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Response of Summer Phytoplankton to Episodic Meteorological Events (Gulf of Trieste, Adriatic Sea)
Author(s) -
Malej A.,
MozetiČ P.,
MalaČČ V.,
Turk V.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
marine ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.668
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1439-0485
pISSN - 0173-9565
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0485.1997.tb00442.x
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , environmental science , nutrient , oceanography , nitrate , biomass (ecology) , standing crop , precipitation , ecosystem , phosphorus , productivity , ecology , geology , geography , biology , meteorology , materials science , macroeconomics , economics , metallurgy
. Despite increasing evidence that atmospheric deposition may contribute considerably to new production in coastal seas, the role of this nutrient source in the shallow northern Adriatic ecosystem has remained largely unassessed. This study demonstrates that locally collected rain water significantly stimulates primary production and phytoplankton biomass accumulation in microcosm experiments. The concentration of nutrients in rain water collected during summer storms (11.38–77.19 μmol·1 ‐1 nitrate. 4.45–36.38 μmol.1·1 ammonium, 0.93–4.75 μmol·1 ‐1 phosphate) indicated that the precipitation is influenced by anthropogenic emissions from urbanised and industrialised regions of the European continent. Rainfall events delivered relatively large (127 tons nitrogen, 9.5 tons phosphorus in the period 10 June to 10 September, 1993). though episodic, nutrient input into the area. Field measurements showed that storm events were followed by an increase of phytoplankton standing crop and a shift of community structure.