Salp bloom and vertical fluxes of organic matter in coastal water

Abstract

The changes of salp abundance and environmental factors such as water temperature and salinity were investigated in surface water of Shitaba Bay, Uwa Sea, Japan, in spring, 2011. Furthermore, sediment trap samples were collected at the bottom ocean layer of Shitaba Bay during salp bloom phase or non-bloom phase. Maximum salp abundance were recorded at 26 April, but no salp were observed at water temperatures of more than 20℃ (from 12 May onwards). Particulate organic carbon and nitrogen fluxes during salp bloom phase were higher than those during non-bloom phase. Therefore, these results showed that salp bloom in spring contributed to rapid supply of particulate organic matter from surface to bottom layer in coastal environments.