engleski

Phytoplankton distribution related to different winter conditions in 2016-2017 and 2020 in the open Southern Adriatic Sea (Eastern Mediterranean)

Phytoplankton community structure and dynamics were investigated in the open southern Adriatic Sea during three winter seasons (2016, 2017, 2020) under different oceanographic and meteorological conditions. The principal environmental factor was a pronounced inflow of the Levantine Intermediate water into the Adriatic, favoured by the cyclonic circulation of the North Ionian Gyre. Research cruises were undertaken in the northern part of the South Adriatic Pit (SAP) with a maximum depth of 1200 m. High abundances of phytoplankton in the deep layer associated with strong downward flow were recorded in 2016, and an intense surface phytoplankton bloom in March 2017. In December 2020, phytoplankton abundances were common for the habitually oligotrophic open southern Adriatic Sea. The phytoplankton community in SAP involved nanophytoflagellates and diatoms as the most abundant taxonomic group. Presence of some coastal phytoplankton taxa suggests the influx of coastal water masses and transport of species either longitudinally, from the northern to the southern Adriatic in concomitance of the North Adriatic Dense Water spreading, or transversal as a response to the strong mesoscale activity in the study region, comprising intense shelf - open sea interaction.

Adriatic Sea ; Eastern Mediterranean ; hydroclimatic events ; taxonomic composition ; vertical mixing

nije evidentirano