Variability of chlorophyll a concentration in surface waters of the open Baltic Sea

Abstract

In situ, satellite and reanalysis data from numerical models were used to study the characteristic features of Chl variability in the Baltic Sea. The analysis is focused on the years 2003–2020 when regular observations of ocean color with the MODIS AQUA are available. In the Baltic Sea, there is a pronounced annual cycle in physical conditions in the water column, driven by seasonal cycles in atmospheric forcing. The seasonal cycle of Chl concentration does not conform to the picture known from classical models, with low phytoplankton concentration when nutrients are low. In contrast, in the Baltic Sea, the concentration of Chl is high even during the summer months when nutrients are depleted. This can be explained by a continuous supply of nutrients by runoff from land, as well as by a significant contribution to primary production by phytoplankton able to survive in environment poor in dissolved nutrients. There is also a considerable interannual variability in Chl. There are many possible cause/effect interactions involved, but the data series are still too short to make clear which of them are the most important. The most striking event was a spring bloom in 2008.