A strong summer phytoplankton bloom southeast of Vietnam in 2007, a transitional year from El Niño to La Niña

Abstract

Summer upwelling occurs frequently off the southeast Vietnam coast in the western South China Sea (SCS), where summer phytoplankton blooms generally appear during June-August. In this study, we investigate inter-annual variation of Ekman pumping and offshore transport, and its modulation on summer blooms southeast of Vietnam. The results indicate that there are low intensities of summer blooms in El Niño years, under higher sea surface temperatures (SST) and weaker winds. However, a different pattern of monthly chlorophyll a (Chl-a) blooms occurred in summer of 2007, a transitional stage from El Niño to La Niña, with weak (strong) wind and high (low) SST before (after) early July. There is a weak phytoplankton bloom before July 2007 and a strong phytoplankton bloom after July 2007. The abrupt change in the wind intensity may enhance the upwelling associated with Ekman pumping and offshore Ekman transport, bringing more high-nutrient water into the upper layer from the subsurface, and thus leading to an evident Chl-a bloom in the region.