Original scientific paper
The deep chlorophyll maximum in the coastal north eastern Adriatic Sea, July 2007
Damir Viličić
orcid.org/0000-0002-2394-4755
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Division of Biology, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Mirko Orlić
orcid.org/0000-0002-1978-7208
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Dept. Geophysics, Horvatovac bb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Nenad Jasprica
orcid.org/0000-0001-9457-0300
; University of Dubrovnik, Institute for Marine and Coastal Research, Kneza Damjana Jude 12, 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Abstract
Deep chlorophyll a maximum (DCM) was found in the 80–110m deep northeastern coastal Adriatic (Pag and Velebit Channels) in July 2007. Eight times higher concentrations of chlorophyll were determined in the 50 to 60 m DCM layer (0.81 to 0.91 mg L–1) relative to the surface waters. According to thermohaline conditions and phytoplankton biomass distribution, over the greater part of the considered area the water column was separated into three layers (the surface layer approximately 10 m deep, the subsurface layer extending between 10 and 50m, and the deep layer found below 50mdepth) and three distinctive regimes were detected (in the South Velebit Channel, the Middle Velebit Channel, and the Pag Channel). This is the first evidence of the deep chlorophyll maximum in the eastern coastal Adriatic Sea. Deep chlorophyll maxima were composed of picoplanktonic, rounded cells, probably cyanobacteria (1.2 mm in size, 8 ´ 103 – 1 ´ 104 cells mL–1).
Keywords
Phytoplankton; biomass; deep chlorophyll maximum; temperature; salinity; Pag Channel; Velebit Channel; Adriatic Sea
Hrčak ID:
22515
URI
Publication date:
15.4.2008.
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