Comparison of Particulate Organic Carbon to Chlorophyll-a Ratio Based on the Ocean Color Satellite Data at the Ieodo and Socheongcho Ocean Research Stations

Abstract

The Ieodo ocean research station (IORS) and the Socheongcho ocean research station (SORS) have been operated in South Korea to carry out a research across multiple disciplines. The IORS and the SORS are affected by various water masses such as Tsushima Warm Current (TWC), Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) and Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW). Therefore, the IORS and the SORS are suitable for the research on the physio-ecological response of phytoplankton to environmental changes. The particulate organic carbon to chlorophyll-a ratio (POC:Chl-a) has been widely used for an indicator of the ecological and physiological conditions of the phytoplankton. The purpose of this study is to investigate the POC:Chl-a ratio and its controlling factors at the IORS and the SORS by using satellite dataset. At the IORS, POC:Chl-a ratio ranged from 166.16 to 431.20, and the average was 322.14 +/- 46.35. On the other hand, at the SORS, POC:Chl-a ratio ranged from 131.92 to 703.98, and the average was 385.05 +/- 123.95. The POC:Chl-a ratio was higher at the SORS from autumn to winter. However, POC:Chl-a ratio in the IORS showed similar ranges in every month. The difference in POC:Chl-a ratio between the IORS and the SORS appear to be caused by differences of environmental conditions such as light intensity, temperature, and nutrients. However, to reveal the detailed relationship between environmental conditions and POC:Chl-a ratio, a further study on seasonal variations of the phytoplankton community structure and several environmental parameters would be warrant.