title: Climate variance influence on the non-stationary plankton dynamics.
abstract: We examined plankton responses to climate variance by using high temporal resolution data from 1988 to 2007 in the Western English Channel. Climate variability modified both the magnitude and length of the seasonal signal of sea surface temperature, as well as the timing and depth of the thermocline. These changes permeated the pelagic system yielding conspicuous modifications in the phenology of autotroph communities and zooplankton. The climate variance envelope, thus far little considered in climate-plankton studies, is closely coupled with the non-stationary dynamics of plankton, and sheds light on impending ecological shifts and plankton structural changes. Our study calls for the integration of the non-stationary relationship between climate and plankton in prognostic models on the productivity of marine ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR), Marine Ecology/Food Webs, Duesternbrooker Weg 20, D-24105 Kiel, Germany. jmolinero@geomar.de
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Molinero
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reygondeau
authors.forename: Delphine
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bonnet
mesh_terms: D002980:Climate; D020387:Food Chain; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010933:Plankton / Q000502:physiology*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012621:Seasons; D013696:Temperature; D014919:Wind
keywords: Climate variance; Non-stationary; North East Atlantic; Plankton; Transient dynamics; Western English Channel