Articles | Volume 22, issue 23
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-7865-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-7865-2025
Research article
 | 
09 Dec 2025
Research article |  | 09 Dec 2025

Wet and dry seasons modulate coastal coccolithophore dynamics off South-western Nigeria (Gulf of Guinea)

Falilu O. Adekunbi, Michaël Grelaud, Gerald Langer, Lucian O. Chukwu, Marta Alvarez, Shakirudeen Odunuga, Kai G. Schulz, and Patrizia Ziveri

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Cited articles

Addante, M., Grelaud, M., Langer, G., Maiorano, P., Bonomo, S., Álvarez, M., Johnson, R., and Ziveri, P.: Local hydrodynamic in coastal system affects the coccolithophore community at a short spatial scale, Mar. Micropaleontol., 185, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2023.102309, 2023. 
Akanmu, R. T. and Onyema, I. C.: Phytoplankton composition and dynamics off the coast of Lagos south-west, Nigeria, Reg. Stud. Mar. Sci., 37, 101356, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2020.101356, 2020. 
Ali, K. E., Kouadio, K. Y., Zahiri, E.-P., Aman, A., Assamoi, A. P., and Bourles, B.: Influence of the Gulf of Guinea Coastal and Equatorial Upwellings on the Precipitations along its Northern Coasts during the Boreal Summer Period, Asian J. Appl. Sci., 4, 271–285, https://doi.org/10.3923/ajaps.2011.271.285, 2011. 
Alory, G., Da-Allada, C. Y., Djakouré, S., Dadou, I., Jouanno, J., and Loemba, D. P.: Coastal Upwelling Limitation by Onshore Geostrophic Flow in the Gulf of Guinea Around the Niger River Plume, Front. Mar. Sci., 7, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.607216, 2021. 
Anang, E. R.: The seasonal cycle of the phytoplankton in the coastal waters of Ghana, Hydrobiologia, 62, 33–45, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00012560, 1979. 
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Short summary
This study is the first to explore seasonal changes in coccolithophores, microscopic algae important for ocean life and the carbon cycle, off the coast of Nigeria. Their abundance and diversity increased during the rainy season, driven by shifts in the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Despite regional differences, these coastal communities show patterns similar to other parts of the world, revealing possible shared environmental pressures.
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