Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Blanchot, J.
Right arrow Articles by Le Bouteiller, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Blanchot, J.
Right arrow Articles by Le Bouteiller, A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

JOURNAL OF PLANKTON RESEARCH | VOLUME 14 | NUMBER 1 | PAGES 137-156 | 1992
© Oxford University Press

research-article

Effect of El Niño Southern Oscillation events on the distribution and abundance of phytoplankton in the Western Pacific Tropical Ocean along 165°E

Jean Blanchot, Martine Rodier and Aubert Le Bouteiller

Groupe PROPPAC, Centre ORSTOM BP A5 Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia

Received on May 13, 1990; accepted on June 25, 1991 The distribution of physical and chemical parameters and their impact on the biomass and abundance of phytoplankton in the Western Pacific Ocean were compared in two opposing situations: the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event of 1987 and the non-ENSO period of 1988. During El Niño conditions (September 1987), maximum cell abundance was recorded at 10°S at the boundary between the South Equatorial Current (SEC) and the South Equatorial Countercurrent (SECC). In September 1988, after the return of non-ENSO conditions, a well-established equatorial upwelling produced an increase in the surface layer nutrient supply over 7° of latitude. This in turn caused an increase in phytoplankton populations in the upper layer, with chlorophyll concentrations >0.2 mg m–3 and cyanobacteria and microalgae populations >8.0x106 l–1 and >1.2x106 l–1 respectively. Integrated over 120 m, the cyanobacteria and microalgae populations were respectively 4.7 and 3.2 times larger than the year before. On the other hand, transient nutrient inputs such as those observed at 10°S in September 1987 caused a large increase in cyanobacteria populations (4.4 times), compared with those in neighbouring zones, and a somewhat smaller increase in microalgae populations (1.3 times). Cyanobacteria populations were much larger than those of microalgae in the 80–100 m upper layer, whereas the latter were more numerous at that depth and below the chorophyll maximum. Population variations in cyanobacteria were accompanied by changes in form, size and fluorescence of the cells. The analysis of the 52 profiles of depth distribution of cyanobacteria and microalgae shows how the community structure is related to the depth and gradient of the nitracline.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J PLANKTON RESHome page
N. D. Crosbie and M. J. Furnas
Abundance, distribution and flow-cytometric characterization of picophytoprokaryote populations in central (17{degrees}S) and southern (20{degrees}S) shelf waters of the Great Barrier Reef
J. Plankton Res., August 1, 2001; 23(8): 809 - 828.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.