Annually recurrent phytoplanktonic assemblages during summer in the seasonal ice zone west of the Antarctic Peninsula (Southern Ocean)

Influence of oceanographic features on spatial and interannual variability of phytoplankton in the Bransfield Strait, Antarctica

“…Therefore, the timing of the development and retreat of sea ice are considered as important factors in the temporal variability of phytoplankton communities in the AP (Arrigo et al, 1999;Garibotti et al, 2003Garibotti et al, , 2005Moline and Prézelin, 1996). Although the dynamics of sea ice are influenced by winds (Stammerjohn et al, 2003, and references therein), here we related these dynamics only with temperature.…”

“…Nevertheless, several studies have highlighted the increasing importance of cryptophytes in the AP as they prevail over diatoms, particularly within ice melting regions (Moline and Prézelin, 1996;Moline et al, 2004). Several other studies have related the seasonal succession of phytoplankton along the west of the AP (wAP) to the timing of the sea ice retreat, particularly from the south of Gerlache Strait to Marguerite Bay (Garibotti et al, 2005;Prézelin et al, 2000), with some evidence found within the BS (Mendes et al, 2013;Varela et al, 2002). Firstly, diatom blooms attain higher biomass when the sea ice retreat is under way and, with a continued stratification, cryptophytes can numerically replace these diatoms (Ducklow et al, 2007).…”

“…Firstly, diatom blooms attain higher biomass when the sea ice retreat is under way and, with a continued stratification, cryptophytes can numerically replace these diatoms (Ducklow et al, 2007). Finally, a phytoplankton community co-dominated primarily by very small diatoms and other unidentified flagellates are associated with low Chl-a (Garibotti et al, 2005;Moline and Prézelin, 1996). There are numerous sources in the literature on phytoplankton dynamics in some wAP systems, principally near Marguerite Bay (Prézelin et al, 2004 and references therein).…”

“…As stated in Garibotti et al (2005), it is not known if the phytoplankton composition changes from year-to-year in some regions within the wAP, and what kind of environmental variability is related to possible phytoplankton composition changes.…”

“…Environmental shifts within the AP have resulted in changes of biomass and composition within primary producers, particularly phytoplankton (Ducklow et al, 2007;Garibotti et al, 2005;Montes-Hugo et al, 2009;Schloss et al, 2012). Located to the northwest of the tip of the AP, the Bransfield Strait (BS) is a semi-enclosed sea, limited to the north by the South Shetland Islands (SSI) and to the south by the AP itself.…”