Temperature-related timing of the spring bloom and match between phytoplankton and zooplankton

Abstract

Global warming is causing changes in the food web structure and seasonal plankton dynamics. The Baltic Sea is one of the fastest-warming sea areas and warming consequently affects the timing and magnitude of phytoplankton blooms. Based on available Chlorophyll a data from nine years between 1979 and 2018, from the entrance to the Gulf of Finland, we studied the timing of the phytoplankton spring bloom in relation to spring seawater temperature. We found the peak of the bloom to occur earlier in years with higher spring seawater temperature. In warmer years, there was also a shorter time lag between phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass peaks. In addition, it seems as the spring bloom total biomass has decreased with time, with more extensive summer blooms during later years, in line with the general trend observed in the Baltic Sea. The spring bloom has traditionally been considered the most important part of the season, but we argue that the whole growth season should be investigated since summer blooms appear to increase with warming.