Is there a decline in marine phytoplankton?

Abigail McQuatters-Gollop (), Philip C. Reid, Martin Edwards, Peter H. Burkill, Claudia Castellani, Sonia Batten, Winfried Gieskes, Doug Beare, Robert R. Bidigare, Erica Head, Rod Johnson, Mati Kahru, J. Anthony Koslow and Angelica Pena
Additional contact information
Abigail McQuatters-Gollop: Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill
Philip C. Reid: Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill
Martin Edwards: Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill
Peter H. Burkill: Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill
Claudia Castellani: Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill
Sonia Batten: Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill
Winfried Gieskes: University of Groningen, ESRIG, Dept. Ocean Ecosystems, Nijenborgh 4
Doug Beare: Wageningen IMARES, Haringkade 1
Robert R. Bidigare: University of Hawaii, Center for Marine Microbial Ecology and Diversity
Erica Head: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, PO Box 1006
Rod Johnson: Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences
Mati Kahru: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, 9500 Gilman Dr.
J. Anthony Koslow: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, 9500 Gilman Dr.
Angelica Pena: Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, PO Box 6000

Nature, 2011, vol. 472, issue 7342, E6-E7

Abstract: Abstract Arising from D. G. Boyce, M. R. Lewis & B. Worm Nature 466, 591–596 (2010)10.1038/nature09268 ; Boyce et al. reply Phytoplankton account for approximately 50% of global primary production, form the trophic base of nearly all marine ecosystems, are fundamental in trophic energy transfer and have key roles in climate regulation, carbon sequestration and oxygen production. Boyce et al.1 compiled a chlorophyll index by combining in situ chlorophyll and Secchi disk depth measurements that spanned a more than 100-year time period and showed a decrease in marine phytoplankton biomass of approximately 1% of the global median per year over the past century. Eight decades of data on phytoplankton biomass collected in the North Atlantic by the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey2, however, show an increase in an index of chlorophyll (Phytoplankton Colour Index) in both the Northeast and Northwest Atlantic basins3,4,5,6,7 (Fig. 1), and other long-term time series, including the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT)8, the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series (BATS)8 and the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI)9 also indicate increased phytoplankton biomass over the last 20–50 years. These findings, which were not discussed by Boyce et al.1, are not in accordance with their conclusions and illustrate the importance of using consistent observations when estimating long-term trends.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/nature09950

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