Numerical modelling of the influence of the vertical thermal structure on phytoplanktonic growth in the English Channel
Agoumi, A.; Gosse, P.; Khalanski, M. (1985). Numerical modelling of the influence of the vertical thermal structure on phytoplanktonic growth in the English Channel, in: Gibbs, P.E. (Ed.) Proceedings of the 19th European Marine Biology Symposium, Plymouth, Devon, UK, 16-21 September 1984. pp. 23-37
In: Gibbs, P.E. (Ed.) (1985). Proceedings of the Nineteenth European Marine Biology Symposium, Plymouth, Devon, UK, 16-21 September 1984. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-30294-3. 541 pp., more
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Document type: Conference paper
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| Authors | | Top |
- Agoumi, A.
- Gosse, P.
- Khalanski, M.
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| Abstract |
A two-layer model simulating temperature, phytoplankton biomass, nitrogen and zooplankton has been designed to assess the influence of physical processes on primary growth in the English Channel. Three typical stations of the channel are examined on a yearly cycle: a station in the mixed zone (SM), a station in the stratified zone (Ss) and a station where low-amplitude vertical stratification occurs over a short period (ST). Simulation of the mixed zone makes it possible to portray the seasonal change of the variables; the differences observed raise the issue of the representation of certain biological processes. In the stratified zone, temperature is rather well modelled with the consideration of only two layers, but phytoplanktonic biomass concentrations are not always well reproduced, particularly at the beginning of spring when there is a month's delay before the algal bloom at the surface. In the area where thermal stratification is low (vertical temperature gradient of approximately 1°C), lasting a few weeks per year, the model indicates the presence of substantial phytoplanktonic growth. A sensitivity analysis is presented to show the influence of tidal currents and wind on phytoplanktonic growth in the Channel. |
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