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Abstract The energetic mesoscale and submesoscale processes in the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO) have a significant effect on phytoplankton growth revealed by satellite observations and numerical simulations. Based on observations… Click to show full abstract
Abstract The energetic mesoscale and submesoscale processes in the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO) have a significant effect on phytoplankton growth revealed by satellite observations and numerical simulations. Based on observations from two Bio-Argo floats deployed in the SWIO, a prominent phenomenon of subsurface Chl-a maximum (SCM) is observed in this region during spring, summer and autumn. After comparing the Chl-a profiles with and without mixed layer restratification (ML restratification), we found that the ML restratification favors to increase the upper ocean Chl-a concentration in spring, autumn and winter, while decrease Chl-a concentration in summer, which could be explained by nutrient-light colimitation on growth rates. Further analysis imply ML restratification is likely caused by the surface heating and up-front wind-driven Ekman transport.
Journal Title: Journal of Marine Systems
Year Published: 2020
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