Seasonality and environmental drivers of biological productivity on the western Hokkaido coast, Ishikari Bay, Japan

We report on a 16-month time series of the primary productivity, chlorophyll biomass and environmental variables in Ishikari Bay, the western Hokkaido coast, from September 2006 to December 2007. During productive summer and autumn seasons, the average phytoplankton biomass (as chlorophyll a) and productivity were 4.7 ± 0.4 μg Chl a L−1 and 229.2 ± 113.4 μg C L−1 d−1, and 5.9 ± 6.0 μg Chl a L−1 and 138.9 ± 202.6 μg C L−1 d−1, respectively. The water column salinity profiles suggested that nutrient upwelling from bottom waters, especially in summer and autumn, when autotrophic production was at a maximum, was the major source of nutrients fueling the productivity in near-surface waters. Size-fractionation measurements showed that the micro-size fraction (>10 μm) accounted for > 80% of the total phytoplankton biomass and productivity. The strong correlation of POC with Chl a (r = 0.875; P < 0.001; n = 16) suggests that living phytoplankton in POC may outweigh detrital and bacterial biomass. Stoichiometrical analysis of inorganic nutrients revealed a seasonal low (13) and high (25) DIN-to-PO4 ratio and a seasonal low (30) and high (37) Si-to-PO4 ratio, suggesting that phytoplankton growth was possibly limited by nitrate and phosphate and not by silicic acid. We conclude that bottom-advection of nutrients resulting from wind-driven mixing may have been a significant source of nutrient input in this oligotrophic coastal system, and zooplankton grazing or other losses might be a crucial factor in controlling the phytoplankton biomass and production, particularly in spring. Also, it is probable that phytoplankton growth was not prevented by insufficient light in Ishikari Bay considering the values of both mean light intensity in the mixed layer (Im) and the mixing and euphotic depth ratio (Zmix:Zeu).