Phytoplankton and pigment studies in the Bay of Biscay and English Channel

During the final year (2010) of the MV Pride of Bilbao (PoB) ferry operation between Portsmouth (UK) and Bilbao (Spain) a comprehensive phytoplankton data set was collected based on pigments and taxonomy measurements. The work was in support of the EU project ProTool (http://www.protool-project.eu) that aimed to develop an automated system for measuring primary productivity from ships of opportunity. Not unexpectedly, the biological patterns relate to the hydrographic conditions and in general, pigment distributions are indicative of the taxonomy. A predominately diatom bloom was observed in the Bay of Biscay in April, with a mixed population of diatoms, dinoflagellates and coccolithophores throughout the spring and summer, and a very distinctive bloom, which contained a large proportion of the dinoflagellate Karenia Mikimotoi, to the stratified side of the Ushant Front in mid-July.