Phytoplankton growth of the chlorophyll maximum in the Atlantic Ocean

Kim, Youngnam, Poulton, A.J., Heywood, J.L. and Holligan, P.M. (2005) Phytoplankton growth of the chlorophyll maximum in the Atlantic Ocean. ASLO Summer Meeting 2005, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. 18 - 23 Jun 2005.

Abstract

The presence of a subsurface chlorophyll maximum is a ubiquitous feature of CTD profiles collected from the oligotrophic oceanic gyres in the Atlantic Ocean. Various mechanisms that control the position of the chlorophyll maximum differ widely. Previous studies have indicated that chlorophyll maximum is an important site of seasonal new production in this area. A wide range of measurements of both the phytoplankton community and hydrographic environment were made during Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) cruise 14 (April, 2004). Additionally, use of fast repetition rate (FRR) fluorescence technique to provide high-resolution vertical profiles of physiological properties of phytoplankton is explored. Vertical distributions of chlorophyll, light, nitrate, dissolved oxygen and photosynthetic parameters varied across the thermocline. These variations are interpreted in a regional context and compared with estimates of population size structure and the C/Chl a ratio. The community found in the chlorophyll maximum was physiologically distinct from the surface community and optimized for light harvesting and photosynthesis at low light levels. The physio - biological environment in the nutrient-rich equatorial upwelling region and the oligotrophic subtropical gyre is also compared.

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