Modelling present-day diatom Phaeocystis blooms in Belgian coastal waters and their response to nutrient enrichment

Massive blooms of Phaeocystis colonies are recorded every spring in the Belgian coastal zone (Southern Bight of the North Sea) submitted to riverine nutrient loads over-enriched in nitrogen compared to phosphorus and dissolved silica. Phaeocystis blooms usually occur between the spring and summer diatom blooms and their relative importance varies between years. The reason for the observed interannual variability is not known yet and no link has been established with changing riverine nutrient loads in spite of a clear decrease in P since the late 80’s. Here, we use the complex mechanistic MIRO... Mehr ...