Environmental drivers of coccolithophore abundance and calcification across
Drake Passage (Southern Ocean)

Charalampopoulou, Anastasia; Poulton, Alex J.; Bakker, Dorothee C. E.; Lucas, Mike I.; Stinchcombe, Mark C.; Tyrrell, Toby

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5917-2016

Articles | Volume 13, issue 21

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5917-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5917-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 13, issue 21

Research article

|

01 Nov 2016

Research article |

| 01 Nov 2016

Environmental drivers of coccolithophore abundance and calcification across Drake Passage (Southern Ocean)

Anastasia Charalampopoulou, Alex J. Poulton, Dorothee C. E. Bakker, Mike I. Lucas, Mark C. Stinchcombe, and Toby Tyrrell

Data sets

Coccolithophore size, abundance and calcification across Drake Passage (Southern Ocean, 2009) T. Tyrrell and A. Charalampopoulou https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.771715

Carbon Dioxide, Hydrographic, and Chemical Data Obtained During the R/V James Cook JC031 Cruise in the South Atlantic Ocean on CLIVAR Repeat Hydrography Section A21 (SR1, SR1b) (3 February–3 March, 2009) D. Bakker, E. McDonagh, M. Stinchcombe, and M. Messias https://doi.org/10.3334/CDIAC/OTG.CLIVAR_A21_JC031_2009

Short summary

Coccolithophores are global calcifiers, potentially impacted by ocean acidity. Data from the Southern Ocean is scarce, though latitudinal gradients of acidity exist. We made measurements of calcification, species composition and physiochemical environment between America and the Antarctic Peninsula. Calcification and cell calcite declined to the south, though rates of coccolith production did not. Declining temperature and irradiance were more important in driving latitudinal changes than pH.