A study of the diatom-dominated microplankton summer assemblages in coastal waters from Terre Adélie to the Mertz Glacier, East Antarctica (139°E–145°E)

peer reviewed In January 2004 the microplankton community from the coastal waters of Terre Adélie and Georges V Land (139°E - 145°E) was studied. Results showed a diatom-dominated bloom with chlorophyll a levels averaging 0.64 µg.l-1 at 5m depth (range 0.21 - 1.57 µg.l-1). Three geographic assemblag...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Biology
Main Authors: Beans, Cristina, Hecq, Jean-Henri, Koubbi, Philippe, Vallet, Carole, Wrigth, Simon, Goffart, Anne
Other Authors: MARE - Centre Interfacultaire de Recherches en Océanologie - ULiège
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Springer Science & Business Media B.V. 2008
Subjects:
Antarctica
Terre Adelie
phytoplankton
Diatoms
Life sciences
Aquatic sciences & oceanology
Sciences du vivant
Sciences aquatiques & océanologie
Antarc*
Astrolabe Glacier
East Antarctica
Mertz Glacier
Polar Biology
Online Access:https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/19814
https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/19814/1/Beans%20et%20al.%202008.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-008-0452-x
Description
Summary:peer reviewed In January 2004 the microplankton community from the coastal waters of Terre Adélie and Georges V Land (139°E - 145°E) was studied. Results showed a diatom-dominated bloom with chlorophyll a levels averaging 0.64 µg.l-1 at 5m depth (range 0.21 - 1.57 µg.l-1). Three geographic assemblages of diatoms were identified, based on principal diatom taxa abundances. The stratified waters near the Mertz Glacier presented highest phytoplankton biomasses (0.28 - 1.57 µg Chl a.l-1 at 5m) and diatom abundances (6 507 - 70 274 cells.l-1 at 5m), but low diversity, dominated by Fragilariopsis spp. Lower biomasses (0.38 – 0.94 µg Chl a.l-1 at 5m) and abundances (394 – 9 058 cells.l-1 at 5m) were observed in the mixed waters around the Astrolabe Glacier with a diverse diatom community characterised by larger species Corethron pennatum and Rhizosolenia spp. Finally an intermediate zone between them over the shallower shelf waters of the Adélie Bank represented by Chaetoceros criophilus, where biomasses (0.21 - 0.35 µg Chl a.l-1 at 5m) and abundances (1 190 - 5 431 cells.l-1 at 5m) were lowest, coinciding with the presence of abundant herbivorous zooplankton. Pelagant, contract EV/12/30A

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