"A Modelling Study of Emiliania huxleyi in the NE Atlantic"


Tyrrell, T. & Taylor, A.H. (1995) A modelling study of Emiliania huxleyi in the NE Atlantic. Journal of Marine Systems special issue on Emiliania huxleyi, 9(1/2):195-203.

Conclusions


``The specific environmental conditions that favour the growth of coccolithophores in the Northeast Atlantic have not been identified.'' (Malin et al, 1993). This modelling study has attempted to answer this question for E. huxleyi by simulating the conditions in the northeastern Atlantic, in particular during the spring and summer of 1991. Several assumptions are made in the model, both about E. huxleyi and about the environmental conditions at the time of the 1991 bloom. These assumptions are carefully derived from data, and the degree of dependence of the model results on these assumptions was investigated using sensitivity analyses (section 4.1).
The model results give support to two causal factors in particular: (1) high light intensities in the surface layer, caused by high incident light intensities and a shallow mixing depth, and brought about in turn by calm and sunny weather; and (2) low inorganic phosphate concentrations, in conjunction with less limiting nitrate concentrations, which may be associated with waters north of the Sub-Arctic Front.


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Toby Tyrrell : T.Tyrrell@noc.soton.ac.uk