Long-term and regional variability of phytoplankton biomass in the Northeast Atlantic (1960-1995)

Edwards, M, Reid, PC and Planque, B 2001 Long-term and regional variability of phytoplankton biomass in the Northeast Atlantic (1960-1995). ICES Journal of Marine Science, 58 (1). 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1006/jmsc.2000.0987

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Abstract/Summary

Long-term regional changes in phytoplankton biomass in the Northeast Atlantic and North Sea are investigated using data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder survey. During the last decade there have been large changes in the long-term variation in phytoplankton biomass in the Northeast Atlantic and North Sea. Most regions, particularly in the North Sea, have shown a considerable increase in phytoplankton biomass while the opposite pattern was seen in the northern oceanic region of the Northeast Atlantic. These different spatial responses show similar patterns of change to the decadal variability in sea surface temperature influenced by the North Atlantic Oscillation index. Two rare oceanographic events and their relationship to the interannual changes in phytoplankton biomass are discussed. The results highlight the importance of maintaining long-term biological monitoring programmes to assess the biological responses to slow oceanic/atmospheric processes and to rare or episodic physical events.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Additional Keywords:	Phytoplankton Biomass Environmental factors Latitudinal variations Temperature effects Surface temperature Environmental monitoring Long-term records
Subjects:	Ecology and Environment
Divisions:	Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science > Other (SAHFOS) (expired)
Depositing User:	EPrints Services
Date made live:	23 May 2006
Last Modified:	25 Apr 2020 09:54
URI:	https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/1318

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