Enhanced biological activity by an anticyclonic warm eddy during early spring in the East Sea (Japan Sea) detected by the geostationary ocean color satellite

The high primary production enhanced by anticyclonic eddies and hourly variation pattern in the productivity during the spring season in the East Sea were first investigated using the first Korean Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI). Even though the stratification for a seasonal spring bloom is not well developed in the water column in early April in the East Sea, a physical upward water flux movement at the periphery of the anticyclonic eddies could remain the phytoplankton in euphotic zone to sustain high chlorophyll-a concentration conditions in the Ulleung Basin. At this time, nutrients were no major controlling factor for phytoplankton growth since concentrations of major nutrients (nitrate, silicate, and phosphate) were relatively high in the observed eddy sites based on the observation data from the Korean Oceanographic Data Center (KODC). The estimated mixed layer depth (MLD) significantly shallower at the periphery supports for this mechanism. The hourly primary productivity estimation based on a Carbon-based Productivity Model (CbPM) provides a bimodal pattern along the time especially in L1 with an approximately one order magnitude difference between the lowest and highest values of productivities on 5 April, 2011. Potential possibilities for this large discrepancy in the hourly productivity and some thoughts on a short time in situ incubation method were discussed.