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Unusual subpolar North Atlantic phytoplankton bloom in 2010: Volcanic fertilisation or North Atlantic Oscillation?

Unusual subpolar North Atlantic phytoplankton bloom in 2010: Volcanic fertilisation or North Atlantic Oscillation?
Unusual subpolar North Atlantic phytoplankton bloom in 2010: Volcanic fertilisation or North Atlantic Oscillation?
In summer and autumn 2010, a highly anomalous phytoplankton bloom, with chlorophyll concentration more than double that of previous years, was observed in the Irminger Basin, southwest of Iceland. Two unusual events occurred during 2010 which had the potential to promote the unusual bloom. First, in spring 2010, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland erupted, depositing large quantities of tephra into the subpolar North Atlantic. Second, during the winter of 2009/2010 the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) became extremely negative, developing into the second strongest negative NAO on record. Hydrographic conditions were highly anomalous in the region, with an influx of freshwater spreading through the basin, and unusual nutrient and mixed layer depth conditions. Here we use a combination of satellite, modeled and in situ data to investigate whether the input of iron from the volcanic eruption or change in hydrographic conditions due to the extreme negative NAO were responsible for the anomalous phytoplankton bloom. We conclude that changes in physical forcing driven by the NAO, and not the volcanic eruption, stimulated the unusual bloom.
satellite ocean color, spring bloom, interannual variability, freshwater anomaly
2169-9275
4771-4780
Henson, Stephanie A.
d6532e17-a65b-4d7b-9ee3-755ecb565c19
Painter, Stuart C.
29e32f35-4ee8-4654-b305-4dbe5a312295
Holliday, N. Penny
358b0b33-f30b-44fd-a193-88365bbf2c79
Stinchcombe, Mark C.
433dd398-15f7-4730-9f1e-992d65bec70b
Giering, Sarah L.C.
db5f59a2-8cf2-44d4-99c4-53756df823dc
Henson, Stephanie A.
d6532e17-a65b-4d7b-9ee3-755ecb565c19
Painter, Stuart C.
29e32f35-4ee8-4654-b305-4dbe5a312295
Holliday, N. Penny
358b0b33-f30b-44fd-a193-88365bbf2c79
Stinchcombe, Mark C.
433dd398-15f7-4730-9f1e-992d65bec70b
Giering, Sarah L.C.
db5f59a2-8cf2-44d4-99c4-53756df823dc

Henson, Stephanie A., Painter, Stuart C., Holliday, N. Penny, Stinchcombe, Mark C. and Giering, Sarah L.C. (2013) Unusual subpolar North Atlantic phytoplankton bloom in 2010: Volcanic fertilisation or North Atlantic Oscillation? Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 118 (10), 4771-4780. (doi:10.1002/jgrc.20363).

Record type: Article

Abstract

In summer and autumn 2010, a highly anomalous phytoplankton bloom, with chlorophyll concentration more than double that of previous years, was observed in the Irminger Basin, southwest of Iceland. Two unusual events occurred during 2010 which had the potential to promote the unusual bloom. First, in spring 2010, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland erupted, depositing large quantities of tephra into the subpolar North Atlantic. Second, during the winter of 2009/2010 the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) became extremely negative, developing into the second strongest negative NAO on record. Hydrographic conditions were highly anomalous in the region, with an influx of freshwater spreading through the basin, and unusual nutrient and mixed layer depth conditions. Here we use a combination of satellite, modeled and in situ data to investigate whether the input of iron from the volcanic eruption or change in hydrographic conditions due to the extreme negative NAO were responsible for the anomalous phytoplankton bloom. We conclude that changes in physical forcing driven by the NAO, and not the volcanic eruption, stimulated the unusual bloom.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: September 2013
Published date: October 2013
Keywords: satellite ocean color, spring bloom, interannual variability, freshwater anomaly
Organisations: Marine Biogeochemistry, Ocean Biochemistry & Ecosystems

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 358298
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/358298
ISSN: 2169-9275
PURE UUID: cb51d0ae-b2a0-49a6-94ff-89597c69e2e4

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Date deposited: 03 Oct 2013 10:04
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 15:02

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Contributors

Author: Stuart C. Painter
Author: N. Penny Holliday
Author: Mark C. Stinchcombe
Author: Sarah L.C. Giering

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