(2009) Recent Changes in Phytoplankton Communities Associated with Rapid Regional Climate Change Along the Western Antarctic Peninsula
Authors |
Montes-hugo M. , Doney S.C. , Ducklow H. , Fraser W. , Martinson D. , Stammerjohn S. , Schofield O. |
Source |
Science Magazine (96) |
Type |
P - Paper (2851) |
Peer Review |
1 - High (2301) |
Audience |
S - Specialist (3514) |
Pages |
1470-1473 |
Journal Number |
323 |
Notes |
The climate of the western shelf of the Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is undergoing a transition from a cold-dry polar-type climate to a warm-humid sub-Antarctic–type climate. Using three decades of satellite and field data, we document that ocean biological productivity, inferred from chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a), has significantly changed along the WAP shelf. Summertime surface Chl a (summer integrated Chl a 63% of annually integrated Chl a) declined by 12% along the WAP over the past 30 years, with the largest decreases equatorward of 63°S and with substantial increases in Chl a occurring farther south. The latitudinal variation in Chl a trends reflects shifting patterns of ice cover, cloud formation, and windiness affecting water-column mixing. Regional changes in phytoplankton coincide with observed changes in krill (Euphausia superba) and penguin populations. |
Resources online
Categories
Invertebrates
Carbon Dioxide
Cryosphere Dynamics
Southern Ocean
Birds
Changes in Species Populations and Assemblages
Productivity
Keywords
Western Antarctica Pensinsula (WAP)
phytoplankton
regional climate change
penguins
Regions
Antarctica
Entered by: Rachel Downey, 3/2009