Monsoon-driven dynamics of environmental factors and phytoplankton in tropical Sanya Bay, South China Sea

Abstract

In this work, we analyze environmental (physical and chemical) and biological (phytoplankton) data obtained in Sanya Bay during four cruises, carried out in January, April, August, and October. The main objective of this study was to identify the key environmental factors affecting phytoplankton structure and bacterioplankton in the bay. Results suggest that spatial variations in the phytoplankton community and bacterioplankton biomass are the result of nutrients. Temporal variation in the abundance of bacterioplankton and phytoplankton are affected by a combination of physical and biological factors, such as temperature and nutrients. The silicate, phosphate, and nitrogen phytoplankton require for growth may be co-limited. Monsoon winds (a southwestern monsoon during summer and a northeastern monsoon during winter) play important roles in controlling the phytoplankton community and bacterioplankton abundance in Sanya Bay, northern South China Sea. Copyright © of Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdansk, Poland.