumes advected away from the site of lava entry, we observed elevated concentrations of over a dozen metals relative to background seawater and unique isotopic compositions of Fe, Cu, Ni, Cd and Zn. The δ56Fe of iron released from lava was lower than basaltic, riverine and coastal iron from Hawaiʻi, but similar to observations of other high-temperature hydrothermal vent fluids. However, rapid precipitation led to only modest enrichments in dissolved iron (<10 nM), with increasing dissolved δ56Fe likely due to fractionation associated with ligand-mediated dissolution of particulate Fe. The isotopic composition of copper and nickel show evidence for two-endmember mixing between background seawater and a lava source. While the Ni isotopic endmember reflected basaltic δ60Ni, endmember δ65Cu, δ66Zn, and δ114Cd were isotopically lighter than basalt. We hypothesize that high diffusivity and volatility of chalcophile elements leads to strong kinetic fractionation in rapidly cooling lavas, similar to Cu, Zn and Cd isotopic patterns observed in tektites. The isotopic signatures of Cu and Ni observed during the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea far exceed their normal seawater range and may be useful for identifying large-scale lava input into ocean waters during the formation of large igneous provinces and other episodes of volcanism.

Increase in phytoplankton production and consumption in response to a typhoon passing through the southern East China Sea

The northwestern Pacific Ocean and East China Sea (ECS) are frequently affected by typhoons during the summer period. To identify changes in production and consumption rates of phytoplankton (&lt;20 and 20~200 µm) affected by Typhoon Maria (9-10 July 2018), 2 sampling periods were compared: a pre-typhoon cruise (4-9 July 2018) and a post-typhoon cruise (13-17 July 2018). Results showed that &lt;20 and 20~200 µm phytoplankton production was 14- and 1.8-fold higher, respectively, in the post-typhoon period compared to the pre-typhoon. Accompanying this post-typhoon shift from pico- and nanophytoplankton to microphytoplankton, the consumption rate of microzooplankton on &lt;20 µm phytoplankton was 11.6 mgC m-3 d-1 in the pre-typhoon period, and increased to 203.3 mgC m-3 d-1 after the typhoon. Furthermore, the ingestion fluxes were 4.9 and 8.0 mgC m-3 d-1 through mesozooplankton grazing on microzooplankton (ciliates and dinoflagellates) pre- and post-typhoon, respectively. Our findings show that organisms from the microbial food web (i.e. ciliates and dinoflagellates) may control the phytoplankton assemblage during the post-typhoon period of increased productivity, and thus represent an important trophic link between the classical and microbial food webs in the southern ECS.

Seasonal and interannual fluctuations of phytoplankton primary production in the rybinsk water reservoir: effect of the weather and climatic changes

Seasonal and multi-annual dynamics of phytoplankton primary production were examined in the Rybinsk water reservoir (Upper Volga) in 2005–2014. Positive links were detected between the average values of plankton primary production during the vegetation period and abiotic factors of the water environment (temperature, solar irradiation, and concentration of biogenic elements), as well as between the primary production and the index of the North Atlantic Oscillation, excluding the data for the abnormally hot summer in 2010. Water temperature increase (up to 27.9°С) in summer 2010 caused a significant increase in phytoplankton production. Significant increase of phytoplankton primary production was noted in the Rybinsk water reservoir during the analysis period.

Seasonal and Year-to-Year Variations of Phytoplankton Primary Production in the Rybinsk Reservoir: The Effect of Weather and Climate Variations

The seasonal and long-term dynamics of phytoplankton primary production has been studied in the Rybinsk Reservoir (Upper Volga) in 2005–2014. A positive correlation has been found to exist between the values of plankton primary production, averaged over vegetation period, and the abiotic factors of the water medium (temperature, solar radiation, and nutrient concentrations), as well as, excluding the data on the anomalously hot summer of 2010, between the primary production and the index of North Atlantic Oscillation. The increase in water temperature (up to 27.9°C) in the summer of 2010 has caused a considerable increase in phytoplankton production. A considerable increase in phytoplankton primary production has been revealed in the Rybinsk Reservoir in the period under study.

Phytoplankton productivity and community structure variations over the last 160 years in the East China Sea coast in response to natural and human-induced environmental changes

Eutrophication has caused drastic changes to the marine ecosystem of the East China Sea during the past decades. However, there is relatively sparse evidence of historical changes, as well as the explicit effects of climatic changes and anthropogenic activities on the primary productivity of marine coastal ecosystems. In this study, surface and core sediments from the Zhejiang-Fujian coastal mud area, East China Sea coast, were analyzed using the bulk and molecular biomarkers. The results showed that ecosystem changes were characterized by increased phytoplankton productivity and a fluctuant transition from blooms mostly dominated by diatoms to red tide events dominated by dinoflagellates. Variations from the early 1850s to the early 2010s can be divided into a nature-dominated period (the early 1850s–1960s) and a human-impacted period (1960s–the early 2010s). Particularly, natural forcing such as heavy floods (e.g. 1998, 1954, and 1931) in the whole of the Yangtze River catchment, variations in the intensity of East Asia Monsoon, and strengthened or weakened Kuroshio intrusion/positive or negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation phase in the coastal mud area have substantially affected the phytoplankton productivity and community structure during the nature-dominated period. In contrast, changes in nutrient supply and compositions were more apparent during the human-impacted period, which could have been because of increased fertilizer usage, discharges of industrial wastewater and domestic sewage, and large-scale human projects (e.g. Danjiangkou Reservoir and Three Gorges Dam) in the Yangtze River drainage area, leading to significant phytoplankton productivity and community structure variations in the coastal mud area system of East China Sea.

Effects of warming and eutrophication on coastal phytoplankton production

Phytoplankton production in coastal waters influences seafood production and human health and can lead to harmful algal blooms. Water temperature and eutrophication are critical factors affecting phytoplankton production, although the combined effects of warming and nutrient changes on phytoplankton production in coastal waters are not well understood. To address this, phytoplankton production changes in natural waters were investigated using samples collected over eight months, and under 64 different initial conditions, established by combining four different water temperatures (i.e., ambient T, +2, +4, and + 6 °C), and two different nutrient conditions (i.e., non-enriched and enriched). Under the non-enriched conditions, the effect of warming on phytoplankton production was significantly positive in some months, significantly negative in others, or had no effect. However, under enriched conditions, warming affected phytoplankton production positively in all months except one, when the salinity was as low as 6.5. These results suggest that nutrient conditions can alter the effects of warming on phytoplankton production. Of several parameters, the ratio of initial nitrate concentration to chlorophyll a concentration [NCCA, μM (μg L−1)−1] was one of the most critical factors determining the directionality of the warming effects. In laboratory experiments, when NCCA in the ambient or nutrient-enriched waters was ≥1.2, warming increased or did not change phytoplankton production with one exception; however, when NCCA was <1.2, warming did not change or decreased production. In the time series data obtained from the coastal waters of four target countries, when NCCA was 1.5 or more, warming increased phytoplankton production, whereas when NCCA was lower than 1.5, warming lowered phytoplankton production, Thus, it is suggested that NCCA could be used as an index for predicting future phytoplankton production changes in coastal waters.

Nitrogen Limitation of the Summer Phytoplankton and Heterotrophic Prokaryote Communities in the Chukchi Sea

Major changes to Arctic marine ecosystems have resulted in longer growing seasons with increased phytoplankton production over larger areas. In the Chukchi Sea, the high productivity fuels intense benthic denitrification creating a nitrogen (N) deficit that is transported through the Arctic to the Atlantic Ocean, where it likely fuels nitrogen fixation. Given the rapid pace of environmental change and the potentially globally significant N deficit, we conducted experiments aimed at understanding phytoplankton and microbial N utilization in the Chukchi Sea. Ship-board experiments tested the effect of NO3- additions on both phytoplankton and heterotrophic prokaryote abundance, community composition, photophysiology, carbon fixation and NO3- uptake rates. Results support the critical role of NO3- in limiting summer phytoplankton communities to small cells with low production rates. NO3- additions increased particulate concentrations, abundance of large diatoms, and rates of carbon fixation and NO3- uptake by cells >1 µm. Increases in the quantum yield and electron turnover rate of photosystem II in NO3- treatments suggested that phytoplankton in the ambient dissolved N environment were N starved and unable to build new, or repair damaged, reaction centers. While some increases in heterotrophic prokaryote abundance and production were noted with NO3- amendments, phytoplankton competition or grazers likely dampened these responses. Trends toward a warmer more stratified Chukchi Sea will likely enhance summer oligotrophic conditions and further N starve Chukchi Sea phytoplankton communities.

Rising levels of temperature and CO2 antagonistically affect phytoplankton primary productivity in the South China Sea

Coastal and offshore waters in the South China Sea are warming and becoming acidified due to rising atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), yet the combined effects of these two stressors are poorly known. Here, we carried out shipboard incubations at ambient (398 μatm) and elevated (934 μatm) pCO2 at in situ and in situ+1.8 °C temperatures and we measured primary productivity at two coastal and two offshore stations. Both warming and increased CO2 levels individually increased phytoplankton productivity at all stations, but the combination of high temperature and high CO2 did not, reflecting an antagonistic effect. Warming decreased Chl a concentrations in off-shore waters at ambient CO2, but had no effect in the coastal waters. The high CO2 treatment increased night time respiration in the coastal waters at ambient temperatures. Our findings show that phytoplankton assemblage responses to rising temperature and CO2 levels differ between coastal and offshore waters. While it is difficult to predict how ongoing warming and acidification will influence primary productivity in the South China Sea, our data imply that predicted increases in temperature and pCO2 will not boost surface phytoplankton primary productivity.

Characterization of light absorption by chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in the upper layer of the Red Sea

The absorption coefficient of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is a major variable used in developing robust bio‐optical models and understanding biogeochemical processes. Over the last decade, the optical properties of CDOM in the open sea have been intensely studied. However, their variations in clear water are poorly documented, particularly in the Red Sea, owing to the absence of in situ measurements. We performed several cruises in the Red Sea to investigate the spatial distribution of the absorption coefficient of CDOM. The spectral absorption coefficients were determined from 400 nm to 740 nm using a WETLabs ac-s hyper-spectral spectrophotometer. In general, we found a latitudinal gradient in the CDOM absorption coefficient at 443 nm (aCDOM(443)) from south to north that is likely influenced by the exchange of water through the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb and the thermohaline circulation of the Red Sea. However, high aCDOM(443) values were observed in the northern Red Sea due to the existence of a sub-mesoscale feature that may induce an increase in phytoplankton production and lead to CDOM production. The aCDOM(443) covaried with the chlorophyll a concentration ([Chl a],) despite a high scatter. Furthermore, the aCDOM(443) for a given [Chl a] concentration was higher than those predicted by global ocean bio-optical models. This study advances our understanding of CDOM concentration in the Red Sea and may help improve the accuracy of the algorithms used to obtain CDOM absorption from ocean color.

Enhanced Chlorophyll Concentrations Induced by Kuroshio Intrusion Fronts in the Northern South China Sea

AbstractNew evidences were provided that Kuroshio intrusion in winter is able to increase phytoplankton growth in the open ocean of the northern South China Sea (SCS) based on multiple data sources. Strong fronts due to Kuroshio intrusion and interactions with the SCS water are associated with intense upwelling, supplying high nutrients from the subsurface SCS water and increasing phytoplankton productivity in the frontal region. High chlorophyll is more dynamically related to these fronts than to the alongshore wind, wind stress curl, and eddy kinetic energy on interannual time scale. Further examinations suggest that fronts associated with Kuroshio intrusion into the SCS are linked with large‐scale climate variability. During El Niño years, stronger Kuroshio intrusion results in stronger fronts that generate intensified local upwelling and enhanced Luzon winter blooms.