A case study of a phytoplankton bloom triggered by a tropical cyclone and cyclonic eddies

PLoS One. 2020 Apr 10;15(4):e0230394. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230394. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Strong tropical cyclone (TC) Ockhi occurred in the southeastern Arabian Sea (AS) in 2017. Ockhi greatly changed the oceanic conditions and induced large variation in chlorophyll-a (Chl-a). The dynamic mechanisms of the long-term phytoplankton bloom after the passage of the TC were investigated in this study. Prominent surface ocean responses, e.g., decreasing temperature and salinity, were identified from Argo data by comparing the pre- and post-conditions of the TC. A phytoplankton bloom was observed in southeastern AS after the passage of TC Ockhi within the area of (11°N-14°N, 67°E-70°E) and lasted for seven days. Interestingly, there were two weaker cyclonic eddies, with an average vorticity of less than 0.14 s-1, on the TC trajectory from November 28 to December 2. As Ockhi approached, strong vertical mixing occurred on December 3, increasing the eddy vorticity to 0.26 s-1. After the passage of Ockhi, both eddies, with a two-day oscillation period, were substantially enhanced. Especially from December 11 to 16, the vorticity above 70 m was as high as 0.2 s-1 in the thermocline. Because of the high photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) and low precipitation, the enhanced cyclonic eddies induced upwelling for the entire thermocline for over ten days and uplifted nitrates into the mixed layer. This study offers new insights on the influence of eddies in regulating the impacts of typhoons on Chl-a, and the results can help evaluate typhoon-induced biological responses in the future.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chlorophyll A / metabolism
  • Cyclonic Storms*
  • Harmful Algal Bloom*
  • Nitrates
  • Oceans and Seas
  • Photosynthesis
  • Phytoplankton / growth & development*
  • Phytoplankton / metabolism
  • Salinity
  • Seasons
  • Seawater / chemistry
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Nitrates
  • Chlorophyll A

Grants and funding

This project was supported by Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD), State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. LTO1702), the Key Special Project for Introduced Talents Team of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) (Grant no. GML2019ZD0304), Natural Science Foundation of Huai Hai Institute of Technology (Grant No. Z2017006), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK20181072), and the Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China (Grant No. 18KJB440003).