Biogeochemical Investigations of Coccolithophore Blooms along the Continental Margin of the Northern Bay of Biscay: Highlights of the PEACE Project

Recent studies have demonstrated that changing ocean chemistry due to ocean acidification
poses a growing threat for marine organisms such as corals, coccolithophores and many others that form calcareous skeletons. Its biogeochemical feedbacks and impact on the oceanic carbon cycle are yet to be quantified. Coccolithophores are the major calcifying phytoplankton in the sub-polar and temperate regions of the world’s ocean. They produce furthermore transparent exopolymer particles (TEP), which are known to promote aggregate formation. Combined with the CaCO3 ballast effect, large-scale coccolithophore blooms could thus contribute to the export of organic carbon to deep waters on relatively short time scales. During the Belgian PEACE project, we have conducted yearly interdisciplinary biogeochemical surveys, assisted by remote sensing, along the continental margin of the northern Bay of Biscay where coccolithophore blooms dominated by Emiliania huxleyi are frequently and recurrently observed (Figure 1). Rates of various processes governing the coccolithophore ecosystem dynamics have been determined and associated biogeochemical parameters analysed. The overall objective is to evaluate the role in climate regulation of calcification, primary production and export processes during coccolithophore blooms. Here we report the principal results obtained during the 2006 campaign.