| Summary: | The biomass distribution and the composition of the microplankton (1O-200J.1m) were investigated along a transect between 80uthem Brazil (25º30'8) and Antarctic Peninsula (62º05'8) in November/1992. Biomass peaks were observed at Polar Front (PF) and Brazil-Malvinas Confluence Zone (BMCZ) (0.84-1.23 J.1g Chl.a/l). Adjacent waters showed low biomass indicating low productivity, with similar average values for Antarctic Water (0.18 J.1g/l) and 8ubtropical Water (0.27 J.1g11), where a bloom of Trichodesmium erythraeum was detected. 8ubantarctic waters over the oceanic province around the Patagonian shelf represented a notable exception, with peaks in phytoplankton biomass (up to 2.46 J.1g Chl.a/l). Those areas of enhanced biomass were diatom-dominated; the Prymnesiophyceae Phaeocystis was abundant in some stations. Both fronts presented similar values of chlorophyll-a, indicating that environments with distinctive characteristics could support blooms of the same magnitude. Weakly silicified diatoms (Hemiaulus, Leptocylindrus, Thalassiosira) dominated to the north of the BMCZ, while heavily silicified species (Asteromphalus, Chaetoceros aff.neglectus, Fragillariopsis kerguelensis, Proboscia, Pseudonitzschia sp., Rhizosolenia) formed the buIk of phytoplankton at the PF, reflecting the different chemical characteristics of the water masses. The diatoms occurring in the PF appear to be recurrent and widely distributed along different longitudes over the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Ciliates and heterotrophic dinoflagellates were dominant at 8ubtropical Water and to the north ofBMCZ, and seemed to respond quickly to the increasing phytoplankton biomass. A distribuição quantitativa e a biomassa do microplâncton (1O-200J.lffi) foram investigadas ao longo de um transecto entre 8ão Paulo (25º30'8) e a Península Antártica (62º05'8) em novembro de 1992. Aumentos de biomassa fitoplanctônica ocorreram na Frente Polar (FP) e Zona de Confluência Brasil-Malvinas (ZCBM) (0,84-1,23J.1g Chl.a/l). A biomassa foi menor nas massas ...
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