Der Einfluss von Seamounts auf die klein- und mesoskalige Verteilung des Phytoplanktons im zentralen, subtropischen Nordostatlantik

• Main Author: Kaufmann, Manfred
• Other Authors: Zeitzschel, B., Lochte, Karin
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: German
• Published: 2004
• Subjects: ddc:570; thesis; Atlantischer Ozean <Nordost>; Phytoplankton; Räumliche Verteilung; Tiefseeberg; biogeochemistry; seamounts; Ampere Seamount; North-East Atlantic; Great Meteor Bank; picoplankton; Taylor column; Meteor Bank; Meteor Seamount; North East Atlantic
• Online Access: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:gbv:8-diss-10676; https://macau.uni-kiel.de/receive/diss_mods_00001067; https://macau.uni-kiel.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/dissertation_derivate_00001067/d1067.pdf

Ampere (35°05'N 012°55'W) and Great Meteor (30°00‘N 028°30‘W) Seamounts (subtropical NE-Atlantic) were visited in April 1996 and September 1998, respectively, to investigate the influence of these two seamounts on the distribution of phytoplankton. Measurements of the oceanographic conditions and biogeochemical parameters with different methods indicate an anticyclonic, topography following flow around Ampere Seamount, suggesting a slight upwelling of deeper water at a prominent cut at the southern slope and the formation of a Taylor cap at Great Meteor Seamount, responsible for a slight doming of the measured isopleths. Nevertheless, no significant upwelling into the nutrient depleted surface layers and also no significant enhancement of phytoplankton biomass could be detected at both seamounts. The phytoplankton community was clearly dominated by small-sized groups (pico- and nanoplankton). The distribution of these organisms could be explained by the observed hydrographic conditions. The results presented here for the two studied seamounts lead to the conclusion that a distinct seamount ecosystem exists.