Factors governing phytoplankton and particulate matter variation in Potter Cove, King George island, Antarctica

SCHLOSS, I.R., KLOESER, H., FERREYRA, G.A., MERCURI, G., CURTOSI, A., PINOLA, E

Antarctic Communities

Cambridge University Press

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 1997; p. 135 - 141

Phytoplankton biomass and composition, and suspended particulate matter were related to light intensity, wind speed and direction, wind driven currents, water temperature and salinity at two permanent stations in the inner and outer parts of Potter Cove, King George Island, South Shetland Islands, from November 1991 to February 1993. Resuilts of both summer seasons showed that after seasonal ice retreat no phytoplankton bloom occurred. Local winds and wind driven currents prevented biomass accumulation in early spring, before glacial melting. Later, creeks and possibly glacial subsurface draining discharged suspended particles of mainly inorganic origin, which limited light available for photosynthesis in the cove. These effects were more evident in the inner than in the outer cove. Absolute values for particulate organic matter were relatively constant over the year. Typical Antarctic pelagic diatoms species dominated the summer phytoplankton, but benthic diatoms were also abundant. Small flagellates dominated the autumn community. In winter water temperature and salinity were vertically homogeneous after ice consolidation and suspended particulate matter and chlorophyll a sharply decreased. In contrast to the summer situation, higher suspended particulate matter values occurred at greater depths. (?)