BGD Biogeosciences Discussions BGD Biogeosciences Discuss. 1810-6285 Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/bgd-10-17275-2013 Plankton community response to Saharan dust fertilization in subtropical waters off the Canary Islands Franchy G. 1 Ojeda A. 2 López-Cancio J. 3 Hernández-León S. 1 Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain Instituto Canario de Ciencias Marinas, Telde, Canary Islands, Spain Grupo de Estudios Atmosféricos, Departamento de Ingenierí a de Procesos, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain 04 11 2013 10 11 17275 17307 Copyright: © 2013 G. Franchy et al. 2013 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ This article is available from https://bg.copernicus.org/preprints/10/17275/2013/bgd-10-17275-2013.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://bg.copernicus.org/preprints/10/17275/2013/bgd-10-17275-2013.pdf

The plankton community response to natural fertilization caused by the Saharan dust was studied in the Canary Islands waters during winter–spring 2010. For this, a weekly sampling was carried out to characterize the pico-, nano- and microplankton communities. During this period several dust events were identified from atmospheric suspended matter and metal composition. Temperatures above 19 °C in the mixed layer, high stratification and a very low concentration of chlorophyll <i>a</i>, indicated the absence of the characteristic late winter bloom during this year. However, relatively high primary production rates were measured, probably fuelled by nutrient release from the deposited atmospheric dust. In fact, this winter–spring was one of the most intense dust periods during the last years and Saharan dust events were identified in every month. The effect of the Saharan dust over the plankton community mainly consisted in the enhancement of primary producers, mostly diatoms, and the increase of the mesozooplankton stock, whereas cyanobacteria and autotrophic picoeukaryotes were negatively affected. These results suggest that the Saharan dust deposition would be partly fuelling the primary production in these oligotrophic waters of the northeast Atlantic, and could be especially significant during stratified periods, when the atmospheric dust would be the most important nutrient source.

 References Alonso-González, I. J., Arístegui, J., Vilas, J. C., and Hernández-Guerra, A.: Lateral POC transport and consumption in surface and deep waters of the Canary Current region: a box model study, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 23, GB2007, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2008gb003185">https://doi.org/10.1029/2008gb003185</a>, 2009. Arístegui, J., Sangra, P., Hernández-León, S., Cantón, M., Hernández-Guerra, A., and Kerling, J.: Island-induced eddies in the Canary Islands, Deep-Sea Res. I, 41, 1509–1525, 1994. Arístegui, J., Hernández-León, S., Montero, M. F., and Gómez, M.: The seasonal planktonic cycle in coastal waters of the Canary Islands, Sci. Mar., 65, 51–58, 2001. Azam, F., Fenchel, T., Field, J. G., Gray, J. S., Meyerreil, L. A., and Thingstad, F.: The ecological role of water-column microbes in the sea, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 10, 257–263, 1983. Barton, E. D., Arístegui, J., Tett, P., Cantón, M., García-Braun, J., Hernández-León, S., Nykjaer, L., Almeida, C., Almunia, J., Ballesteros, S., Basterretxea, G., Escanez, J., García-Weill, L., Hernández-Guerra, A., Lopez-Laatzen, F., Molina, R., Montero, M. F., Navarro-Perez, E., Rodriguez, J. M., van Lenning, K., Velez, H., and Wild, K.: The transition zone of the Canary Current upwelling region, Prog. Oceanogr., 41, 455–504, 1998. Barton, E. D., Arístegui, J., Tett, P., and Navarro-Pérez, E.: Variability in the Canary Islands area of filament-eddy exchanges, Prog. Oceanogr., 62, 71–94, 2004. Benavides, M., Arístegui, J., Agawin, N., Cancio, J. L., and Hernández-León, S.: Enhancement of nitrogen fixation rates by unicellular diazotrophs vs. Trichodesmium after a dust deposition event in the Canary Islands, Limnol. Oceanogr., 58, 267–275, 2013. Bishop, J. K. B., Davis, R. E., and Sherman, J. T.: Robotic observations of dust storm enhancement of carbon biomass in the North Pacific, Science, 298, 817–821, 2002. Bode, A., Barquero, S., Varela, M., Braun, J. G., and de Armas, D.: Pelagic bacteria and phytoplankton in oceanic waters near the Canary Islands in summer, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 209, 1–17, 2001. Bollens, G. C. R. and Landry, M.: Biological response to iron fertilization in the eastern equatorial Pacific (IronEx II). II. Mesozooplankton abundance, biomass, depth distribution and grazing, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 201, 43–56, 2000. Bonnet, S., Guieu, C., Chiaverini, J., Ras, J., and Stock, A.: Effect of atmospheric nutrients on the autotrophic communities in a low nutrient, low chlorophyll system, Limnol. Oceanogr., 1810–1819, 2005. Borsheim, K. and Bratbak, G.: Cell volume to cell carbon conversion factors for a bacterivorous <i>Monas</i> sp. enriched from seawater, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 36, 171–175, 1987. Boyd, P. W., Jickells, T., Law, C., Blain, S., Boyle, E., Buesseler, K., Coale, K., Cullen, J., De Baar, H., and Follows, M.: Mesoscale iron enrichment experiments 1993–2005: synthesis and future directions, Science, 315, 612–617, 2007. Braun, J. G.: Estudios de producción en aguas de las Islas Canarias I. Hidrografía, nutrientes y producción primaria, Bol. Inst. Esp. Oceanogr., 5, 147–154, 1980. Buck, K., Chavez, F., and Campbell, L.: Basin-wide distributions of living carbon components and the inverted trophic pyramid of the central gyre of the North Atlantic Ocean, summer 1993, Aquat. Microb. Ecol., 10, 283–298, 1996. Calbet, A. and Landry, M. R.: Phytoplankton growth, microzooplankton grazing, and carbon cycling in marine systems, Limnol. Oceanogr., 49, 51–57, 2004. Cianca, A., Helmke, P., Mouriño, B., Rueda, M. J., Llinás, O., and Neuer, S.: Decadal analysis of hydrography and in situ nutrient budgets in the western and eastern North Atlantic subtropical gyre, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 112, C07025, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2006JC003788">https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JC003788</a>, 2007. Chami, M., Mallet, M., and Gentili, B.: Quantitative analysis of the influence of dust sea surface forcing on the primary production of the subtropical Atlantic Ocean using a ten-year time series of satellite observations, J. Geophys. Res., 117, C07008, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2012JC008112">https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JC008112</a>, 2012. De Baar, H. J. W., Boyd, P. W., Coale, K. H., Landry, M. R., Tsuda, A., Assmy, P., Bakker, D. C. E., Bozec, Y., Barber, R. T., and Brzezinski, M. A.: Synthesis of iron fertilization experiments: from the Iron Age in the Age of Enlightenment, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 110, C09S16, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2004JC002601">https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JC002601</a>, 2005. De León, A. R. and Braun, J. G.: Annual cycle of primary production and its relation to nutrients in the Canary Islands waters, Bol. Inst. Esp. Oceanogr., 167, 1–24, 1973. Donaghay, P. L., Liss, P. S., Duce, R. A., Kester, D. R., Hanson, A. K., Villareal, T., Tindale, N. W., and Gifford, D. J.: The role of episodic atmospheric nutrient inputs in the chemical and biological dynamics of oceanic ecosystems, Oceanography, 4, 62–70, 1991. Duarte, C. M., Dachs, J., Llabrés, M., Alonso-Laita, P., Gasol, J. M., Tovar-Sánchez, A., Sañudo-Wilhemy, S., and Agustí, S.: Aerosol inputs enhance new production in the subtropical northeast Atlantic, J. Geophys. Res., 111, G04006, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2005JG000140">https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JG000140</a>, 2006. Duce, R. A. and Tindale, N. W.: Atmospheric transport of iron and its deposition in the ocean, Limnol. Oceanogr., 1715–1726, 1991. Eker-Develi, E., Kideys, A. E., and Tugrul, S.: Role of Saharan dust on phytoplankton dynamics in the northeastern Mediterranean, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 314, 61–75, 2006. Goudie, A. and Middleton, N.: Saharan dust storms: nature and consequences, Earth-Sci. Rev., 56, 179–204, 2001. Guerzoni, S., Chester, R., Dulac, F., Herut, B., Loÿe-Pilot, M. D., Migon, C., Molinaroli, E., Moulin, C., Rossini, P., and Saydam, C.: The role of atmospheric deposition in the biogeochemistry of the Mediterranean Sea, Prog. Oceanogr., 44, 147–190, 1999. Haas, L.: Improved epifluorescence microscopy for observing planktonic micro-organisms, Ann. Inst. Oceanogr., 58, 1–266, 1982. Hama, T., Miyazaki, T., Ogawa, Y., Iwakuma, T., Takahashi, M., Otsuki, A., and Ichimura, S.: Measurement of photosynthetic production of a marine phytoplankton population using a stable <sup>13</sup>C isotope, Mar. Biol., 73, 31–36, 1983. Harris, G.: Phytoplankton Ecology: Structure, Function and Fluctuation, Chapman and Hall, London, New York, 384 pp., 1986. Henjes, J., Assmy, P., Klaas, C., Verity, P., and Smetacek, V.: Response of microzooplankton (protists and small copepods) to an iron-induced phytoplankton bloom in the Southern Ocean (EisenEx), Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 54, 363–384, 2007. Hernández-León, S., Almeida, C., Becognée, P., Yebra, L., and Arístegui, J.: Zooplankton biomass and indices of grazing and metabolism during a late winter bloom in subtropical waters, Mar. Biol., 145, 1191–1200, 2004. Herrera, I., López-Cancio, J., Yebra, L., and Hernández-León, S.: Influence of dust deposition events and the lunar cycle on epipelagic zooplankton biomass and metabolism in oligotrophic waters, in preparation, 2013. Herut, B., Zohary, T., Krom, M., Mantoura, R. F. C., Pitta, P., Psarra, S., Rassoulzadegan, F., Tanaka, T., and Frede Thingstad, T.: Response of East Mediterranean surface water to Saharan dust: on-board microcosm experiment and field observations, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 52, 3024–3040, 2005. Hillebrand, H., Dürselen, C. D., Kirschtel, D., Pollingher, U., and Zohary, T.: Biovolume calculation for pelagic and benthic microalgae, J. Phycol., 35, 403–424, 1999. Horner, R.: A Taxonomic Guide to Some Common Marine Phytoplankton, Biopress Limited, Bristol, England, UK, 2002. Jickells, T.: The inputs of dust derived elements to the Sargasso Sea; a synthesis, Mar. Chem., 68, 5–14, 1999. Landry, M. R., Barber, R. T., Bidare, R. R., Chai, F., Coale, K. H., Dam, H. G., Lewis, M. R., Lindley, S. T., McCarthy, J. J., and Roman, M. R.: Iron and grazing constraints on primary production in the central equatorial Pacific: an EqPac synthesis, Oceanography, 42, 405–418, 1997. Landry, M. R., Constantinou, J., Latasa, M., Brown, S. L., Bidigare, R. R., and Ondrusek, M. E.: Biological response to iron fertilization in the eastern equatorial Pacific (IronEx II). III. Dynamics of phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 201, 57–72, 2000a. Landry, M. R., Ondrusek, M. E., Tanner, S. J., Brown, S. L., Constantinou, J., Bidigare, R. R., Coale, K. H., and Fitzwater, S.: Biological response to iron fertilization in the eastern equatorial Pacific (IronEx II). I. Microplankton community abundances and biomass, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 201, 17–42, 2000b. Legendre, L. and Le Fèvre, J.: Microbial food webs and the export of biogenic carbon in oceans, Aquat. Microb. Ecol., 9, 69–77, 1995. López-Cancio, J., Castellano, A. V., Hernández, M. C., Bethencourt, R. G., and Ortega, E. M.: Metallic species in atmospheric particulate matter in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, J. Hazard. Mater., 160, 521–528, 2008. Lovegrove, T.: The determination of the dry weight of plankton and the effect of various factors on the values obtained, in: Some Contemporary Studies in Marine Sciences, edited by: Barnes, H., George Allen and Unwin Ltd., London, 429–467, 1966. Mahaffey, C., Bjorkman, K. M., and Karl, D. M.: Phytoplankton response to deep seawater nutrient addition in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 460, 13–34, 2012. Marañón, E., Holligan, P. M., Varela, M., Mouriño, B., and Bale, A. J.: Basin-scale variability of phytoplankton biomass, production and growth in the Atlantic Ocean, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 47, 825–857, 2000. Marañón, E., Behrenfeld, M. J., González, N., Mouriño, B., and Zubkov, M. V.: High variability of primary production in oligotrophic waters of the Atlantic Ocean: uncoupling from phytoplankton biomass and size structure, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 257, 1–11, 2003. Marañón, E., Fernández, A., Mourino-Carballido, B., Martínez-García, S., Teira, E., Cermeno, P., Choucino, P., Huete-Ortega, M., Fernández, E., and Calvo-Díaz, A.: Degree of oligotrophy controls the response of microbial plankton to Saharan dust, Limnol. Oceanogr., 55, 2339–2352, 2010. McAndrew, P. M., Bjorkman, K., Church, M. J., Morris, P. J., Jachowski, N., Williams, P., and Karl, D. M.: Metabolic response of oligotrophic plankton communities to deep water nutrient enrichment, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 332, 63–75, 2007. Menden-Deuer, S. and Lessard, E. J.: Carbon to volume relationships for dinoflagellates, diatoms, and other protist plankton, Limnol. Oceanogr., 45, 569–579, 2000. Neuer, S., Cianca, A., Helmke, P., Freudenthal, T., Davenport, R., Meggers, H., Knoll, M., Santana-Casiano, J. M., González-Davila, M., Rueda, M.-J., and Llinás, O.: Biogeochemistry and hydrography in the eastern subtropical North Atlantic gyre. Results from the European time-series station ESTOC, Prog. Oceanogr., 72, 1–29, 2007. Ojeda, A.: Dinoflagelados de Canarias: estudio taxonómico y ecológico, Instituto de Estudios Canarios, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain, 2006. Ojeda, A.: Diatomeas de las Aguas Costeras de las Islas Canarias, Instituto Canario de Ciencias Marinas (Gobierno de Canarias), Islas Canarias, Spain, 2011. Paytan, A., Mackey, K. R. M., Chen, Y., Lima, I. D., Doney, S. C., Mahowald, N., Labiosa, R., and Post, A. F.: Toxicity of atmospheric aerosols on marine phytoplankton, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 106, 4601–4605, 2009. Sarthou, G., Baker, A. R., Kramer, J., Laan, P., Laës, A., Ussher, S., Achterberg, E. P., de Baar, H. J. W., Timmermans, K. R., and Blain, S.: Influence of atmospheric inputs on the iron distribution in the subtropical North-East Atlantic Ocean, Mar. Chem., 104, 186–202, 2007. Schluter, L.: The influence of nutrient addition on growth rates of phytoplankton groups, and microzooplankton grazing rates in a mesocosm experiment, J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol., 228, 53–71, 1998. Schmoker, C. and Hernández-León, S.: Stratification effects on the plankton of the subtropical Canary Current, Prog. Oceanogr., in press, 2013. Slawyk, G., Collos, Y., and Auclair, J.-C.: The use of the <sup>13</sup>C and <sup>15</sup>N isotopes for the simultaneous measurement of carbon and nitrogen turnover rates in marine phytoplankton, Limnol. Oceanogr., 22, 925–932, 1977. Strickland, J. and Parsons, T.: A practical handbook of seawater analysis, J. Fish. Res. Board Can., 167, 201–203, 1972. Tomas, C. R.: Identifying Marine Phytoplankton, Academic Press, San Diego, California, USA, 1997. Tsuda, A., Saito, H., Nishioka, J., and Ono, T.: Mesozooplankton responses to iron-fertilization in the western subarctic Pacific (SEEDS2001), Prog. Oceanogr., 64, 237–251, 2005. Tsuda, A., Takeda, S., Saito, H., Nishioka, J., Kudo, I., Nojiri, Y., Suzuki, K., Uematsu, M., Wells, M. L., and Tsumune, D.: Evidence for the grazing hypothesis: Grazing reduces phytoplankton responses of the HNLC ecosystem to iron enrichment in the western subarctic Pacific (SEEDS II), J. Oceanogr., 63, 983–994, 2007. Verity, P. G., Robertson, C. Y., Tronzo, C. R., Andrews, M. G., Nelson, J. R., and Sieracki, M. E.: Relationships between cell volume and the carbon and nitrogen content of marine photosynthetic nanoplankton, Limnol. Oceanogr., 1434–1446, 1992. Viana, M., Querol, X., Alastuey, A., Cuevas, E., and Rodrıguez, S.: Influence of African dust on the levels of atmospheric particulates in the Canary Islands air quality network, Atmos. Environ., 36, 5861–5875, 2002. Volpe, G., Banzon, V. F., Evans, R. H., Santoleri, R., Mariano, A. J., and Sciarra, R.: Satellite observations of the impact of dust in a low-nutrient, low-chlorophyll region: fertilization or artifact?, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 23, GB3007, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2008GB003216">https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GB003216</a>, 2009. Wang, S. H., Hsu, N. C., Tsay, S. C., Lin, N. H., Sayer, A. M., Huang, S. J., and Lau, W. K. M.: Can Asian dust trigger phytoplankton blooms in the oligotrophic northern South China Sea?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L05811, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2011GL050415">https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL050415</a>, 2012. Yentsch, C. S. and Menzel, D. W.: A method for the determination of phytoplankton chlorophyll and phaeophytin fluorescence, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 10, 221–231, 1963. Zubkov, M. V., Sleigh, M. A., Tarran, G. A., Burkill, P. H., and Leakey, R. J. G.: Picoplanktonic community structure on an Atlantic transect from 50° N to 50° S, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 45, 1339–1355, 1998. Zubkov, M. V., Sleigh, M. A., Burkill, P. H., and Leakey, R. J. G.: Picoplankton community structure on the Atlantic Meridional Transect: a comparison between seasons, Prog. Oceanogr., 45, 369–386, 2000.