The hydrography and biology of a bloom of the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi in the northern North Sea

In June/July 1994 a study was made of a small bloom of the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi in an area of the North Sea to the east of the Shetland Islands. Observations on the hydrography of the study area indicated the bloom was associated with Atlantic water and was confined to an area in which a stable shallow mixed layer had formed. There was no evidence to suggest association of horizontal physical structure with the bloom development. High cell densities of >1–6×106 cells dm−3, together with low concentrations of PIC (<50 μg dm−3) and detached liths (2–3×104 liths cm−3) indicated that the bloom was studied at an early stage of development. Biochemical and physiological observations indicated active growth was taking place. The results presented are discussed in comparison with previous studies carried out in both oceanic and shelf seas.