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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Dynamics of Two Picophytoplankton Groups in Mediterranean Sea: Analysis of the Deep Chlorophyll Maximum by a Stochastic Advection-Reaction-Diffusion Model
Gualtiero BasiloneG. DenaroAngelo BonannoBernardo SpagnoloS. ZgoziSalvatore MazzolaSalvatore AronicaDavide Valentisubject
ChlorophyllPopulation DynamicsPopulation ModelingRandom processeAtmospheric scienceschemistry.chemical_compoundTheoretical EcologyWater columnMediterranean seaDeep chlorophyll maximumCalculusMultidisciplinaryEcologybiologyEcologyApplied MathematicsPhysicsQStatisticsRComplex SystemsStochastic differential equationsInterdisciplinary PhysicsMedicineDeep chlorophyll maximumProchlorococcusResearch ArticleChlorophyll aScienceStatistical MechanicsDifferential EquationsPhytoplanktonMarine ecosystemMediterranean SeaSpatial ecologyStatistical MethodsPhytoplankton dynamicBiologyComputerized SimulationsStochastic ProcessesPopulation BiologyAdvectionComputational BiologyRandom VariablesModels TheoreticalSpatial ecology; Marine ecosystems; Phytoplankton dynamics; Deep chlorophyll maximum; Random processes; Stochastic differential equationsProbability Theorybiology.organism_classificationMarine EnvironmentsSettore FIS/07 - Fisica Applicata(Beni Culturali Ambientali Biol.e Medicin)Nonlinear DynamicschemistryChlorophyllComputer SciencePhytoplanktonEcosystem ModelingMathematicsEcological Environmentsdescription
A stochastic advection-reaction-diffusion model with terms of multiplicative white Gaussian noise, valid for weakly mixed waters, is studied to obtain the vertical stationary spatial distributions of two groups of picophytoplankton, i.e., picoeukaryotes and Prochlorococcus, which account about for 60% of total chlorophyll on average in Mediterranean Sea. By numerically solving the equations of the model, we analyze the one-dimensional spatio-temporal dynamics of the total picophytoplankton biomass and nutrient concentration along the water column at different depths. In particular, we integrate the equations over a time interval long enough, obtaining the steady spatial distributions for the cell concentrations of the two picophytoplankton groups. The results are converted into chlorophyll a and divinil chlorophyll a concentrations and compared with experimental data collected in two different sites of the Sicily Channel (southern Mediterranean Sea). The comparison shows that real distributions are well reproduced by theoretical profiles. Specifically, position, shape and magnitude of the theoretical deep chlorophyll maximum exhibit a good agreement with the experimental values.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-06-01 | PLoS ONE |