Vertical mixing and global change

Vertical mixing produced by wind conditions the responses of phytoplankton.

Patagonian coastal area. Phytoplankton communities will be affected not only by global change, but also by vertical mixing.

We studied the effects of vertical mixing, produced for example by wind, on phytoplankton communities of the Chubut River estuary (marine and riverine) We found that marine communities are more vulnerable than river ones under conditions of vertical mixing, when exposed to a future scenario of higher amounts of nutrients and acidification. This will have important consequences for the trophodynamics of the coastal ecosystems of the Patagonian region.

The article was published in Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (click to go to the page):

Complete reference

Bermejo, P., C. Durán-Romero, V.E. Villafañe & E.W. Helbling. 2020. Influence of fluctuating irradiance on photosynthesis, growth and community structure of estuarine phytoplankton under increased nutrients and acidification. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 526: 151348.

Funding

This work was funded by the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) and Fundación Playa Unión.