Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning
EU Network of Excellence

 
Main Menu

· Home
· Contacts
· Data Systems
· Documents
· FAQ
· Links
· MarBEF Open Archive
· Network Description
· Outreach
· Photo Gallery
· Quality Assurance
· Register of Resources
· Research Projects
· Rules and Guidelines
· Training
· Wiki
· Worldconference

 

Register of Resources (RoR)

 People  |  Datasets  |  Literature  |  Institutes  |  Projects 

[ report an error in this record ]basket (1): add | show Print this page

one publication added to basket [241400]
Model assessment of present-day Phaeocystis colony blooms in the Southern Bight of the North Sea (SBNS) by comparison with a reconstructed pristine situation
Lancelot, C.; Passy, P.; Gypens, N. (2014). Model assessment of present-day Phaeocystis colony blooms in the Southern Bight of the North Sea (SBNS) by comparison with a reconstructed pristine situation. Harmful Algae 37: 172-182. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2014.05.017
In: Harmful Algae. Elsevier: Tokyo; Oxford; New York; London; Amsterdam; Shannon; Paris. ISSN 1568-9883; e-ISSN 1878-1470
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Keywords
    Phaeocystis Lagerheim, 1893 [WoRMS]
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    Southern Bight of the North Sea; Eutrophication; Phaeocystis magnitude; Ecological modeling; Present-day; Pristine

Authors  Top 
  • Lancelot, C., more
  • Passy, P.
  • Gypens, N.

Abstract
    We performed simulations with the existing MIRO&CO-3D ecological model to assess the present-day magnitude and geographical extent of undesirable Phaeocystis colony blooms in the Southern Bight of the North Sea (SBNS) receiving anthropogenic nutrient inputs from large European rivers that mix with the inflowing Atlantic waters. The criterion of 4•106Phaeocystis colonial cells L-1 of Lancelot et al. (2009) is used to scale the presence of undesirable bloom. These simulations are compared with a reconstructed pristine SBNS ecosystem making use of nutrient inputs calculated with the Seneque/Riverstrahler model of the river system when all human activities on the watershed have been erased. Interannual variability is considered by performing model runs for two contrasted meteorological years: wet (2001) and dry (2005). Results show a large excess of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) delivery to the SBNS, i.e., 12 and 5 times the pristine situation respectively. In contrast, the total silicon (Si) input is decreased with respect to natural conditions due to freshwater diatom growth in some eutrophied rivers. Qualitatively, rivers deliver nutrients in large Si excess for pristine condition but N excess for both 2001 and 2005, when scaled to the N, P and Si requirement of coastal diatoms. Responding to the river nutrient inputs, either natural or of anthropogenic origin, phytoplankton blooms are simulated in the vicinity of the river mouths, especially in the eastern SBNS receiving 78–98% of the direct river inputs. In this area nutrients cumulate along a SW-NE gradient and the bloom is forming a wide ribbon parallel to the coast. A short time-delay is simulated between the western and eastern SBNS due to light limitation imposed by the amount of suspended particles carried by the Thames River. A spring diatom-Phaeocystis succession is simulated for both present-day and pristine condition. Diatoms dominate the bulk of the pristine phytoplankton community; Phaeocystis colonies develop in the whole domain, especially in the Thames and Scheldt river plume though their biomass remains low and never exceed the threshold of 4•106 cells L-1. In contrast, present-day Phaeocystis colonies start growing when diatoms attain their maximum in April, co-occur with and supplement them in May and June, reaching colonial cells densities >4•106 cells L-1 in many locations of the SBNS. Overall, Phaeocystis colonies are favored by wet meteorological conditions that enhance river N delivery. The geographical extent of undesirable Phaeocystis blooms thus varies between dry and wet years and affects 72% of the modeled SBNS domain distributed in three areas: the eastern band (90%), the Thames plume (6%) and a small offshore area (4%) possibly connected to the eastern band.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors 


If any information here appears to be incorrect, please contact us
Back to Register of Resources
 
Quick links

MarBEF WIKI

Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (EMBC)
Outreach

Science
Responsive Mode Programme (RMP) - Marie Nordstrom, copyright Aspden Rebecca

WoRMS
part of WoRMS logo

ERMS 2.0
Epinephelus marginatus Picture: JG Harmelin

EurOBIS

Geographic System

Datasets

 


Web site hosted and maintained by Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) - Contact data-at-marbef.org