Abstract
Abstract. The spring phytoplankton bloom is a key event in
temperate and polar seas, yet the mechanisms that trigger it remain under
debate. Some hypotheses claim that the spring bloom onset occurs when light
is no longer limiting, allowing phytoplankton division rates to surpass a
critical threshold. In contrast, the Disturbance Recovery Hypothesis (DRH)
proposes that the onset responds to an imbalance between phytoplankton
growth and loss processes, allowing phytoplankton biomass to start
accumulating, and this can occur even when light is still limiting. Although
several studies have shown that the DRH can explain the spring bloom onset
in oceanic waters, it is less certain whether and how it also applies to
coastal areas. To address this question at a coastal location in the
Scottish North Sea, we combined 21 years (1997–2017) of weekly in situ
chlorophyll and environmental data with meteorological information.
Additionally, we also analyzed phytoplankton cell counts estimated using
microscopy (2000–2017) and flow cytometry (2015–2017). The onset of
phytoplankton biomass accumulation occurred around the same date each year,
16 ± 11 d (mean ± SD) after the winter solstice, when light
limitation for growth was strongest. Also, negative and positive biomass
accumulation rates (r) occurred respectively before and after the winter
solstice at similar light levels. The seasonal change from negative to
positive r was mainly driven by the rate of change in light availability
rather than light itself. Our results support the validity of the DRH for
the studied coastal region and suggest its applicability to other coastal
areas.
Funder
Gobierno del Principado de Asturias
Scottish Government
Subject
Earth-Surface Processes,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
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