Publication Abstract

Pressure on the coastal zone is increasing due to increased anthropogenic nutrient loads, and this is affecting phytoplankton bloom dynamics. This has repercussions throughout the ecosystem. To assess the impact man is having on long-term trends we must understand the multiple scales of variability in bloom dynamics, and the controlling factors. Most investigation of phytoplankton blooms has been done with ship surveys and discrete water samples. Winter pre-curser data may be missing due to surveys being hampered by poor winter weather, and much of the progression and variability of a bloom event can be missed due to low temporal resolution. This limits the possibility of identifying important factors controlling bloom progression from such methods. Moored data buoys are used to collect data at high frequency for extended periods and thus provide the temporal resolution and quantity of data needed to fully investigate bloom dynamics. CEFAS has a number of Smartbuoy moorings deployed in UK coastal waters taking high frequency observations. We consider chlorophyll fluorescence, comparing it to nutrients, turbidity and the underwater light regime using principal components analysis and multiple regression, and present investigations into the factors controlling phytoplankton blooms.