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Spatial-temporal variability of ultraplankton vertical distribution in the Antarctic frontal zones within 60–66°E, 43–46°S

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Abstract

The vertical distribution of heterotrophic bacteria and four ultraphytoplanktonic (<10 µm) groups (Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, pico- and nanoeukaryotes) was investigated by flow cytometry at three process stations located in three different sub-systems belonging to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current frontal zone and to the Southern Indian Ocean (60–66°E, 43–46°S; ANTARES 4 cruise, January-February 1999): the Subtropical Zone (STZ), the Convergence Zone and the Polar Frontal Zone (PFZ). In each sub-system, short-term variability of cell abundance and flow cytometric parameters (right-angle light scatter and chlorophyll autofluorescence) was assessed through a times series of up to 24 h with a 2 h sampling frequency. The ultraphytoplankton vertical distribution exhibited a high spatial variability, with dominance of Prochlorococcus in the STZ (mean: 762.85×1010 cells m−2), whereas picoeukaryotes (<3 µm) were dominant in the PFZ (55.46×1010 cells m−2), a typically high-nutrient low-chlorophyll zone. Heterotrophic bacteria abundance was maximum (9.84×1013 cells m−2) in the frontal zone, between the Agulhas Front and the Subtropical Front. Nanoeukaryotes showed the largest (up to 80%) variations between two consecutive sampling periods (2 h). Abundance variations could not be assigned to the same water mass during the time series due to the highly variable hydrodynamics of the study area. Trends of short-term abundance variations were opposite between the PFZ (lowest at night) and north of the Subtropical Front (highest at night). The observed spatial and short-term variations illustrate the complexity of the water masses in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean, and highlight the challenge of extrapolating discrete measurements over space and time for use in evaluating carbon budgets in such dynamic areas.

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Acknowledgements

This work is a French contribution to the SO-JGOFS program. It was supported by the French Polar Institute (IPEV) and the INSU-CNRS. We thank the captain, officers and crew of RV "Marion Dufresne" and B. Ollivier for outstanding on-board support. Special thanks go to Y.-H. Park for his advice and stimulating discussions. We are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their constructive remarks and manuscript improvements.

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  1. Pascal Conan

    Present address: Laboratoire Arago, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, UMR CNRS 7621, 66651 , Banyuls-sur-Mer, France

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  1. Laboratoire d'Océanographie et de Biogéochimie, UMR CNRS 6535, Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille, Université de la Méditerranée, 163 avenue de Luminy, Case 901, 13288 Marseille cedex 09, Marseille, France

    Céline Dubreuil, Michel Denis, Pascal Conan & Sylvie Roy

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  1. Céline Dubreuil
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Correspondence to Michel Denis.

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Dubreuil, C., Denis, M., Conan, P. et al. Spatial-temporal variability of ultraplankton vertical distribution in the Antarctic frontal zones within 60–66°E, 43–46°S. Polar Biol 26, 734–745 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-003-0545-5

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