Spatial and temporal variability of phytoplankton community composition in the tropical and subtropical atlantic ocean (40degreesN - 40degreesS).
Spatial and temporal variability of phytoplankton community composition in the tropical and subtropical atlantic ocean (40degreesN - 40degreesS).
Routine measurements of the phytoplankton community from the first 10 cruises (1995 - 2000) of the Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMIT) programme are examined in the context of spatial and temporal variations in community composition within the subtropical (10 - 40°N/S) and tropical equatorial (10°N - 10°S) Atlantic Ocean. Measurements include size-fractionated chlorophyll a concentration, High-Performance-Liquid-Chromatography (HPLC) determined pigment signature concentration and large (>5 mm) phytoplankton species abundance and identification. Ancillary measurements (CTD, nutrient concentrations and light levels) are used to examine spatial and temporal variations in the hydrographic environment and provide a regional framework for analysis of variations in the phytoplankton community composition. Multivariate statistical analyses (Bray-Curtis similarity) of the phytoplankton community composition from (HPLC) pigment measurements and species identification show both latitudinal and vertical differences in composition; an upper and deep flora in subtropical and equatorial Atlantic waters with a reduction in depth differences in upwelling waters off NW Africa. Such spatial differences are associated with regional changes in the mechanisms important for the formation of the ubiquitous Chlorophyll a Maximum. Analysis of the time-series measurements collected in South Atlantic Subtropical Waters (0 - 30°S) show marked interannual (post-winter) differences in the depth of the mixed layer. Examination of the phytoplankton community in South Atlantic Subtropical Waters indicates interannual variations in the phytoplankton community composition. It is hypothesised that a decrease in winter mixing associated with climatic variability in the South Atlantic Ocean reduce seasonal new nutrient inputs and favour oligotrophic components of the phytoplankton community.
University of Southampton
Poulton, Alex J
81673fc4-b2a4-43a2-8814-135c2792d8f4
2002
Poulton, Alex J
81673fc4-b2a4-43a2-8814-135c2792d8f4
Poulton, Alex J
(2002)
Spatial and temporal variability of phytoplankton community composition in the tropical and subtropical atlantic ocean (40degreesN - 40degreesS).
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
Routine measurements of the phytoplankton community from the first 10 cruises (1995 - 2000) of the Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMIT) programme are examined in the context of spatial and temporal variations in community composition within the subtropical (10 - 40°N/S) and tropical equatorial (10°N - 10°S) Atlantic Ocean. Measurements include size-fractionated chlorophyll a concentration, High-Performance-Liquid-Chromatography (HPLC) determined pigment signature concentration and large (>5 mm) phytoplankton species abundance and identification. Ancillary measurements (CTD, nutrient concentrations and light levels) are used to examine spatial and temporal variations in the hydrographic environment and provide a regional framework for analysis of variations in the phytoplankton community composition. Multivariate statistical analyses (Bray-Curtis similarity) of the phytoplankton community composition from (HPLC) pigment measurements and species identification show both latitudinal and vertical differences in composition; an upper and deep flora in subtropical and equatorial Atlantic waters with a reduction in depth differences in upwelling waters off NW Africa. Such spatial differences are associated with regional changes in the mechanisms important for the formation of the ubiquitous Chlorophyll a Maximum. Analysis of the time-series measurements collected in South Atlantic Subtropical Waters (0 - 30°S) show marked interannual (post-winter) differences in the depth of the mixed layer. Examination of the phytoplankton community in South Atlantic Subtropical Waters indicates interannual variations in the phytoplankton community composition. It is hypothesised that a decrease in winter mixing associated with climatic variability in the South Atlantic Ocean reduce seasonal new nutrient inputs and favour oligotrophic components of the phytoplankton community.
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Published date: 2002
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Local EPrints ID: 464715
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/464715
PURE UUID: b313b469-f10f-4d92-82ac-4217a6f1cd71
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 23:58
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 19:43
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Author:
Alex J Poulton
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