The life cycle of Calanus finmarchicus includes a prolonged dormancy phase that allows it to avoid the unfavourable environmental conditions typical of the upper ocean from late summer to early spring in the subarctic North Atlantic. Recent demographic, physiological and genetic evidence supports the hypothesis of a crucial role for lipid accumulation and metabolism in the control of dormancy. We present a stage-resolving biomass model of C. finmarchicus, implementing a mechanistic approach of the control of dormancy based on this lipid hypothesis. The dormancy process obeys 2 rules: (1) active copepodite stage Vs (C5s) enter dormancy when the ratio of lipid to total body carbon exceeds some threshold, and (2) diapausing C5s exit dormancy when their lipid storage approaches a lower threshold. We implemented the model into a 1-dimensional water column framework and compared our results to 2 consecutive years of observations of stage-specific copepodite abundances and lipid content of C5 from the Northwest Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. The model produced realistic phenology and temporal patterns in lipid content of C. finmarchicus in response to the observed environmental forcing. Interannual variations in the timing of entry and contributions of different generations to the overwintering stock were shown. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis of a lipid-mediated control of entrance and exit from dormancy in C. finmarchicus.

The effects of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) from freshwater runoff and seasonal cycle of temperature on the dynamic of phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass and production in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) are studied using a 3-D coupled physical-plankton ecosystem model. Three simulations are conducted: (1) the reference simulation based on Le Fouest et al. (2005), in which light attenuation by CDOM is not considered and maximum growth rate (mu(max)) of phytoplankton and zooplankton are not temperature-dependent (REF simulation); (2) light attenuation by CDOM is added to REF simulation (CDOM simulation); and (3) in addition to CDOM, the mu(max) of phytoplankton and zooplankton are regulated by temperature (CDOM + TEMP simulation). CDOM simulation shows that CDOM substantially reduces phytoplankton biomass and production in the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary (LSLE), but slightly reduces overall primary production in the GSL. In the LSLE, the spring phytoplankton bloom is delayed from mid-March to mid-April, resulted from light attenuation by CDOM. The CDOM + TEMP simulation shows that the spring phytoplankton bloom in the LSLE is further delayed to July, which is more consistent with observations. Annual primary production is reduced by 33% in CDOM + TEMP simulation from REF and CDOM simulations. Zooplankton production is the same in all three simulations, and export of organic matter to depth is reduced in CDOM + TEMP simulation, suggesting that temperature controlled growth of phytoplankton and zooplankton enhances the coupling between primary production and zooplankton production under the seasonal temperature cycle of the GSL. (C) 201 0 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Primary production, the basic component of the food web and a sink for dissolved inorganic carbon, is a major unknown in Arctic seas, particularly ice algal production, for which detailed and comprehensive studies are often limited in space and time. We present here a simple ice alga model and its coupling with a regional 3D ice-ocean model of the Hudson Bay system (HBS), including Hudson Strait and Foxe Basin, as a first attempt to estimate ice algal production and its potential contribution to the pelagic ecosystem on a regional scale. The ice algal growth rate is forced by sub-ice light and nutrient availability, whereas grazing and ice melt control biomass loss from the underside of the ice. The simulation shows the primary role of sea-ice dynamics on the distribution and production of ice algae with a high spatio-temporal variability in response to the great variability of ice conditions in different parts of the HBS. In addition to favourable light and nutrient conditions, there must be a sufficient time lag between the onset of sufficient light and ice melt to ensure significant ice algal production. This suggests that, in the context of enhanced warming in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, earlier melt could be more damaging for ice algal production than later freezing. The model also includes a particulate organic matter (POM) variable, fed by ice melting losses to the water column, and shows a large redistribution of the POM produced by the ice ecosystem on a regional scale.

Nous examinons des résultats récents issus d’observations et de simulations numériques de la circulation générale et du climat de l’estuaire moyen et du golfe du Saint-Laurent. Nous focalisons cette étude sur l’intensité de la circulation estuarienne. L’approche méthodologique est présentée avec une emphase sur l’intégration, à l’aide de simulations numériques, des processus clés tels que le mélange turbulent associé aux marées à la tête du chenal laurentien et les échanges atmosphère-océan dans l’ensemble de l’estuaire maritime et du golfe. Les simulations numériques permettent de suivre l’évolution de la circulation et du climat sur des périodes de quelques heures à plusieurs années. Nous examinons d’une part la variabilité tidale de la circulation à la tête du chenal Laurentien et dans l’estuaire moyen, illustrant l’importance des processus qui gouvernent largement la circulation estuarienne du Saint-Laurent. Ces principaux processus sont les instabilités dynamiques associées à l’étirement de marée et aux sauts hydrauliques internes aux abords des seuils. D’autre part, la contrainte du vent est dominante pour propulser les eaux douces vers l’océan Atlantique dans l’estuaire maritime et le golfe. À l’aide d’expériences de sensibilité, les effets sur la circulation de variations dans l’apport d’eau douce et dans l’intensité des vents sont isolés. Les résultats montrent que notre modèle du Saint-Laurent répond aux forçages externes à l’instar d’un estuaire classique à deux couches lors des périodes de forte stratification (printemps et été), c’est-à-dire lorsque l’apport en eau douce entraîne une intensification de la circulation de la couche intermédiaire froide du golfe vers le continent jusqu’à une profondeur d’environ 150m. D’autre part, lors des périodes de plus faible stratification (automne et hiver), la contrainte du vent gouverne la circulation des couches d’eau profondes (plus de 150m) vers le continent. Un excès dans l’apport d’eau douce inhibe partiellement leur ventilation, comme dans une mer marginale nordique. Ces résultats suggèrent qu’une diminution éventuelle de l’apport en eau douce du fleuve Saint-Laurent, associée au réchauffement climatique ou au développement, pourrait diminuer l’intensité de la circulation estuarienne au printemps et à l’été. Durant l’hiver, une diminution du débit pourrait favoriser l‘apport en eaux profondes du chenal Laurentien.

In the lower St. Lawrence estuary (LSLE, eastern Canada), blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense are a recurrent phenomenon, resulting in paralytic shellfish poisoning outbreaks every summer. A first coupled physical-biological model of A. tamarense blooms was developed for this system in order to explore the interactions between cyst germination, cellular growth and water circulation and to identify the effect of physical processes on bloom development and transport across the estuary. The simulated summer (1998) was characterized by an A. tamarense red tide with concentrations reaching 2.3 x 10(6) cells L-1 along the south shore of the LSLE. The biological model was built with previously observed A. tamarense cyst distribution, cyst germination rate and timing, and A. tamarense growth limitation by temperature and salinity. The coupled model successfully reproduced the timing of the A. tamarense bloom in 1998, its coincidence with the combined plumes from the Manicouagan and Aux-Outardes (M-O) rivers on the north shore of the estuary, and the temporal variations in the north-south gradients in cell concentrations. The simulation results reveal that the interaction between cyst germination and the estuarine circulation generates a preferential inoculation of the surface waters of the M-O river plume with newly germinated cells which could partly explain the coincidence of the blooms with the freshwater plume. Furthermore, the results suggest that the spatio-temporal evolution of the bloom is dominated by alternating periods of retention and advection of the M-O plume: east or northeast winds favor the retention of the plume close to the north shore while west or north-west winds result in its advection toward the south shore. The response of the simulated freshwater plume to fluctuating wind forcing controls the delivery of the A. tamarense bloom from the northern part of the estuary to the south shore. In addition, our results suggest that a long residence time of the M-O plume and associated A. tamarense population in the LSLE during the summer 1998 contributed to the development of the red tide. We thus hypothesize that the wind-driven dynamics of the M-O plume could partly determine the success of A. tamarense blooms in the LSLE by influencing the residence time of the blooms and water column stability, which in turn affects A. tamarense vertical migrations and growth. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cape Verde is a tropical oceanic ecosystem, highly fragmented and dispersed, with islands physically isolated by distance and depth. To understand how isolation affects the ecological variability in this archipelago, we conducted a research project on the community structure of the 18 commercially most important demersal fishes. An index of ecological distance based on species relative dominance (D-i) is developed from Catch Per Unit Effort, derived from an extensive database of artisanal fisheries. Two ecological measures of distance between islands are calculated: at the species level, Delta D-i, and at the community level, Delta D (sum of Delta D-i). A physical isolation factor (I-db) combining distance (d) and bathymetry (b) is proposed. Covariance analysis shows that isolation factor is positively correlated with both Delta D-i and Delta D, suggesting that I-db can be considered as an ecological isolation factor. The effect of I-db varies with season and species. This effect is stronger in summer (May to November), than in winter (December to April), which appears to be more unstable. Species react differently to I-db, independently of season. A principal component analysis on the monthly (Delta D-i) for the 12 islands and the 18 species, complemented by an agglomerative hierarchical clustering, shows a geographic pattern of island organization, according to I-db. Results indicate that the ecological structure of demersal fish communities of Cape Verde archipelago, both in time and space, can be explained by a geographic isolation factor. The analytical approach used here is promising and could be tested in other archipelago systems.

We present here a first attempt to validate a regional three-dimensional (3-D) physical–biological coupled model of the Gulf of St. Lawrence with coincident Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)-derived sea surface temperature (SST) and Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWIFS)-derived Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) data. The analysis focused on comparisons between remotely sensed data and simulated as well as in situ temperature, salinity, Chl-a, and nitrate. Results show that the simulated and AVHRR-derived fields of SST were qualitatively and quantitatively in agreement with in situ measurements. By contrast, marked differences were found between the simulated and SeaWIFS-derived fields of Chl-a, the latter comparing better with the freshwater-associated turbidity simulated by the model. Simulated temperature, salinity, nitrate, and Chl-a data compared well with coincident in situ measurements, and it is then suggested that freshwater-associated turbidity related to the river discharges largely contributed to the Chl-a retrievals by SeaWIFS in the Gulf's waters when using the standard OC4v.4 algorithm and atmospheric correction. Nevertheless, the striking agreement between SeaWIFS-derived ocean colour data and the simulated freshwater-associated turbidity allowed to validate the regional estuarine circulation and associated mesoscale variability. This result brings support to the model's ability to simulate realistic physical and biogeochemical fields in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.