Studies on phytoplankton distribution and primary production in the western English Channel in 1980 and 1981

The distribution of chlorophyll on a transect of the English Channel was measured during 1980 and 1981. In both years, high concentrations of chlorophyll a were measured in midchannel in July and August and this was due to a bloom of Gyrodinium aureolum. At a near-shore station close to Plymouth, regular measurements of water transparency and primary production were made during 1981. Values of diffuse attenuation coefficient increased in the spring with increasing chlorophyll concentration; this was followed by a period of low attenuation coefficients when chlorophyll maxima developed on the thermocline. The attenuation coefficient was greatly increased in late summer as the result of a bloom of G. aureolum. The high cell density resulted in self-limitation and specific rates of photosynthetic carbon fixation were low during the bloom. The total water-column light utilization index (Ψ) is calculated to be 0.48 g C g Chl a^?1 E^?1 m^?2 and the possible use of this index to calculate production from depth-integrated chlorophyll a concentrations is discussed.