Circulation a key factor in Mediterranean algal growth

The early appearance of nitrate in December appears to have been the driving force for favorable conditions for algal blooms in the Mediterranean, a new study indicates. To better understand the role of nutrients' availability to enable the growth of phytoplankton in temperate seas, D'Ortenzio et al. installed nitrate concentration sensors on two profiling floats in the northwestern Mediterranean basin in summer 2011. Each spring, the phytoplankton in this basin rapidly grow to form a bloom that blankets the surface and contributes to the transport of carbon from the atmosphere to the deep ocean. Scientists are still unsure exactly what produces the conditions for these blooms, but they know that the availability of nutrients, induced by large-scale circulation in the oceans, during the winter is a factor.