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Seminar Details

Impact of horizontal stirring on phytoplankton blooms: From almost trivial to quite surprising

Date

03/12/2015

Lecturers

Dr. Yoav Lehahn - Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science

Abstract

Phytoplankton are microscopic photosynthetic organisms that inhibit the world ocean. Responsible for nearly 50% of the global annual carbon-based photosynthesis, these ubiquities organism are the basis of the marine food webs, and are key components of global biogeochemical cycles. Since phytoplankton are, as a first approximation, passive drifters, they are strongly affected by the properties of the oceanic surface currents. In this talk I will present different aspects of the interplay between phytoplankton blooms and the velocity fields in which they are embedded. The talk will focus on the structuring role of horizontal stirring by the surface currents, and will include new findings regarding its possible impact on bloom dynamics and primary productivity.

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