Local effects of wind speed and direction on the phytoplankton of the Southern Bight
Dickson, R.R.; Reid, P.C. (1983). Local effects of wind speed and direction on the phytoplankton of the Southern Bight. J. Plankton Res. 5(4): 441-455
In: Journal of Plankton Research. Oxford University Press: New York,. ISSN 0142-7873; e-ISSN 1464-3774, more
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| Keywords |
Algal blooms
Circulation > Atmospheric motion > Atmospheric circulation
Circulation > Atmospheric motion > Atmospheric circulation > Meridional atmospheric circulation
Direction > Wind direction
Motion > Atmospheric motion > Winds
Population dynamics
Velocity > Wind speed
Ceratium F.Schrank, 1793 [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal |
| Authors | | Top |
- Dickson, R.R.
- Reid, P.C., more
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| Abstract |
The causes of the exceptionally early bloom of Ceratium spp. in the Southern Bight of the North Sea during the early 1970s are re-assessed. This localised event is found to coincide with a change in the meridional circulation over the North Sea in the late winter and early spring, with abnormally strong northerlies during the 1960s giving way to strengthened southerlies during the early 1970s. Such a change in wind direction can be expected (both from observation and simulation) to bring about a less widespread distribution of turbid coastal water in the Southern Bight and the marked reduction in windfetch may also have served to decrease watercolumn turbidity through its effect on the incidence of long-period swell. These processes may be reinforced by associated changes in the quantity of turbid runoff discharges by the Rhine. The advanced blooms of Ceratium spp. in the early 1970s are attributed both to these effects and to an increased frequency of light winds (decreased wind mixing) in the early months of the year. |
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