Impacts of Typhoon Bavi on Prokaryotic Communities in the Yellow Sea

Abstract

Global warming and climate change are increasingly influencing typhoon formation and intensity, with a clear trend towards increasing typhoon frequency and intensity. Vertical mixing during typhoon movement leads to increased nutrient supply, which can temporarily increase phytoplankton productivity and abundance, and subsequently lead to changes in prokaryotic ecology. This study investigates the variability of phytoplankton and prokaryotic communities in response to typhoon-induced disturbances. We conducted a comparative study in the Yellow Sea, contrasting August 2020 (affected by Typhoon Bavi) with August 2022 (typhoon-free). The surface water temperature in August 2020 was relatively lower compared to August 2022, indicating the vertical mixing of water column in 2020. Phytoplankton biomass, prokaryotic abundance and prokaryotic productivity were significantly higher in the typhoon-influenced month. Prokaryotic communities also differed between the two periods, with a significant increase in the dominance of Alphaproteobacteria and Verrucomicrobiae in the typhoon-affected summer of 2020. Interestingly, phytoplankton in summer 2020 exhibited community characteristics similar to those of the spring bloom, with dominance of Bacillariophyta, Cryptophyta and Chlorophyta, suggesting that typhoon induced water column mixing in summer may temporarily provide phytoplankton and prokaryotes with a growth-favorable environment similar to that of the spring bloom.