Production of organic and inorganic carbon within a large-scale coccolithophore bloom in the northeast Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

An extensive bloom (250 000 km2) of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi developed in the northeast Atlantic in June 1991. At the time of the observations in late June, the centre of the bloom was charactensed by low concentrations of chlorophyll a (c 1 mg n r 3 ) and particulate organic carbon (< 200 mg m'3) and high particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) p 3 0 0 mg m-3) values. Photosynthesisirradiance experiments carried out along the cruise track showed the existence of a negative exponential relationship between assimilation number (P!, , )