Decadal basin-scale changes in diatoms, dinoflagellates, and phytoplankton color across the North Atlantic

The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey has been used to characterize phytoplankton and zooplankton space-time dynamics in the North Sea since 1931 and in the North Atlantic since 1939. Phytoplankton biomass is assessed from these samples by visual assessment of the green color of the silk mesh, the Phytoplankton Color Index (PCI), and the total count of diatoms and dinoflagellates. Species with a frequency of occurrence greater than 1% in the samples are used as indicator species of the community. We investigated (1) long-term fluctuations of phytoplankton biomass, total diatoms, and total dinoflagellates; (2) geographical variation of patterns; (3) the relationship between phytoplankton and climate forcing in the North Atlantic CPR samples; (4) the relative contribution of diatoms and dinoflagellates to the PCI; and (5) the fluctuations of the dominant species over the period of survey to provide more information on the processes linking climate to changes in the phytoplankton community. As a result of the differences in microscopic analysis methods prior to 1958, our analyses were conducted for the period ranging from 1958 to 2002. The North Atlantic was divided into six regions identified through bathymetric criteria and separated along a North-South axis. Based on 12 monthly time series, we demonstrate increasing trends in PCI and total dinoflagellates and a decrease in total diatoms.

Increased blooms of a dinoflagellate in the NW Atlantic

Sampling by the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) over the NW Atlantic from 1960 to 2000 has enabled long-term studies of the larger components of the phytoplankton community, highlighting various changes, particularly during the 1990s. Analysis of an index of phytoplankton biomass, the Phytoplankton Colour Index (PCI) has revealed an increase over the past decade, most marked during the winter (December to February) months. Examination of the structure of the community using multiple linear-regression models indicates that the winter phytoplankton community composition has changed markedly in the 1990s compared to the 1960s. One phytoplankter, the dinoflagellate Ceratium arcticum (Cleve), has undergone dramatic changes in abundance during this period, with pronounced large winter blooms and decreased autumnal levels, and its contribution to the Phytoplankton Colour index values has increased significantly. Other dominant species in the phytoplankton community, both diatoms and dinoflagellates, did not show the same variations over the examined time period. It is suggested that the response of C. arcticum is probably a result of previously reported changes in stratification in the NW Atlantic, due to dynamic hydro-climatic (freshening and cooling) events.

Differential contribution of diatoms and dinoflagellates to phytoplankton biomass in the NE Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea

Sampling by the continuous plankton recorder (CPR) survey over the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea has enabled long-term studies of phytoplankton biomass. Analysis of an index of phytoplankton biomass, the phytoplankton colour index (PCI), has previously shown an increase in phytoplankton biomass in the NE Atlantic. In the current study, further investigations were conducted to determine the contribution of diatom and dinoflagellate cell counts to the PCI, their fluctuations over the last 45 yr and their geographical variations in the eastern North Atlantic and the North Sea. An increased contribution of dinoflagellates to the PCI was revealed over the south NE Atlantic and the northern North Sea. In contrast, the contribution of diatoms decreased in the north NE Atlantic and the northern North Sea. No discernible trends were found in the other regions of the North Sea. The relative contributions of diatoms and dinoflagellates to the PCI led to the identification of 3 geographically distinct dynamic regimes in the diatom/dinoflagellate dynamics in the NE Atlantic and the North Sea. Finally, it is stressed that the discrepancy observed in the patterns of PCI and diatom and dinoflagellate cell counts suggests that changes in PCI do not reflect changes in the community structure and that the exclusive use of PCI is not adequate to investigate the long-term trends in the trophic link between phytoplankton and herbivorous zooplankton.

Decadal variability in biogeochemical models: Comparison with a 50-year ocean colour dataset

Assessing the skill of biogeochemical models to hindcast past variability is challenging, yet vital in order to assess their ability to predict biogeochemical change. However, the validation of decadal variability is limited by the sparsity of consistent, long-term biological datasets. The Phytoplankton Colour Index (PCI) product from the Continuous Plankton Recorder survey, which has been sampling the North Atlantic since 1948, is an example of such a dataset. Converting the PCI to chlorophyll values using SeaWiFS data allows a direct comparison with model output. Here we validate decadal variability in chlorophyll from the GFDL TOPAZ model. The model demonstrates skill at reproducing interannual variability, but cannot simulate the regime shifts evident in the PCI data. Comparison of the model output, data and climate indices highlights under-represented processes that it may be necessary to include in future biogeochemical models in order to accurately simulate decadal variability in ocean ecosystems.

A long-term chlorophyll dataset reveals regime shift in North Sea phytoplankton biomass unconnected to nutrient levels

During the 1980s, a rapid increase in the Phytoplankton Colour Index (PCI), a semiquantitative visual estimate of algal biomass, was observed in the North Sea as part of a regionwide regime shift. Two new data sets created from the relationship between the PCI and SeaWiFS chlorophyll a (Chl a) quantify differences in the previous and current regimes for both the anthropogenically affected coastal North Sea and the comparatively unaffected open North Sea. The new regime maintains a 13% higher Chl a concentration in the open North Sea and a 21% higher concentration in coastal North Sea waters. However, the current regime has lower total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations than the previous regime, although the molar N: P ratio in coastal waters is now well above the Redfield ratio and continually increasing. Besides becoming warmer, North Sea waters are also becoming clearer (i.e., less turbid), thereby allowing the normally light-limited coastal phytoplankton to more effectively utilize lower concentrations of nutrients. Linear regression analyses indicate that winter Secchi depth and sea surface temperature are the most important predictors of coastal Chl a, while Atlantic inflow is the best predictor of open Chl a; nutrient concentrations are not a significant predictor in either model. Thus, despite decreasing nutrient concentrations, Chl a continues to increase, suggesting that climatic variability and water transparency may be more important than nutrient concentrations to phytoplankton production at the scale of this study.

A 60-year ocean colour data set from the continuous plankton recorder

The phytoplankton colour index (PCI) of the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey is an in situ measure of ocean colour, which is considered a proxy of the phytoplankton biomass. PCI has been extensively used to describe the major spatiotemporal patterns of phytoplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean and North Sea since 1931. Regardless of its wide application, the lack of an adequate evaluation to test the PCI's quantitative nature is an important limitation. To address this concern, a field trial over the main production season has been undertaken to assess the numerical values assigned by previous investigations for each category of the greenness of the PCI. CPRs were towed across the English Channel from Roscoff to Plymouth consecutively for each of 8 months producing 76 standard CPR samples, each representing 10 nautical miles of tow. The results of this experiment test and update the PCI methodology, and confirm the validity of this long-term in situ ocean colour data set. In addition, using a 60-year time series of the PCI of the western English Channel, a comparison is made between the previous and the current revised experimental calculations of PCI.