The Evident Role of Clouds on Phytoplankton Abundance in Antarctic Coastal Polynyas

Abstract

High-level primary production (PP) sustainability in the Antarctic coastal polynyas has not been adequately addressed. We investigated the relationship between the Antarctic coastal polynyas phytoplankton biomass (as reflected by Chl-a) and the cloud cover, which dominantly influences the light conditions. Phytoplankton biomass in Antarctic coastal polynyas showed a robust correlation with the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and the cloud fraction. However, a different relationship was observed between the phytoplankton biomass and the PAR. This relationship depended on both the ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the geographical location of the coastal polynyas. High intensity UV radiation is suspected to be an inhibitor of phytoplankton biomass. This indicates that the phytoplankton biomass is effectively limited by light intensity, which can be reduced by clouds, particularly mid- and high-level clouds, but it is not limited by light under high-level UV radiation exposure conditions.