Phytoplankton Spring Bloom Inhibited by Marine Heatwaves in the North‐Western Mediterranean Sea
Abstract Marine heatwaves (MHWs) represent anomalously warm temperature conditions of seawater that may affect marine life and ocean biogeochemistry. Under such conditions, phytoplankton communities may modify their structure and functions, and their resilience is not assured. This study characteriz...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109141 |
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| author | Mengyu Li Emanuele Organelli Federico Serva Marco Bellacicco Angela Landolfi Andrea Pisano Salvatore Marullo Fang Shen Alexandre Mignot Simon vanGennip Rosalia Santoleri |
| author_facet | Mengyu Li Emanuele Organelli Federico Serva Marco Bellacicco Angela Landolfi Andrea Pisano Salvatore Marullo Fang Shen Alexandre Mignot Simon vanGennip Rosalia Santoleri |
| author_sort | Mengyu Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Marine heatwaves (MHWs) represent anomalously warm temperature conditions of seawater that may affect marine life and ocean biogeochemistry. Under such conditions, phytoplankton communities may modify their structure and functions, and their resilience is not assured. This study characterizes the impact of MHWs on the phytoplankton spring bloom in the North‐Western Mediterranean Sea. Here, we synergistically combine autonomous observations from BioGeoChemical‐Argo floats, satellite‐based and marine ecosystem model data, and show that MHW events occurring during winter drastically inhibit phytoplankton carbon biomass in spring by up to 70%. Such reduction is related to the enhanced stratification of the water column under MHWs which hinders the renewal of nutrients from deep‐ocean reservoirs, thus preventing surface phytoplankton from blooming. This process negatively impacts particulate organic carbon stocks within the mixed layer, while severe events cause an earlier shift of phytoplankton phenology that provokes changes in zooplankton biomass distribution. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-61d9d435e4574b679e1f145e2e366eb3 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-61d9d435e4574b679e1f145e2e366eb32025-08-20T02:13:43ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072024-10-015120n/an/a10.1029/2024GL109141Phytoplankton Spring Bloom Inhibited by Marine Heatwaves in the North‐Western Mediterranean SeaMengyu Li0Emanuele Organelli1Federico Serva2Marco Bellacicco3Angela Landolfi4Andrea Pisano5Salvatore Marullo6Fang Shen7Alexandre Mignot8Simon vanGennip9Rosalia Santoleri10East China Normal University State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research Shanghai ChinaNational Research Council of Italy (CNR) Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR) Rome ItalyNational Research Council of Italy (CNR) Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR) Rome ItalyNational Research Council of Italy (CNR) Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR) Rome ItalyNational Research Council of Italy (CNR) Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR) Rome ItalyNational Research Council of Italy (CNR) Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR) Rome ItalyNational Research Council of Italy (CNR) Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR) Rome ItalyEast China Normal University State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research Shanghai ChinaMercator Ocean International Toulouse FranceMercator Ocean International Toulouse FranceNational Research Council of Italy (CNR) Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR) Rome ItalyAbstract Marine heatwaves (MHWs) represent anomalously warm temperature conditions of seawater that may affect marine life and ocean biogeochemistry. Under such conditions, phytoplankton communities may modify their structure and functions, and their resilience is not assured. This study characterizes the impact of MHWs on the phytoplankton spring bloom in the North‐Western Mediterranean Sea. Here, we synergistically combine autonomous observations from BioGeoChemical‐Argo floats, satellite‐based and marine ecosystem model data, and show that MHW events occurring during winter drastically inhibit phytoplankton carbon biomass in spring by up to 70%. Such reduction is related to the enhanced stratification of the water column under MHWs which hinders the renewal of nutrients from deep‐ocean reservoirs, thus preventing surface phytoplankton from blooming. This process negatively impacts particulate organic carbon stocks within the mixed layer, while severe events cause an earlier shift of phytoplankton phenology that provokes changes in zooplankton biomass distribution.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109141ocean healthmarine heatwavesocean stratificationphytoplankton biomassocean carbon |
| spellingShingle | Mengyu Li Emanuele Organelli Federico Serva Marco Bellacicco Angela Landolfi Andrea Pisano Salvatore Marullo Fang Shen Alexandre Mignot Simon vanGennip Rosalia Santoleri Phytoplankton Spring Bloom Inhibited by Marine Heatwaves in the North‐Western Mediterranean Sea Geophysical Research Letters ocean health marine heatwaves ocean stratification phytoplankton biomass ocean carbon |
| title | Phytoplankton Spring Bloom Inhibited by Marine Heatwaves in the North‐Western Mediterranean Sea |
| title_full | Phytoplankton Spring Bloom Inhibited by Marine Heatwaves in the North‐Western Mediterranean Sea |
| title_fullStr | Phytoplankton Spring Bloom Inhibited by Marine Heatwaves in the North‐Western Mediterranean Sea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phytoplankton Spring Bloom Inhibited by Marine Heatwaves in the North‐Western Mediterranean Sea |
| title_short | Phytoplankton Spring Bloom Inhibited by Marine Heatwaves in the North‐Western Mediterranean Sea |
| title_sort | phytoplankton spring bloom inhibited by marine heatwaves in the north western mediterranean sea |
| topic | ocean health marine heatwaves ocean stratification phytoplankton biomass ocean carbon |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109141 |
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