Size-fractionated Chlorophyll <i>a</i> biomass in the northern South China Sea in summer 2014 -- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2016,34(4):672-682

	Cite this paper:
	LIU Haijiao, XUE Bing, FENG Yuanyuan, ZHANG Rui, CHEN Mianrun, SUN Jun. Size-fractionated Chlorophyll a biomass in the northern South China Sea in summer 2014[J]. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2016, 34(4): 672-682

Size-fractionated Chlorophyll a biomass in the northern South China Sea in summer 2014

LIU Haijiao^1,2, XUE Bing^1,2, FENG Yuanyuan^1,2, ZHANG Rui³, CHEN Mianrun⁴, SUN Jun^1,2

1 College of Marine Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China;
2 Tianjin Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Chemistry, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China;
3 State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science and the Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China;
4 Institute of South China Sea Planning and Environment, State Oceanic Administration (SOA), Guangzhou 510300, China

Abstract:

Spatial distribution of phaeopigment and size-fractionated chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations were examined in relation to hydrographic conditions in the northern South China Sea (NSCS) during a survey from 20 August to 12 September, 2014. The total Chl a concentration varied from 0.006 to 1.488 μg/L with a mean value of 0.259±0.247 (mean±standard deviation) μg/L. Chl a concentration was generally higher in shallow water (<200 m) than in deep water (>200 m), with mean values of 0.364±0.311 μg/L and 0.206±0.192 μg/L respectively. Vertically, the maximum total Chl a concentration appeared at depths of 30-50 m and gradually decreased below 100 m. The size-fractionated Chl a concentrations of grid stations and time-series stations (SEATS and J4) were determined, with values of pico-(0.7-2 μm), nano-(2-20 μm) and micro-plankton (20-200 μm) ranging from 0.001-0.287 (0.093±0.071 μg/L), 0.004-1.149 (0.148±0.192 μg/L) and 0.001-0.208 (0.023±0.036 μg/L), respectively. Phaeopigment concentrations were determined at specific depths at ten stations, except for at station A9, and varied from 0.007 to 0.572 (0.127±0.164) μg/L. Nano-and pico-plankton were the major contributors to total phytoplankton biomass, accounting for 50.99%±15.01% and 39.30%±15.41%, respectively, whereas microplankton only accounted for 9.39%±8.66%. The results indicate that the contributions of microplankton to total Chl a biomass were less important than picoplankton or nanoplankton in the surveyed NSCS. Different sized-Chl a had similar spatial patterns, with peak values all observed in subsurface waters (30-50 m). The summer monsoon, Kuroshio waters, Zhujiang (Pearl) River plume, and hydrological conditions are speculated to be the factors controlling the abundance and spatial heterogeneity of Chl a biomass in the NSCS.

Key words: Northern South China Sea|size-fractionated chlorophyll a|phaeopigment|picoplankton|Zhujiang (Pearl) River

Received: 2015-01-21 Revised: 2015-03-27

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Articles by SUN Jun

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