Seasonal Cycles of Phytoplankton Expressed by Sine Equations Using the Daily Climatology from Satellite-Retrieved Chlorophyll-a Concentration (1997–2019) Over Global Ocean

Coastal trapped waves and tidal mixing control primary production in the tropical Angolan upwelling system

Eastern boundary upwelling systems are hotspots of marine life and primary production. The strength and seasonality of upwelling in these systems are usually related to local wind forcing. However, in some tropical upwelling systems, seasonal maxima of productivity occur when upwelling favorable winds are weak. Here, we show that in the tropical Angolan upwelling system (tAUS), the seasonal productivity maximum is due to the combined effect of coastal trapped waves (CTWs) and elevated tidal mixing on the shelf. During austral winter, the passage of an upwelling CTW displaces the nitracline upward by more than 50 m. Thereby, nitrate-rich waters spread onto the shelf, where elevated vertical mixing causes a nitrate flux into the surface mixed layer. Interannual variability of the productivity maximum is strongly correlated to the amplitude of the upwelling CTW as seen in sea level data. Given that CTWs are connected to equatorial forcing, a predictability of the strength of the productivity maximum is suggested.

Variability in the Sea Surface Temperature Gradient and Its Impacts on Chlorophyll-a Concentration in the Kuroshio Extension

Sixteen years of satellite observational data in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean are used to describe the variability in the sea surface temperature (SST) gradient and its impact on chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl-a). Spatially, a meridional dependence is identified in which the SST gradient increases to the north in association with elevated Chl-a. Temporally, the seasonal variability shows a large SST gradient and high Chl-a in winter and spring, while the SST gradient and Chl-a are much lower in summer. The seasonal variability in Chl-a leads the variability in the SST gradient by one month. A significant correlation between the SST gradient and Chl-a in the anomalous field is obtained only in the western section of the Kuroshio extension (KE) and the highest correlation is identified without any lags. An index for the section is defined as the proportion of the number of times that the SST gradient magnitude is anomalously large in each year, and the index is highly related to the stability of the KE and has a prominent influence on Chl-a in the region. An anomalously large positive (negative) SST gradient magnitude occurs when the KE is unstable (stable) and the corresponding Chl-a is high (low).

Red Sea MODIS Estimates of Chlorophyll a and Phytoplankton Biomass Risks to Saudi Arabian Coastal Desalination Plants

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) and the high biomass associated with them have afflicted marine desalination plants along coastal regions around the world. Few studies of HABs have been conducted in the Red Sea, where desalination plants along the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast provide drinking water for millions of people. This study was conducted along the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast from 2014 to 2015 to assess the potential for using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) remote sensing of chlorophyll a (Chl a) or fluorescence line height (FLH) to identify risks for biofouling at these desalination plants. Ship-based surveys of phytoplankton were conducted along the Saudi Arabian coastline offshore of desalination plants at Jeddah, Al Shoaibah and Al Qunfudhuh to assess the density of phytoplankton populations and identify any potential HAB species. Ship-based surveys showed low to moderate concentrations of phytoplankton, averaging from 1800–10,000 cells L−1 at Jeddah, 2000–11,000 cells L−1 at Al Shoaibah and 1000–20,500 cells L−1 at Al Qunfudhuh. Sixteen different species of potentially toxigenic HABs were identified through these surveys. There was a good relationship between ship-based total phytoplankton counts and monthly averaged coastal MODIS Chl a (R2 = 0.49, root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.27 mg m−3) or FLH (R2 = 0.47, RMSE = 0.04 mW m−2 µm−1 sr−1) values. Monthly average near shore Chl a concentrations obtained using MODIS satellite imagery were much higher in the Red Sea coastal areas at Al Qunfudhuh (maximum of about 1.3 mg m−3) than at Jeddah or Al Shoaibah (maximum of about 0.4 and 0.5 mg m−3, respectively). Chlorophyll a concentrations were generally highest from the months of December to March, producing higher risks of biofouling desalination plants than in other months. Concentrations decreased significantly, on average, from April to September. Long-term (2005–2016) monthly averaged MODIS Chl a values were used to delineate four statistically distinct zones of differing HAB biomass across the entire Red Sea. Sinusoidal functions representing monthly variability were fit to satellite Chl a values in each zone (RMSE values from 0.691 to 0.07 mg m−3, from Zone 1 to 4). December to January mean values and annual amplitudes for Chl a in these four sinusoidal functions decreased from Zones 1–4. In general, the greatest risk of HABs to desalination occurs during winter months in Zone 1 (Southern Red Sea), while HAB risks to desalination plants in winter months are low to moderate in Zone 2 (South Central Red Sea), and negligible in Zones 3 (North Central) and 4 (Northern).

Remote Sensing and Argo Float Observations Reveal Physical Processes Initiating a Winter-Spring Phytoplankton Bloom South of the Kuroshio Current Near Shikoku

BIO-Argo float (chlorophyll a (Chl-a), temperature, and salinity profiles) and remote sensing data (Chl-a, photosynthetic available radiation (PAR), and wind) located south of the Kuroshio current near Shikoku from September 2018 to May 2019 were used to study phytoplankton bloom and their mechanisms of development in open oceans. Results show that higher (lower) Chl-a concentrations are correlated with a deeper (shallower) mixed layer (RPearson = 0.77, Rcrit = 0.12 (alpha = 0.05, n = 263)) compared to the average of Chl-a and mixed layer depth (0.13 mg/m3 and 105 m). The average net accumulation rates (r) of phytoplankton were close to 0.08 d−1. An increasing r corresponds to a gradually increasing surface Chl-a (S (Chl-a): 0–20 m average Chl-a) and integrated Chl-a inventory (I (Chl-a): integrated Chl-a from surface to euphotic depth). These phenomena indicate that the mechanism of winter-spring phytoplankton blooms is consistent with the dilution-recoupling hypotheses (DRH). During the bloom formation, winter deep mixing and eddy-wind Ekman pumping are enhanced by a strong winter monsoon. The enhancement may disturb predator–prey interactions and dilute zooplankton in deep mixed layers. Moreover, winter deep mixing and eddy-wind Ekman pumping can cause the nutrients to be transported into the euphotic layer, which can promote the growth of phytoplankton and increase grazing. During the bloom extinction, the stratification strengthens and the intensity of light increases; this increases grazing and nutrient consumption, and decreases the phytoplankton bloom significantly (S (Chl-a) and I (Chl-a) increase by 0.3 mg/m3 and 27 mg/m2, respectively). The output from a biogeochemistry model shows that nutrients are consistent with the temporal distribution of S (Chl-a) and I (Chl-a). Our results suggest that physical processes (deep winter mixing and eddy-wind Ekman pumping) under the DHR framework are critical factors for winter-spring blooms in open oceans with an anticyclone eddy.