The spatial distribution of plankton communities in a Slope Water anticyclonic Oceanic eDDY (SWODDY) in the southern Bay of Biscay

Abstract

Slope Water anticyclonic Oceanic eDDIES (SWODDIES) are typical mesoscale features of open-ocean waters of the southern Bay of Biscay which usually develop in winter by shedding from the seasonal poleward current flowing along the northern Spanish slope. These eddies have been intensively studied from the physical perspective. However, their effect on the distribution of biological properties and on the functioning of the pelagic ecosystem has not been assessed so far. To this aim, a sea-truth, multidisciplinary and comprehensive study of a SWODDY was carried out in summer 1998. The eddy, radius of ≈50 km, was initially centred at 45·5°N 6·0°W, being characterized by a relatively homogeneous core of water in the centre of the eddy extending from 80 to about 200 dbar. In the central region of the core, temperature (12·55–12·75°C) and salinity (≈35·70) values were higher than outside the eddy. The optical properties of the eddy also differed from those of the surrounding waters. A distinct biological signature was found associated with the eddy. Depth-integrated chlorophyll-a concentrations were 25% higher at the eddy centre where upward doming of the seasonal pycnocline (up to 30 dbar) occurred. Enhanced phytoplankton biomass was related to a higher contribution of >10 μm cells, mainly represented by diatoms and chrysophyceans. Phytoplankton and mesozooplankton species composition in and outside the eddy differed significantly reflecting the coastal origin of the water parcel trapped by the eddy. The sharp modification of the planktonic community composition, biomass and associated size-structure caused by slope water oceanic eddies are likely to exert a significant effect upon the upper trophic levels of the pelagic ecosystem of the southern Bay of Biscay.