Seasonal patterns of phytoplankton biomass change in the northwestern Pacific marginal seas observed by CZCS

Abstract

The seasonal patterns of phytoplankton biomass change in the marginal seas of the North-western Pacific are compared using seasonal and monthly averaged CZCS level 3 data for the period between 1978 and 1986. The classic bimodal pattern of phytoplankton biomass in temperate seas seems not prevalent in the Northwestern Pacific region. It occurred only in the Oyashio and the East/Japan sea region. Such pattern, when present, seemed subject to high year-to-year and spatial variability. Other regions showed different patterns from typical bimodal pattern. Such high temporal and spatial variability seem to result from the complicated circulation pattern and other factors such as transportation of melting water, which determines the water column stability.