Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 2010
The role of resting cysts on the development of Alexandrium minutum blooms in a typical Mediterra... more The role of resting cysts on the development of Alexandrium minutum blooms in a typical Mediterranean semi-enclosed water body (Arenys de Mar Harbor, NW Mediterranean) was studied by means of matrix and dynamic population models. We used a series of scenarios, constrained when possible by experimentally measured parameters to test whether excystment and encystment fluxes and changes in the dormancy period had a major effect on bloom intensity and duration. The results of the simulations highlighted the importance of knowing not only the magnitude and variability of growth and life-cycle transition rates, but also those of loss rates (both in the water column and in the sediment) due to physical or biological factors. Given the maximum encystment rates determined for A. minutum in the study area (0.01 d À 1 ), this process contributed to reduce the peak concentrations of vegetative cells but did not have a dominant effect on bloom termination. Excystment fluxes could contribute to enhance population densities of vegetative cells during times or low or negative net growth rate and during the initial phases of a bloom, but once exponential growth had started, additional excystment had negligible effect on bloom magnitude. However, even if cysts did not contribute to larger blooms, they could represent a safety mechanism for reintroduction of the species when the vegetative cell population went extinct due to unfavorable environmental conditions. Increasing the dormancy time exposed newly formed cysts to a longer period of losses in the sediment that reduced the concentration of excystment-ready sediment cysts and decreased excystment fluxes. More complex models will be needed to explore the implications of different life-cycle strategies in a wider natural ecological context.
The effect of Dissolved Organic Phosphorus (DOP) availability and nutrient limitation of phytopla... more The effect of Dissolved Organic Phosphorus (DOP) availability and nutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth in an estuarine bay (Alfacs Bay, NW Mediterranean) have been studied by means of a zero-dimensional ecological model including nitrogen, phosphorus (organic and inorganic), two groups of phytoplankton (diatoms and flagellates), one group of zooplankton, and detritus. Simulations with and without DOP as an extra source of phosphorus for phytoplankton growth suggest that DOP plays an important role in the dynamics of the Alfacs Bay ecosystem. DOP is indeed necessary to simulate the observed draw-down of nitrate and build up of phytoplankton biomass. Two non-exclusive mechanisms allowing DOP availability for phytoplankton are possible: direct uptake, or remineralization to Dissolved Inorganic Phosphorus. Including both gives a better agreement with the observations. Inclusion of DOP in the model leads to predominance of phosphorus limitation of phytoplankton growth in fall and winter, and of nitrogen limitation in late spring and summer. Simulations with and without sediment resuspension suggest that this process does not significantly affect the nutrient budget in the bay.
In this work we have performed a detailed analysis, using signal processing tools, to study time ... more In this work we have performed a detailed analysis, using signal processing tools, to study time series of data (temperature proxy) extracted from the GRIP ice-core records and we relate it with the evolution of atmospheric CO 2 within the last glacial period. Our method is based in considering the warm periods known as Dansgaard-Oeschger (D/O) events and posterior returns to the cold stage as a climatic cycle. After the warming phase, D/O events relax to the initial cold state in three different ways, what gives rise to three classes of cycles. Also, the Younger/Dryas-Bolling/Allerod (Y/D-B/A) cycle corresponds to one of the classes obtained. We have found that all cycles start with identical warming phases which seem completely unrelated to variations in CO 2 concentration. We discuss on the consequences for global climatology of such steady pattern of cycles.
Recent advances in the theory of turbulence, with the introduction of the Microcanonical Multifra... more Recent advances in the theory of turbulence, with the introduction of the Microcanonical Multifractal Formalism has favored the development of new techniques for the analysis of remotely sensed data, particularly of scalars as SST. In this work we show that these techniques allow to uncover a fascinating picture in which many features of global ocean circulation patterns emerge in a distinct way. Applications include the characterization of transport, estimation of eddy-mediated mixing, the characterization of the coupling of ENSO perturbation with the equatorial instabilities and a long etc.
In the recent years, the power of employing singularity analysis of scalar variables to perform p... more In the recent years, the power of employing singularity analysis of scalar variables to perform pattern recognition in complex images has been evidenced. This approach is particularly useful when the image under study corresponds to a scalar variable submitted to a turbulent flow because, in that case, the arrangement of singularity manifolds corresponds to the multifractal hierarchy from the underlying turbulent flow. In this paper we will show how this intimate connection between Image Processing and Physics, when applied to Microwave Sea Surface Temperature images, allows to uncover global circulation patterns in the ocean at a daily basis with the resolution of 1/4 of degree. Using this technique, details not evidenced in the non-processed image are revealed. The emerging patterns provide a description of the global oceanic currents much richer than the usual global circulation scheme; in particular, instabilities, eddy generation and filamentation are distinctly identified. A pattern extraction of this kind is useful in order to measure and track mesoscale oceanic phenomena, opening the way to many operational and reanalysis applications.
In this work we have performed a detailed analysis, using signal processing tools, to study time ... more In this work we have performed a detailed analysis, using signal processing tools, to study time series of data (temperature proxy) extracted from the GRIP ice-core records and we relate it with the evolution of atmospheric CO 2 within the last glacial period. Our method is based in considering the warm periods known as Dansgaard-Oeschger (D/O) events and posterior returns to the cold stage as a climatic cycle. After the warming phase, D/O events relax to the initial cold state in three different ways, what gives rise to three classes of cycles. Also, the Younger/Dryas-Bolling/Allerod (Y/D-B/A) cycle corresponds to one of the classes obtained. We have found that all cycles start with identical warming phases which seem completely unrelated to variations in CO 2 concentration. We discuss on the consequences for global climatology of such steady pattern of cycles.
Determination of the timing and duration of paleoclimatic events is a challenging task. Classical... more Determination of the timing and duration of paleoclimatic events is a challenging task. Classical techniques for time-series analysis rely too strongly on having a constant sampling rate, which poorly adapts to the uneven time recording of paleoclimatic variables; new, more flexible methods issued from Non-Linear Physics are hence required. In this paper, we have used Huang's Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) for the analysis of paleoclimatic series. We have studied three different time series of temperature proxies, characterizing oscillation patterns by using EMD. To measure the degree of temporal correlation of two variables, we have developed a method that relates couples of modes from different series by calculating the instantaneous phase differences among the associated modes. We observed that when two modes exhibited a constant phase difference, their frequencies were nearly equal to that of Milankovich cycles. Our results show that EMD is a good methodology not only for synchronization of different records but also for determination of the different local frequencies in each time series. Some of the obtained modes may be interpreted as the result of global forcing mechanisms.
A feature of marine plankton communities is the occurrence of rapid population explosions. When t... more A feature of marine plankton communities is the occurrence of rapid population explosions. When the blooming species are directly or indirectly noxious for humans, these proliferations are denoted as harmful algal blooms (HAB). The importance of biological interactions for the appearance of HABs, in particular when the proliferating microalgae produce toxins that affect other organisms in the food web, remains still poorly understood. Here we analyse the role of toxins produced by a microalgal species and affecting its predators, in determining the success of that species as a bloom former. A three-species predator-prey model is used to define a criterion that determines whether a toxic microalga will be able to initiate a bloom in competition against a non-toxic one with higher growth rate. Dominance of the toxic species depends on a critical parameter that defines the degree of feeding selectivity by grazers. The criterion is applied to a particular simplified model and to numerical simulations of a full marine ecosystem model. The results suggest that the release of toxic compounds affecting predators may be a plausible biological factor in allowing the development of HABs.
Alfacs and Fangar (North East of the Iberian Peninsula) are two embayments of the Ebre Delta comp... more Alfacs and Fangar (North East of the Iberian Peninsula) are two embayments of the Ebre Delta complex with typical Mediterranean characteristics. Both are subject to the same meteorological forcing and receive similar freshwater inputs from irrigation drainage channels. However the basin volume in Alfacs is about ten times larger than in Fangar. We studied the temporal patterns of series of chlorophyll a and phytoplankton counts sampled between 1990 and 2003 from two depths of a fixed station in each bay, and related them to the variability of environmental variables (water, temperature, salinity and stratification). A principal component analysis performed on the correlation matrix among the (log-transformed) abundance data of the most frequent taxa revealed three main trends of variability. The first principal component (PC1) indicated a gradient of marine (more important in Alfacs) versus freshwater (particularly in Fangar) influence. PC2 reflected the seasonal cycle of phytoplankton in Alfacs, characterized by the dominance of a diatom assemblage typical of Mediterranean coastal waters in autumn and a group of dinoflagellates, including toxic taxa, in winter-early spring. PC3 expressed mainly the seasonal changes in Fangar and opposed a mixed phytoplankton group, including mostly dinoflagellates, with population maxima between May and October, to dinoflagellates of the winter group. Empirical Mode Decomposition was applied to the environmental variables and to the principal components in order to analyze the temporal structure of the data. All the series presented strong seasonal modes; an index based on phase shift between pairs of series revealed correlations between some of the principal components and environmental variables (temperature and salinity in Alfacs and temperature, salinity and stratification in Fangar). Water temperature showed a slight increasing trend along the sampling period. Between 1997 and 2003, some phytoplankton taxa also presented a weak increasing trend, particularly in the bottom samples of Fangar. This finding does not indicate a direct relationship between phytoplankton variability and the actual magnitudes of temperature or salinity. Rather, these environmental variables should be considered here as proxies of the seasonal behavior of a complex of environmental and biotic factors. Differences among the seasonal patterns of phytoplankton variability in Alfacs and Fangar could be attributed to the lower residence times of the water in Fangar, which resulted in a stronger hydrological control of phytoplankton abundance and composition.
The effect of Dissolved Organic Phosphorus (DOP) availability and nutrient limitation of phytopla... more The effect of Dissolved Organic Phosphorus (DOP) availability and nutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth in an estuarine bay (Alfacs Bay, NW Mediterranean) have been studied by means of a zero-dimensional ecological model including nitrogen, phosphorus (organic and inorganic), two groups of phytoplankton (diatoms and flagellates), one group of zooplankton, and detritus. Simulations with and without DOP as an extra source of phosphorus for phytoplankton growth suggest that DOP plays an important role in the dynamics of the Alfacs Bay ecosystem. DOP is indeed necessary to simulate the observed draw-down of nitrate and build up of phytoplankton biomass. Two non-exclusive mechanisms allowing DOP availability for phytoplankton are possible: direct uptake, or remineralization to Dissolved Inorganic Phosphorus. Including both gives a better agreement with the observations. Inclusion of DOP in the model leads to predominance of phosphorus limitation of phytoplankton growth in fall and winter, and of nitrogen limitation in late spring and summer. Simulations with and without sediment resuspension suggest that this process does not significantly affect the nutrient budget in the bay.
A multispecies dynamic simulation model (ERSEM) was used to examine the influence of allelopathic... more A multispecies dynamic simulation model (ERSEM) was used to examine the influence of allelopathic and trophic interactions causing feeding avoidance by predators, on the formation of harmful algal blooms, under environmental scenarios typical of a Mediterranean harbour (Barcelona). The biological state variables of the model included four functional groups of phytoplankton (diatoms, toxic and non-toxic flagellates and picophytoplankton), heterotrophic flagellates, micro-and mesozooplankton and bacteria. The physical-chemical forcing (irradiance, temperature and major nutrient concentrations) was based on an actual series of measurements taken along a year cycle in the Barcelona harbour. In order to evaluate potential effects of advection, some runs were repeated after introducing a biomass loss term. Numerical simulations showed that allelopathic effects of a toxic alga on a non-toxic but otherwise similar competitor did not have appreciable influence on the dynamics of the system. However, induction of avoidance of the toxic alga by predators, which resulted on increased predation pressure on other algal groups had a significant effect on the development of algal and predator populations. The presence of advection overrided the effect of these interactions and only allowed organisms with sufficiently high potential growth rates to thrive.
This work proposes a new method to reconstruct and forecast surface Chlorophyll (Chl) from remote... more This work proposes a new method to reconstruct and forecast surface Chlorophyll (Chl) from remotely sensed (SeaWiFS) data in the Alboran Sea, based on the correlation between zonal wind velocities and satellite Chl concentrations. First, the spatial and temporal variability of Chl and zonal wind have been characterized using standard statistics. Second, the annual cycle and trends are removed from the original time series and the residuals submitted to an EOF computation scheme. Then, the correlations between the amplitudes of the first temporal modes of Chl-wind couple have been quantified. Using the most highly correlated pair (Chl-zonal wind, with r = 0.63), a simple linear relationship is proposed to reconstruct and forecast the Chl field. This forecasting method is more efficient than persistence for forecast horizons longer than 100 days, with a mean correlation between original and predicted field of 0.73 as compared to 0.5 for persistence for all the year round. In partic\ular, this new method gives a 0.95 mean correlation for periods from 100 to 290 days (while persistence gives 0.5). However, for a constant 8-days prediction horizon the persistence performs marginally better than the proposed method (0.79 vs. 0.68), giving some insight into the temporal scales of the features studied. These results may have significant implications for both short-term operational applications and seasonal forecasts.
Allelopathy among microalgae has been modelled in order to fit the dynamics of mixed cultures of ... more Allelopathy among microalgae has been modelled in order to fit the dynamics of mixed cultures of Chrysocromulina polylepis and Heterocapsa triquetra, carried out with three different initial concentrations of the allelopathic species C. polylepis. The experimental data have been analysed with a simple Lotka-Volterra type model including an allelopathic term. Based on the population dynamics of the two species in unialgal and mixed cultures, the model has been simplified and solved analytically. The best fit of the allelopathy parameter (γ ≈ 10 −5 to 10 −6 ) provides a good agreement between the theoretical curve and the experimental data for the two highest initial concentrations of C. polylepis but, interestingly, shows a less accurate fit for low initial concentrations of the toxic alga. Following the same procedures, a modified model, in which the allelopathic effect is dependent on the square of the concentration of the toxic alga, has been adjusted to the experimental data. This modified model presents a good fit for all the range of initial concentrations of the toxic alga. These results allow a quantification of the strength of the allelopathic interaction between two marine phytoplankton species. The growth curve of the non-toxic alga is significantly affected by the allelopathy term only after the toxic alga has reached relatively high concentrations. This supports field observations suggesting that, at least in the case of C. polylepis, allelopathy may be important once a bloom is well developed, but is not likely to be a key factor in initial phases of the proliferation.
Time series of meteorological and hydrographic variables were analyzed using Huang's Empirical Mo... more Time series of meteorological and hydrographic variables were analyzed using Huang's Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) to ascertain the relationships among climatic forcings and the hydrographic behavior in an estuarine bay. The EMD method allowed us to separate the different characteristic oscillation patterns (or modes) of a 14 year-long time series of weekly hydrographic (water temperature and salinity) and meteorological (air temperature, pressure, wind and precipitation) data from Alfacs Bay (Ebre delta, NW Mediterranean). In order to explore the relations between couples of oscillation modes from different series, we developed a correlation index based on the phase differences between these modes. Common characteristic modes in the studied series are a seasonal pattern and an interannual oscillation. The comparison between series of meteorological and hydrographic variables shows significant correlations of two modes (of 1 year and 2-3 year periods, respectively) of water temperature with the corresponding two modes of air temperature and air pressure. There were also significant positive correlations between wind speed and water temperature. The use of EMD allowed to discover a strong connection between stratification and the use of irrigation channels in the bay; in addition, with the help of this method we can propose a common meteorological forcing mechanism for the observed patterns of variability. Those findings would have been impossible to guess by use of classical Fourier methods, and gives a demonstration of the power of EMD in climatic series analysis.
Deep-sea Research Part Ii-topical Studies in Oceanography, 2010
The role of resting cysts on the development of Alexandrium minutum blooms in a typical Mediterra... more The role of resting cysts on the development of Alexandrium minutum blooms in a typical Mediterranean semi-enclosed water body (Arenys de Mar Harbor, NW Mediterranean) was studied by means of matrix and dynamic population models. We used a series of scenarios, constrained when possible by experimentally measured parameters to test whether excystment and encystment fluxes and changes in the dormancy
Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 2010
The role of resting cysts on the development of Alexandrium minutum blooms in a typical Mediterra... more The role of resting cysts on the development of Alexandrium minutum blooms in a typical Mediterranean semi-enclosed water body (Arenys de Mar Harbor, NW Mediterranean) was studied by means of matrix and dynamic population models. We used a series of scenarios, constrained when possible by experimentally measured parameters to test whether excystment and encystment fluxes and changes in the dormancy period had a major effect on bloom intensity and duration. The results of the simulations highlighted the importance of knowing not only the magnitude and variability of growth and life-cycle transition rates, but also those of loss rates (both in the water column and in the sediment) due to physical or biological factors. Given the maximum encystment rates determined for A. minutum in the study area (0.01 d À 1 ), this process contributed to reduce the peak concentrations of vegetative cells but did not have a dominant effect on bloom termination. Excystment fluxes could contribute to enhance population densities of vegetative cells during times or low or negative net growth rate and during the initial phases of a bloom, but once exponential growth had started, additional excystment had negligible effect on bloom magnitude. However, even if cysts did not contribute to larger blooms, they could represent a safety mechanism for reintroduction of the species when the vegetative cell population went extinct due to unfavorable environmental conditions. Increasing the dormancy time exposed newly formed cysts to a longer period of losses in the sediment that reduced the concentration of excystment-ready sediment cysts and decreased excystment fluxes. More complex models will be needed to explore the implications of different life-cycle strategies in a wider natural ecological context.
The effect of Dissolved Organic Phosphorus (DOP) availability and nutrient limitation of phytopla... more The effect of Dissolved Organic Phosphorus (DOP) availability and nutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth in an estuarine bay (Alfacs Bay, NW Mediterranean) have been studied by means of a zero-dimensional ecological model including nitrogen, phosphorus (organic and inorganic), two groups of phytoplankton (diatoms and flagellates), one group of zooplankton, and detritus. Simulations with and without DOP as an extra source of phosphorus for phytoplankton growth suggest that DOP plays an important role in the dynamics of the Alfacs Bay ecosystem. DOP is indeed necessary to simulate the observed draw-down of nitrate and build up of phytoplankton biomass. Two non-exclusive mechanisms allowing DOP availability for phytoplankton are possible: direct uptake, or remineralization to Dissolved Inorganic Phosphorus. Including both gives a better agreement with the observations. Inclusion of DOP in the model leads to predominance of phosphorus limitation of phytoplankton growth in fall and winter, and of nitrogen limitation in late spring and summer. Simulations with and without sediment resuspension suggest that this process does not significantly affect the nutrient budget in the bay.
In this work we have performed a detailed analysis, using signal processing tools, to study time ... more In this work we have performed a detailed analysis, using signal processing tools, to study time series of data (temperature proxy) extracted from the GRIP ice-core records and we relate it with the evolution of atmospheric CO 2 within the last glacial period. Our method is based in considering the warm periods known as Dansgaard-Oeschger (D/O) events and posterior returns to the cold stage as a climatic cycle. After the warming phase, D/O events relax to the initial cold state in three different ways, what gives rise to three classes of cycles. Also, the Younger/Dryas-Bolling/Allerod (Y/D-B/A) cycle corresponds to one of the classes obtained. We have found that all cycles start with identical warming phases which seem completely unrelated to variations in CO 2 concentration. We discuss on the consequences for global climatology of such steady pattern of cycles.
Recent advances in the theory of turbulence, with the introduction of the Microcanonical Multifra... more Recent advances in the theory of turbulence, with the introduction of the Microcanonical Multifractal Formalism has favored the development of new techniques for the analysis of remotely sensed data, particularly of scalars as SST. In this work we show that these techniques allow to uncover a fascinating picture in which many features of global ocean circulation patterns emerge in a distinct way. Applications include the characterization of transport, estimation of eddy-mediated mixing, the characterization of the coupling of ENSO perturbation with the equatorial instabilities and a long etc.
In the recent years, the power of employing singularity analysis of scalar variables to perform p... more In the recent years, the power of employing singularity analysis of scalar variables to perform pattern recognition in complex images has been evidenced. This approach is particularly useful when the image under study corresponds to a scalar variable submitted to a turbulent flow because, in that case, the arrangement of singularity manifolds corresponds to the multifractal hierarchy from the underlying turbulent flow. In this paper we will show how this intimate connection between Image Processing and Physics, when applied to Microwave Sea Surface Temperature images, allows to uncover global circulation patterns in the ocean at a daily basis with the resolution of 1/4 of degree. Using this technique, details not evidenced in the non-processed image are revealed. The emerging patterns provide a description of the global oceanic currents much richer than the usual global circulation scheme; in particular, instabilities, eddy generation and filamentation are distinctly identified. A pattern extraction of this kind is useful in order to measure and track mesoscale oceanic phenomena, opening the way to many operational and reanalysis applications.
In this work we have performed a detailed analysis, using signal processing tools, to study time ... more In this work we have performed a detailed analysis, using signal processing tools, to study time series of data (temperature proxy) extracted from the GRIP ice-core records and we relate it with the evolution of atmospheric CO 2 within the last glacial period. Our method is based in considering the warm periods known as Dansgaard-Oeschger (D/O) events and posterior returns to the cold stage as a climatic cycle. After the warming phase, D/O events relax to the initial cold state in three different ways, what gives rise to three classes of cycles. Also, the Younger/Dryas-Bolling/Allerod (Y/D-B/A) cycle corresponds to one of the classes obtained. We have found that all cycles start with identical warming phases which seem completely unrelated to variations in CO 2 concentration. We discuss on the consequences for global climatology of such steady pattern of cycles.
Determination of the timing and duration of paleoclimatic events is a challenging task. Classical... more Determination of the timing and duration of paleoclimatic events is a challenging task. Classical techniques for time-series analysis rely too strongly on having a constant sampling rate, which poorly adapts to the uneven time recording of paleoclimatic variables; new, more flexible methods issued from Non-Linear Physics are hence required. In this paper, we have used Huang's Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) for the analysis of paleoclimatic series. We have studied three different time series of temperature proxies, characterizing oscillation patterns by using EMD. To measure the degree of temporal correlation of two variables, we have developed a method that relates couples of modes from different series by calculating the instantaneous phase differences among the associated modes. We observed that when two modes exhibited a constant phase difference, their frequencies were nearly equal to that of Milankovich cycles. Our results show that EMD is a good methodology not only for synchronization of different records but also for determination of the different local frequencies in each time series. Some of the obtained modes may be interpreted as the result of global forcing mechanisms.
A feature of marine plankton communities is the occurrence of rapid population explosions. When t... more A feature of marine plankton communities is the occurrence of rapid population explosions. When the blooming species are directly or indirectly noxious for humans, these proliferations are denoted as harmful algal blooms (HAB). The importance of biological interactions for the appearance of HABs, in particular when the proliferating microalgae produce toxins that affect other organisms in the food web, remains still poorly understood. Here we analyse the role of toxins produced by a microalgal species and affecting its predators, in determining the success of that species as a bloom former. A three-species predator-prey model is used to define a criterion that determines whether a toxic microalga will be able to initiate a bloom in competition against a non-toxic one with higher growth rate. Dominance of the toxic species depends on a critical parameter that defines the degree of feeding selectivity by grazers. The criterion is applied to a particular simplified model and to numerical simulations of a full marine ecosystem model. The results suggest that the release of toxic compounds affecting predators may be a plausible biological factor in allowing the development of HABs.
Alfacs and Fangar (North East of the Iberian Peninsula) are two embayments of the Ebre Delta comp... more Alfacs and Fangar (North East of the Iberian Peninsula) are two embayments of the Ebre Delta complex with typical Mediterranean characteristics. Both are subject to the same meteorological forcing and receive similar freshwater inputs from irrigation drainage channels. However the basin volume in Alfacs is about ten times larger than in Fangar. We studied the temporal patterns of series of chlorophyll a and phytoplankton counts sampled between 1990 and 2003 from two depths of a fixed station in each bay, and related them to the variability of environmental variables (water, temperature, salinity and stratification). A principal component analysis performed on the correlation matrix among the (log-transformed) abundance data of the most frequent taxa revealed three main trends of variability. The first principal component (PC1) indicated a gradient of marine (more important in Alfacs) versus freshwater (particularly in Fangar) influence. PC2 reflected the seasonal cycle of phytoplankton in Alfacs, characterized by the dominance of a diatom assemblage typical of Mediterranean coastal waters in autumn and a group of dinoflagellates, including toxic taxa, in winter-early spring. PC3 expressed mainly the seasonal changes in Fangar and opposed a mixed phytoplankton group, including mostly dinoflagellates, with population maxima between May and October, to dinoflagellates of the winter group. Empirical Mode Decomposition was applied to the environmental variables and to the principal components in order to analyze the temporal structure of the data. All the series presented strong seasonal modes; an index based on phase shift between pairs of series revealed correlations between some of the principal components and environmental variables (temperature and salinity in Alfacs and temperature, salinity and stratification in Fangar). Water temperature showed a slight increasing trend along the sampling period. Between 1997 and 2003, some phytoplankton taxa also presented a weak increasing trend, particularly in the bottom samples of Fangar. This finding does not indicate a direct relationship between phytoplankton variability and the actual magnitudes of temperature or salinity. Rather, these environmental variables should be considered here as proxies of the seasonal behavior of a complex of environmental and biotic factors. Differences among the seasonal patterns of phytoplankton variability in Alfacs and Fangar could be attributed to the lower residence times of the water in Fangar, which resulted in a stronger hydrological control of phytoplankton abundance and composition.
The effect of Dissolved Organic Phosphorus (DOP) availability and nutrient limitation of phytopla... more The effect of Dissolved Organic Phosphorus (DOP) availability and nutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth in an estuarine bay (Alfacs Bay, NW Mediterranean) have been studied by means of a zero-dimensional ecological model including nitrogen, phosphorus (organic and inorganic), two groups of phytoplankton (diatoms and flagellates), one group of zooplankton, and detritus. Simulations with and without DOP as an extra source of phosphorus for phytoplankton growth suggest that DOP plays an important role in the dynamics of the Alfacs Bay ecosystem. DOP is indeed necessary to simulate the observed draw-down of nitrate and build up of phytoplankton biomass. Two non-exclusive mechanisms allowing DOP availability for phytoplankton are possible: direct uptake, or remineralization to Dissolved Inorganic Phosphorus. Including both gives a better agreement with the observations. Inclusion of DOP in the model leads to predominance of phosphorus limitation of phytoplankton growth in fall and winter, and of nitrogen limitation in late spring and summer. Simulations with and without sediment resuspension suggest that this process does not significantly affect the nutrient budget in the bay.
A multispecies dynamic simulation model (ERSEM) was used to examine the influence of allelopathic... more A multispecies dynamic simulation model (ERSEM) was used to examine the influence of allelopathic and trophic interactions causing feeding avoidance by predators, on the formation of harmful algal blooms, under environmental scenarios typical of a Mediterranean harbour (Barcelona). The biological state variables of the model included four functional groups of phytoplankton (diatoms, toxic and non-toxic flagellates and picophytoplankton), heterotrophic flagellates, micro-and mesozooplankton and bacteria. The physical-chemical forcing (irradiance, temperature and major nutrient concentrations) was based on an actual series of measurements taken along a year cycle in the Barcelona harbour. In order to evaluate potential effects of advection, some runs were repeated after introducing a biomass loss term. Numerical simulations showed that allelopathic effects of a toxic alga on a non-toxic but otherwise similar competitor did not have appreciable influence on the dynamics of the system. However, induction of avoidance of the toxic alga by predators, which resulted on increased predation pressure on other algal groups had a significant effect on the development of algal and predator populations. The presence of advection overrided the effect of these interactions and only allowed organisms with sufficiently high potential growth rates to thrive.
This work proposes a new method to reconstruct and forecast surface Chlorophyll (Chl) from remote... more This work proposes a new method to reconstruct and forecast surface Chlorophyll (Chl) from remotely sensed (SeaWiFS) data in the Alboran Sea, based on the correlation between zonal wind velocities and satellite Chl concentrations. First, the spatial and temporal variability of Chl and zonal wind have been characterized using standard statistics. Second, the annual cycle and trends are removed from the original time series and the residuals submitted to an EOF computation scheme. Then, the correlations between the amplitudes of the first temporal modes of Chl-wind couple have been quantified. Using the most highly correlated pair (Chl-zonal wind, with r = 0.63), a simple linear relationship is proposed to reconstruct and forecast the Chl field. This forecasting method is more efficient than persistence for forecast horizons longer than 100 days, with a mean correlation between original and predicted field of 0.73 as compared to 0.5 for persistence for all the year round. In partic\ular, this new method gives a 0.95 mean correlation for periods from 100 to 290 days (while persistence gives 0.5). However, for a constant 8-days prediction horizon the persistence performs marginally better than the proposed method (0.79 vs. 0.68), giving some insight into the temporal scales of the features studied. These results may have significant implications for both short-term operational applications and seasonal forecasts.
Allelopathy among microalgae has been modelled in order to fit the dynamics of mixed cultures of ... more Allelopathy among microalgae has been modelled in order to fit the dynamics of mixed cultures of Chrysocromulina polylepis and Heterocapsa triquetra, carried out with three different initial concentrations of the allelopathic species C. polylepis. The experimental data have been analysed with a simple Lotka-Volterra type model including an allelopathic term. Based on the population dynamics of the two species in unialgal and mixed cultures, the model has been simplified and solved analytically. The best fit of the allelopathy parameter (γ ≈ 10 −5 to 10 −6 ) provides a good agreement between the theoretical curve and the experimental data for the two highest initial concentrations of C. polylepis but, interestingly, shows a less accurate fit for low initial concentrations of the toxic alga. Following the same procedures, a modified model, in which the allelopathic effect is dependent on the square of the concentration of the toxic alga, has been adjusted to the experimental data. This modified model presents a good fit for all the range of initial concentrations of the toxic alga. These results allow a quantification of the strength of the allelopathic interaction between two marine phytoplankton species. The growth curve of the non-toxic alga is significantly affected by the allelopathy term only after the toxic alga has reached relatively high concentrations. This supports field observations suggesting that, at least in the case of C. polylepis, allelopathy may be important once a bloom is well developed, but is not likely to be a key factor in initial phases of the proliferation.
Time series of meteorological and hydrographic variables were analyzed using Huang's Empirical Mo... more Time series of meteorological and hydrographic variables were analyzed using Huang's Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) to ascertain the relationships among climatic forcings and the hydrographic behavior in an estuarine bay. The EMD method allowed us to separate the different characteristic oscillation patterns (or modes) of a 14 year-long time series of weekly hydrographic (water temperature and salinity) and meteorological (air temperature, pressure, wind and precipitation) data from Alfacs Bay (Ebre delta, NW Mediterranean). In order to explore the relations between couples of oscillation modes from different series, we developed a correlation index based on the phase differences between these modes. Common characteristic modes in the studied series are a seasonal pattern and an interannual oscillation. The comparison between series of meteorological and hydrographic variables shows significant correlations of two modes (of 1 year and 2-3 year periods, respectively) of water temperature with the corresponding two modes of air temperature and air pressure. There were also significant positive correlations between wind speed and water temperature. The use of EMD allowed to discover a strong connection between stratification and the use of irrigation channels in the bay; in addition, with the help of this method we can propose a common meteorological forcing mechanism for the observed patterns of variability. Those findings would have been impossible to guess by use of classical Fourier methods, and gives a demonstration of the power of EMD in climatic series analysis.
Deep-sea Research Part Ii-topical Studies in Oceanography, 2010
The role of resting cysts on the development of Alexandrium minutum blooms in a typical Mediterra... more The role of resting cysts on the development of Alexandrium minutum blooms in a typical Mediterranean semi-enclosed water body (Arenys de Mar Harbor, NW Mediterranean) was studied by means of matrix and dynamic population models. We used a series of scenarios, constrained when possible by experimentally measured parameters to test whether excystment and encystment fluxes and changes in the dormancy
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