Glucose fluxes and concentrations of dissolved combined neutral sugars (polysaccharides) in the Ross Sea and Polar Front Zone, Antarctica

We hypothesized that dissolved carbohydrates would be large components of the labile dissolved organic carbon (DOC) pool and would support much bacterial growth in Antarctic waters, especially the Ross Sea, since previous work had observed extensive phytoplankton blooms with potentially high production rates of carbohydrates in Antarctic seas. These hypotheses were tested on cruises in the Ross Sea and Antarctic Polar Front Zone as part of the US JGOFS program. Concentrations and fluxes of free glucose (the only free sugar detected) were very low, but dissolved polysaccharides appeared to be important components of the DOC pool. Concentrations of dissolved combined neutral sugars increased >3-fold during the phytoplankton bloom in the Ross Sea and were a large fraction (ca. 50%) of the semi-labile fraction of DOC. The relatively high concentrations of dissolved combined neutral sugars, which are thought to be quite labile, appear to explain why DOC accumulated during the phytoplankton bloom was degraded so quickly once the bloom ended. Some of the polysaccharides appeared to be more refractory, however, since dissolved combined neutral sugars were observed in deep waters (>550 m) and in early spring (October) in the Ross Sea, apparently having survived degradation for >8 months. The molecular composition of these refractory polysaccharides differed from that of polysaccharides sampled during the phytoplankton bloom. Fluxes of DOC were low in the Ross Sea compared to standing stocks and fluxes of particulate material, but the DOC that did accumulate during the phytoplankton bloom appeared to be sugar-rich and relatively labile.     

Interspecies competition for nutrients between Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu and Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve in mesocosm experiments

Three mesocosm experiments were conducted in the East China Sea during blooms of Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu in May of 1998, 2002 and 2003 to examine the role of nutrients in the formation of these harmful algae blooms (HABs). The results showed that there was interspecies competition between P. donghaiense and Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve. The cell number of P. donghaiense and S. costatum accounted for about 85% and 11% of the total cell number of phytoplankton respectively at the beginning of the experiment in May 1998. In May 2002, at the beginning of the experiment, the cell number of P. donghaiense accounted for 55%—66% of the total and S. costatum accounted for 32%—42%. The density of P. donghaiense and S. costatum was over 95% and 1%—5% respectively in May 2003. The results of these three mesocosm experiments showed that the dominant species in this specific community varied with different nutrient availability. Under lowphosphate conditions, the dominant species was P. donghaiense, while S. costatum became dominant in phosphatereplete cases. The average growth rate (1.08 d-1) of S. costatum in exponential growth phase was higher than that (0.39 d-1) of P. donghaiense. In the mesocosm, S. costatum predominated in the mesocosm by its rapid growth. When phosphorus was depleted, the cell number of S. costatum dropped rapidly, while P. donghaiense Lu decreased more slowly. The results from mesocosm experiment may explain why: (1) P. donghaiense bloom usually occurs in May, when phosphate concentration is low; (2) the bloom of S. costatum appears in early spring and summer time, when nutrients increase with increasing Changjiang River (Yangtze River) runoff; (3) the bloom of S. costatum is short and that of P. donghaiense Lu can last more than a month in the East China Sea.     

围隔实验研究台湾海峡2005年夏季小型浮游动物对硅藻水华的摄食

为了研究小型浮游动物对近岸浮游植物藻华的摄食调控作用,于2005年7月,应用"稀释法"并结合高效液相色谱(HPLC)光合色素分析技术,研究了台湾海峡船基围隔实验条件下浮游植物生长率及小型浮游动物摄食率的日变动。结果表明:由于营养盐添加的影响,迅速形成了以尖刺伪菱形藻(Pseudo-nitzschia pungens)为优势种的藻华,生物量(叶绿素a)从实验初始7月6日的1.45μg/dm3迅速增加到7月8日的29.80μg/dm3,随后消退。镜检和光合色素分析的结果显示,实验期间一直以此硅藻占绝对优势。浮游植物的生长率在藻华峰值(7月8日)前保持了较高的生长速率(>1.0/d)且大于小型浮游动物的摄食率;小型浮游动物的摄食率也逐渐增加,7月7日时达到0.86/d,显示有57%以上的浮游植物现存量被摄食。7月8日后,水华迅速消退,摄食率除13日外,均大于浮游植物的生长率。小型浮游动物主要由急游虫(Strombidium spp.)、侠盗虫(Strobilidium spp.)等无壳纤毛虫、异养甲藻-螺旋环沟藻(Gyrodinium spirale)及砂壳纤毛虫等组成,其对浮游植物的生长迅速作出了反应,各类群的丰度在水华峰值后的7月9日均几达最大值,水华后期(11日)大型的无壳纤毛虫达最大值。小型浮游动物的这种组成及变动特点是其保持较高摄食率及一定程度上控制和促进藻华消退的原因之一。     

大亚湾澳头海域硅藻、甲藻的数量变动及其与环境因子的关系

于1997年7月-1998年6月采集大亚湾澳头海域水样,根据《海洋监测规范》分析调查方法,研究了硅藻和甲藻的数量变动及其与环境因子之间的关系,共鉴定出浮游植物198种,其中硅藻98种,甲藻83种。结果表明,大亚湾浮游植物细胞密度较高,年平均细胞密度为424．7cells／ml,最高细胞密度为6689．8cells／ml,硅藻为浮游植物的主要类群。调查期间共发生藻类水华7次,硅藻可在全年各季节发生水华,而甲藻水华仅在春季发生。硅藻水华的消退与N的大量消耗有关,而甲藻水华对P消耗较大。结果表明,大亚湾合适的温度、盐度、气象条件、丰富的硅酸盐含量及N、P等营养盐的及时补充是大亚湾浮游植物数量高和水华频繁发生的主要原因,同时风、流等物理因素对藻类的聚积作用对水华的发生也有一定的促进作用。     

Characterization of the proteinaceous matter in marine aerosols

Marine aerosols play a dominant role in the transfer of oceanic material to the atmosphere. Most marine aerosol originates when air bubbles burst at the sea surface ejecting material from the sea surface microlayer and bubble surface layers into the air. Concentrations of chemical compounds in these surface layers often differ from their concentrations in bulk water. We examined the enrichment of aerosols with proteinaceous matter and attempted to characterize the physical nature and sources of this matter. We measured concentrations of dissolved free (DFAA), dissolved combined (DCAA), and particulate (PAA) amino acids, transparent stainable particles (TSP), and bacteria and virus-like particles as carriers of protein, in natural and simulated aerosols. We also evaluated D/L ratios certain amino acids in all amino acid fractions.DFAA and DCAA enriched the aerosols we sampled by 1.2–20 times compared to bulk seawater; PAA enrichment was usually higher (up to 50-fold). Aerosols contained particles typical of seawater, e.g., microorganisms, organic debris, inorganic particles with adsorbed organic matter, but also a large number of semitransparent gel-like particles, which all contained amino acids. Some of these particles were probably scavenged from bulk water, but new particles produced as bubbles burst at the surface comprised at least 10% of total proteinaceous matter in the aerosol. D/L ratios of certain amino acid suggested that the particles were most likely made from dissolved polymers secreted by phytoplankton that were concentrated on bubble surfaces and in the microlayer. Examination with Alcian Blue (a dye that targets carbohydrates) and Coomassie Blue (a dye that targets proteins) showed that most TSP in the aerosols contained both proteins and polysaccharides. Microorganisms enriched the aerosols by up to two orders of magnitude, but contributed less than 4% to the total protein pool.     

Dissolved organic carbon in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary

To unravel the factors that regulate DOC dynamics in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary, DOC concentration and biodegradability were monitored in the upper Schelde estuary and its major tributaries. Although the Schelde estuary possesses a densely populated and industrialized catchment, our data suggest that the bulk of DOC in the freshwater tidal reaches is not derived from waste water. This was concluded from the low biodegradability of DOC (on average 9%), DOC concentrations that are close to the mean for European rivers (4.61 mg l⁻¹) and the absence of an inverse relationship between DOC and discharge. Most DOC originating from waste water being discharged in tributaries of the estuary appears to be remineralised before these tributaries reach the main estuary. Although dense phytoplankton blooms were observed in the upper estuary during summer (up to 700 μg chl a l⁻¹), these blooms did not appear to produce large quantities of DOC in the freshwater tidal reaches as DOC concentrations were low when phytoplankton biomass was high. The fact that DOC concentrations were high in winter and decreased in summer suggests a predominantly terrestrial source of DOC in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary.     

Temporal dynamics of dissolved combined neutral sugars and the quality of dissolved organic matter in the Northwestern Sargasso Sea

The dynamics of dissolved combined neutral sugars (DCNS) were assessed in the upper 250 m at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site between 2001 and 2004. Our results reveal a regular annual pattern of DCNS accumulation with concentrations increasing at a rate of 0.009–0.012 μmol C L^?1 d^?1 in the surface 40 m from March to July and reaching maximum mean concentrations of 2.2–3.3 μmol C L^?1. Winter convective mixing (between January and March) annually exported surface-accumulated DCNS to the upper mesopelagic zone (100–250 m), as concentrations increased there by 0.3–0.6 μmol C L^?1. The exported DCNS was subsequently removed over a period of weeks following restratification of the water column. Vertical and temporal trends in DCNS yield (% of DOC) supported its use as a diagenetic indicator of DOM quality. Higher DCNS yields in surface waters suggested a portion of the DOM accumulated relatively recently compared to the more recalcitrant material of the upper mesopelagic that had comparably lower yields. DCNS yields and mol% neutral sugar content, together, indicated differences in the diagenetic state of the surface-accumulated and deep pools of DOM. Seasonally accumulated, recently produced DOM with higher DCNS yields was characterized by elevated mol% of galactose and mannose+xylose levels. Conversely, more recalcitrant DOM from depths >100 m had lower DCNS yields but higher mol% of glucose. Lower DCNS yields and elevated mol% glucose were also observed in the surface waters during winter convective mixing, indicating an entrainment of a diagenetically altered DOM pool into the upper 100 m. A multivariate statistical analysis confirms the use of DCNS as an index of shifts in DOM quality at this site.     

Nutrient Enrichments of Waters of "Golfo de San Jose" (Argentina, 42 oS), Growth and Species Selection of Phytoplankton

Abstract. Coastal Patagonian sea waters had been differentially nutrient-enriched to determine (i) the magnitude of the algal biomass supported and (ii) which species were able to best compete for the available nutrients. Nitrogen was found to be the nutrient limiting growth of the natural phytoplankton population. The addition of NO₃ at 25 μg at 1^-1 led to a 10 to 30 μg 1^-1 increase in chlorophyll a in all but those treatments containing trace metal additions. The best yield coefficients were obtained when a chelator (EDTA) was added with NO₃. A pool of nine diatom species were common in the N0₃ supplemented waters and the addition of vitamins along with NO₃ allowed two of the nine species to dominate.     

改性黏土法消除球形棕囊藻赤潮的现场实验与效果评估

球形棕囊藻是一种具有复杂异型生活史的有毒有害赤潮生物,近年来在我国近海频繁暴发成灾,形成的巨大囊体为国内外罕见。迄今还未见到有效消除囊体型球形棕囊藻赤潮的方法报道。本文通过海上围隔实验和现场赤潮消除工程跟踪监测,考察了喷洒改性黏土消除囊体型球形棕囊藻赤潮的可行性与效率,并分析了改性黏土法治理赤潮时对水体及沉积环境的可能影响。围隔实验结果表明,喷洒改性黏土可以有效消除水体中过量的微藻细胞,其中以少量多次喷洒方法的效果最好,生物量(chl a)去除率90%。在对2016年2月广西防城港附近海域球形棕囊藻赤潮消除时的跟踪监测结果表明,改性黏土法适用于工程化消除赤潮作业,能够快速消除水体中的大量球形棕囊藻囊体,随改性黏土絮凝体沉入海底的赤潮藻可以快速分解而失去活性。喷洒改性黏土对于赤潮水体的主要理化指标影响不显著,所监测的水体COD、pH和不同形态氮、磷、硅等生源要素浓度都在原有水质水平范围内波动。     

应用PRIMER软件进行浮游植物群落结构的多元统计分析

根据青岛近海进行的一次添加营养盐的围隔实验数据,采用专业软件PRIMER中的多元统计分析方法,进行了浮游植物群落结构的变化研究。结果表明,虽然由于本实验中浮游植物的生长受到Si的限制,硅藻类群不占明显的优势,使得优势种随时间的变化不明显,没有出现明显的群落演替,但用PRIMER软件的聚类分析(Clustering)和多维尺度转换排序(MDS)分析表明,添加营养盐后浮游植物群落结构有较明显的变化,同时,PRIMER软件的相异系数(ANOSIM)分析也表明,在同时添加N、P的围隔内,浮游植物群落结构变化较只添加P的围隔中的变化显著。这显示了PRIMER软件在分析浮游植物群落结构变化和评价水域富营养化中的应用前景。     

Distribution of marine lipid classes in salty Rogoznica Lake (Croatia)

Lipid classes in a small, eutrophicated salty lake (Rogoznica Lake, middle Adriatic), which is often subject to appeareance of anoxic conditions, were analyzed at the end of winter (March) and in summer (July) 2008. The results are supported with DOC, POC, phytoplankton, temperature, salinity and oxygen data. During both March and July massive, diatom blooms were recorded with maximum values at 5 m depth. Total lipids were found at high concentrations that were similar for the samplings in two months. Total particulate lipids dominated the pool, and showed large variations from 46.37 to 369.88 μg/l, with the highest concentration observed in the bottom anoxic layer in March. The variations for dissolved lipids were smaller and ranged from 44.82 to 124.35 μg/l. Opposite to lipids, DOC values increased 1.5 times between the two samplings, from the value of average 0.95 mg C/l in March to the average value of 1.44 mg/l in July. Conformingly with diatom blooms, POC was found in July at high concentrations (0.28–1.50 mg C/l), contributing to total organic carbon up to 46%. The distribution of organic carbon and lipids showed the tendency of accumulation toward deeper layers. The characterization of individual lipid classes revealed the dominance of phospholipids, indicating that the lipids in the lake mainly originated from the photosynthetically active phytoplankton community, which is sustained by high production of oxygen (oxygen saturation up to 200%). Low contribution of neutral lipids in the particulate fraction points to high availability of nutrients for present phytoplankton community. Lipid breakdown indices were found at significantly higher concentrations in March compared to July. Sea surface microlayer, the hydrophobic boundary, appeared to be generally lipid depleted in comparison to the sub-surface water. Qualitative analysis of sulfolipids revealed the potential of the lake for the occurrence of chemical interaction of sulfur with present organic matter.     

大亚湾浮游植物粒级结构和种类组成对淡澳河河口水加富的响应

人类活动引起的营养物质输入导致大亚湾出现海水富营养化、赤潮频发和生物多样性下降等生态问题。为探究陆源输入影响下大亚湾湾顶淡澳河输入对湾内浮游植物粒级结构和种类组成的影响, 2016年10月在大亚湾进行了原位观测和培养试验。原位观测结果显示, 淡澳河口的总溶解态氮、磷浓度分别达到85.3μmol·L^-1和1.5μmol·L^-1。加富培养试验结果表明, 淡澳河河口水加富对总叶绿素a (Chl a)和总浮游植物丰度有显著促进作用, 并导致浮游植物粒级结构由小粒级Chl a (0.7~20μm)占主导; 浮游植物丰度中甲藻比例升高, 主要种类为锥状斯氏藻(Scrippsiella trochoidea)和原甲藻(Prorocentrum spp.)。同样, 尿素加富也促进了浮游植物群落中小粒级Chl a和甲藻的比例增加, 且主要甲藻种类与河口水加富结果一致。无机氮、磷同时加富促进了总Chl a和浮游植物总丰度增加, 而对浮游植物粒级结构和甲藻丰度则没有明显影响。对照河口水和氮、磷营养盐加富试验结果, 说明河口水携带的溶解性有机氮源可能是导致大亚湾浮游植物群落小型化, 促进甲藻生长的关键营养盐形态, 其携带的无机氮、磷同时促进总浮游植物丰度增加。本研究结果表明有机形态营养组分对大亚湾富营养化和有害藻华可能产生重要影响。     

Diel fluctuations in dissolved free amino acids and monosaccharides in Chesapeake Bay dinoflagellate blooms

The accumulation of phytoplankton biomass in recurring summer dinoflagellate blooms of Chesapeake Bay is accompanied by large pools of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Two fractions of the DOM, free amino acids (DFAA) and monosaccharides (MONO), were measured at 3 h intervals in mixed species dinoflagellate blooms (Katodinium rotundatum, Gymnodinium spp.) and related to productivity, biomass and photoperiod. Peak chlorophyll levels for the three blooms were 28, 65 and 938 μg1⁻¹. In general, DFAA and MONO concentrations increased with increasing biomass of bloom-forming species, reaching 203 and 844 μg1⁻¹. MONO appeared to accumulate during the day while there was no consistent pattern for DFAA. The accumulations of DFAA and MONO in blooms indicate that bloom production might stimulate microheterotrophy, thereby enhancing carbon and nutrient cycling in bloom-impacted regions.     

Nutrient Input and the Summer Nanoplankton Bloom in the Northern Adriatic Sea

Abstract. A four-year oceanographic data set from the Northern Adriatic Sea identified the factors favoring development of the nanoplankton or microplankton components of the phytoplankton crop. Latitudinally atypical summer nanoplankton blooms, perhaps of recent origin, develop under vertically stratified conditions in the presence of high nutrient concentrations (including silicates). Including the summer blooms, the nanoplankton were responsible for more than half the total phytoplankton production about 90% of the time. No single mechanism governed phytoplankton cell size or size succession, but rather a number of mechanisms which were not mutually exclusive.     

Phytoplankton driven distribution of dissolved and particulate lipids in a semi-enclosed temperate sea (Mediterranean): Spring to summer situation

The relationship between changes in lipid classes and phytoplankton composition and abundance in the northern Adriatic was studied during spring and summer 2008 at two stations with different nutrient levels, i.e. at the western mesotrophic and eastern oligotrophic areas. Changes in the phytoplankton community depended on temporal surface nutrient depletion and bottom accumulation; that is, microphytoplankton, mainly diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia sp., developed at nutrient richer surface layers of the mesotrophic area in spring and at deeper layers of the oligotrophic site in late summer. In other periods nanophytoplankton dominated. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and lipid content were comparable for the two stations, while particulate organic carbon (POC) was richer at the mesotrophic side. Total lipid concentrations varied in the range from 8.0 to 92.2 μg l⁻¹ and from 16.9 to 76.9 μg l⁻¹ in the dissolved and particulate fractions, respectively. DOC and POC contents were in the ranges from 0.77 to 1.58 mg l⁻¹ and from 0.06 to 0.56 mg l⁻¹, respectively. Lipid and organic carbon distribution did not follow phytoplankton progression, indicating decoupling between organic matter production and decomposition throughout the investigation period. The main sources of lipids were marine phytoplankton and bacteria. Low nutrient conditions caused increased biosynthesis of lipids. Also, increasing oligotrophy led to an increasing number of phytoplankton taxa. The synthesis and accumulation of glycolipids by the developed taxa were enhanced during nutrient exhaustion, contributing in late summer, on average, 20.2 and 22.0% at the mesotrophic and oligotrophic stations, respectively, in the particulate fraction. The distribution of bacterial lipids and lipid breakdown products implies that bacterial lipid degradation was significant in spring, while very probably lipid abiotic degradation took place during summer.     

The effects of spring-neap tide on the phytoplankton community development in the Jiaozhou Bay, China

The development of the phytoplankton community was studied in the Jiaozhou Bay during the spring to neap tide in August 2001, through three cruises and a 15 d continuous observation. This investigation indicates that diatom cell abundance increased sharply following the end of a spring tide, from 9 cells/cm^3 to a peak of 94 cells/cm^3. The dominant species composition and abundance show a quick species sequence from spring to neap tide, and the dominant species at the start phase is Skeletomena costatum, then changes to Chaetoceros curvisetus, finally it changes to Eucampia zodiacus. Silicate concentration increases during spring tide, as a result of nutrient replenishment from the water-sediment interface, its initial average concentration in neap tide is 1.39μmol/dm^3 and reached the peak average concentration of 8.40μmol/dm^3 in spring tide. But the nitrogen concentration dropped due to dilution by the low nitrogen seawater from the Huanghai Sea, its initial average concentration in neap tide is 67μmol/dm^3 and decreased to the average concentration of 54μmol/dm^3 in spring tide. The degree of silicon limitation was decreased and phytoplankton, especially diatoms, responds immediately after nutrient replenishment in th ewater column. Skeletonmea costatum, as one of the dominant species in the Jiaozhou Bay, shows a quicker response to nutrient availability than Eucampia zodiacus and Chaetoceros curvisetus. It is proposed that dominant species composition and water column stability synchronously determine the development of phytoplankton summer blooms in the Jiaozhou bay.     

Temporal changes in community composition of heterotrophic bacteria during in situ iron enrichment in the western subarctic Pacific (SEEDS-II)

Little is known about the effects of iron enrichment in high-nitrate low-chlorophyll (HNLC) waters on the community composition of heterotrophic bacteria, which are crucial to nutrient recycling and microbial food webs. Using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rDNA fragments, we investigated the heterotrophic eubacterial community composition in surface waters during an in situ iron-enrichment experiment (SEEDS-II) in the western subarctic Pacific in the summer of 2004. DGGE fingerprints representing the community composition of eubacteria differed inside and outside the iron-enriched patch. Sequencing of DGGE bands revealed that at least five phylotypes of α-proteobacteria including Roseobacter, Cytophaga-Flavobacteria-Bacteroides (CFB), γ-proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria occurred in almost all samples from the iron-enriched patch. Diatoms did not bloom during SEEDS-II, but the eubacterial composition in the iron-enriched patch was similar to that in diatom blooms observed previously. Although dissolved organic carbon (DOC) accumulation was not detected in surface waters during SEEDS-II, growth of the Roseobacter clade might have been particularly stimulated after iron additions. Two identified phylotypes of CFB were closely related to the genus Saprospira, whose algicidal activity might degrade the phytoplankton assemblages increased by iron enrichment. These results suggest that the responses of heterotrophic bacteria to iron enrichment could differ among phylotypes during SEEDS-II.     

富营养河口水体藻华粒级结构的调控机制研究

为探究富营养河口水体藻华粒级结构的调控机制,本研究利用枯水期珠江口上游河水、下游海水及其等比例混合水进行培养实验,跟踪监测水体中叶绿素a和营养盐的浓度变化,并利用稀释实验估算藻类生长速率（μ）和小型浮游动物的摄食速率（m）,以阐明上行控制（营养盐刺激）和下行控制（摄食影响）对藻类粒级结构的影响。结果显示:营养加富能增加藻类的生物量,藻类群落的优势粒级由超微型和微型转换为小型;加富河水中μ维持2～3 d高值后下降,速率为（1.13±0.37）d?1,加富海水中μ逐步增加,速率为（1.06±0.16）d?1,加富混合水中μ轻微波动,速率为（0.58±0.14）d?1,总体上小型藻类μ最大。3组加富水体中m总体均先增大后下降,粒级差异不明显。藻类被小型浮游动物摄食率（m/μ）随粒级增大而减小,说明富营养刺激大粒级的生长,大粒级面临的被摄食压力较小。m/μ随藻类每日的比生长速率（μ_{Chl a}）降低而增加,说明藻华前期由上行控制主导,后期下行控制作用相对加强。本研究表明,富营养化不仅能够改变藻华的生物量,而且能影响其粒级结构,初步阐明了富营养河口水体中藻华粒级结构的调控机制。     

藻的物种丰富度对生物量及比生长率的影响

通过对13种藻不同组合后的集群进行室内一次性培养实验,探讨了浮游植物不同组合集群中物种丰富度及物种组成对其生物量及指数生长期比生长率的影响。实验结果表明,物种组成与物种丰富度均对集群生物量有一定的影响,其中物种组成的影响更大;且物种丰富度与生物量不具有线性相关性。随着物种丰富度增大,集群在指数生长期的比生长率有增加趋势。在本实验设定的营养盐条件下,营养盐水平高低对集群指数生长期的比生长率影响较小,但其对指数生长期的持续时间影响较大,进而对集群生物量产生影响。     

Modeling of spring bloom in the western subarctic Pacific (off Japan) with observed vertical density structure

Effects of vertical stability on spring blooms of phytoplankton were investigated for the western subarctic Pacific ocean using a one-dimensional (depth) ecosystem model. In the model, vertical stability was expressed by diffusion constants calculated from observed density distribution. Dynamics of phytoplankton in blooms was calculated by the model using the vertical diffusion. Then, the calculated results were compared with the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) data. The comparison shows that the shallow surface mixed layer causes early start days of spring blooms at inshore (northern) stations. In addition, spring blooms continue long at inshore (northern) stations since a water column has weak stability. This is because weak stability of a water column causes large nutrient supply from a deep layer and large diffusive transport of phytoplankton biomass from the subsurface maximum.