Saharan dust deposition may affect phytoplankton growth in the mediterranean sea at ecological time scales
The surface waters of the Mediterranean Sea are extremely poor in the nutrients necessary for plankton growth. At the same time, the Mediterranean Sea borders with the largest and most active desert areas in the world and the atmosphere over the basin is subject to frequent injections of mineral dus...
| Autores: | , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2014 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/26146 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/26146 https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0110762 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Atmospheric aerosols Mineral dust Phytoplankton -- Mediterranean Sea Air -- Pollution algal community algal growth Article atmospheric deposition autumn cell count circannual rhythm concentration (parameters) ecological phenomena and functions ecological time scale geographic distribution Mediterranean Sea nonhuman phytoplankton primary production (biomass) Saharan dust deposition sea surface waters seasonal variation spring summer Aerosols atmosfèrics Pols mineral Fitoplàncton -- Mediterrània (Mar) Aire -- Contaminació Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Desenvolupament humà i sostenible::Degradació ambiental::Contaminació atmosfèrica Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria química::Química del medi ambient |
| Sumario: | The surface waters of the Mediterranean Sea are extremely poor in the nutrients necessary for plankton growth. At the same time, the Mediterranean Sea borders with the largest and most active desert areas in the world and the atmosphere over the basin is subject to frequent injections of mineral dust particles. We describe statistical correlations between dust deposition over the Mediterranean Sea and surface chlorophyll concentrations at ecological time scales. Aerosol deposition of Saharan origin may explain 1 to 10% (average 5%) of seasonally detrended chlorophyll variability in the low nutrient-low chlorophyll Mediterranean. Most of the statistically significant correlations are positive with main effects in spring over the Eastern and Central Mediterranean, conforming to a view of dust events fueling needed nutrients to the planktonic community. Some areas show negative effects of dust deposition on chlorophyll, coinciding with regions under a large influence of aerosols from European origin. The influence of dust deposition on chlorophyll dynamics may become larger in future scenarios of increased aridity and shallowing of the mixed layer |
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