Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Investigating the Relationship between Sea Surface Chlorophyll and Major Features of the South China Sea with Satellite Information
Published on: June 13, 2020
Satellite-observed variability of phytoplankton size classes associated with a cold eddy in the South China Sea
Junfang Lin1, Wenxi Cao2, Guifen Wang2
1University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301,China.
Abstract:
Ocean-color remote sensing has been used as a tool to detect phytoplankton size classes (PSCs). In this study, a three-component model of PSC was reparameterized using seven years of pigment measurements acquired in the South China Sea (SCS). The model was then used to infer PSC in a cyclonic eddy which was observed west of Luzon Island from SeaWiFS chlorophyll-a (chla) and sea-surface height anomaly (SSHA) products. Enhanced productivity and a shift in the PSC were observed, which were likely due to upwelling of nutrient-rich water into the euphotic zone. The supply of nutrients promoted the growth of larger cells (micro- and nanoplankton), and the PSC shifted to greater sizes. However, the picoplankton were still important and contributed ∼48% to total chla concentration. In addition, PSC time series revealed a lag period of about three weeks between maximum eddy intensity and maximum chlorophyll, which may have been related to phytoplankton growth rate and duration of eddy intensity.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Marine Microbial Ecology
Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
Freshwater Microbial Ecology
Diversity of Protists IV

