Links between Phenology of Large Phytoplankton and Fisheries in the Northern and Central Red Sea
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ArticleKAUST Department
Marine Science ProgramMarine Science
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division
Earth Science and Engineering Program
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division
Date
2021-01-11Submitted Date
2020-10-31Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/666937
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Phytoplankton phenology and size structure are key ecological indicators that influence the survival and recruitment of higher trophic levels, marine food web structure, and biogeochemical cycling. For example, the presence of larger phytoplankton cells supports food chains that ultimately contribute to fisheries resources. Monitoring these indicators can thus provide important information to help understand the response of marine ecosystems to environmental change. In this study, we apply the phytoplankton size model of Gittings et al. (2019b) to 20-years of satellite-derived ocean colour observations in the northern and central Red Sea, and investigate interannual variability in phenology metrics for large phytoplankton (>2 µm in cell diameter). Large phytoplankton consistently bloom in the winter. However, the timing of bloom initiation and termination (in autumn and spring, respectively) varies between years. In the autumn/winter of 2002/2003, we detected a phytoplankton bloom, which initiated ~8 weeks earlier and lasted ~11 weeks longer than average. The event was linked with an eddy dipole in the central Red Sea, which increased nutrient availability and enhanced the growth of large phytoplankton. The earlier timing of food availability directly impacted the recruitment success of higher trophic levels, as represented by the maximum catch of two commercially important fisheries (Sardinella spp. and Teuthida) in the following year. The results of our analysis are essential for understanding trophic linkages between phytoplankton and fisheries and for marine management strategies in the Red Sea.Citation
Gittings, J. A., Raitsos, D. E., Brewin, R. J. W., & Hoteit, I. (2021). Links between Phenology of Large Phytoplankton and Fisheries in the Northern and Central Red Sea. Remote Sensing, 13(2), 231. doi:10.3390/rs13020231Sponsors
The authors are grateful to the Ocean Colour CCI team (European Space Agency) for providing and processing the Chl-a dataset. The authors would also like to thank George Krokos and Larissa Patricio Valerio for their useful discussions. The authors are also grateful to Peng Zhan for kindly providing the sea level anomaly and geostrophic velocity data. The authors also thank Vasiliki Siafaka for providing the sketches of Sardinella spp. and Squid spp. included in Figure 7 of this manuscript.Publisher
MDPI AGJournal
Remote SensingAdditional Links
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/2/231ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.3390/rs13020231
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