Seasonal Variability of Phytoplankton Pigment Concentration in the Okhotsk Sea

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to use coastal zone color scanner chlorophyll imagery (CZCS-Chl) to determine annual cycles in phytoplankton chlorophyll (biomass) averaged over 8 areas of the Okhotsk Sea and adjacent sea. In Kuril Basin region, relatively low concentration of chlorophyll was observed in comparison with other region through the year. In Kashevarova Bank region, high concentration of chlorophyll area occurred in August although there was no high concentration area around this region.