Variability of Parameters of the Carbonate System of the Northern Black Sea Surface Waters During Coccolithophorid Blooms

N. A. Orekhova*, E. N. Korchemkina, E. V. Medvedev, I. N. Mukoseev

Marine Hydrophysical Institute of RAS, Sevastopol, Russia

* e-mail: natalia.orekhova@mhi-ras.ru

Abstract

The paper studies dynamics of carbonate system parameters during the spring-summer coccolithophores bloom using data on temperature, salinity, carbonate system parameters (СО2, pH and alkalinity) and backscattering index (bbp(550), m‒1) for the northern Black Sea surface waters during the 127th and 131st cruises of R/V Professor Vodyanitsky. Within the studied periods (June 2023, May–June 2024) coccolithophores concentrations exceeded 1.00 million cells/L, while high рСО2 (mean 486±18 µatm) was also observed. The surface water layer was oversaturated with СО2 compared to the atmosphere, with a mean water СО2 supersaturation of 14% (58 μatm). However, no pronounced relationship was found between coccolith concentrations and рСО2, pH and alkalinity values, which may indicate a non-core contribution of the bloom to СО2 concentrations in the surface waters. It was found that even during the coccolithophores blooming period, temperature is the key factor determining the surface waters рСО2. The spatial distribution of suspended matter concentration represented by coccoliths was determined by water dynamics and current structure in the Black Sea.

Keywords

carbonate system, carbon dioxide partial pressure, coccolithophores, Black Sea

Acknowledgments

The work was carried out under state assignment of MHI RAS FNNN-2025-0001 “Monitoring of CO2 concentrations in the surface water layer and atmosphere in Russian inland seas” and FNNN-2024-0012 “Analysis, diagnosis and real-time forecast of the state of hydrophysical and hydrochemical fields of marine water areas based on mathematical modelling using data from remote and in situ methods of measurements”.

For citation

Orekhova, N.A., Korchemkina, E.N., Medvedev, E.V. and Mukoseev, I.N., 2025. Variability of Parameters of the Carbonate System of the Northern Black Sea Surface Waters During Coccolithophorid Blooms. Ecological Safety of Coastal and Shelf Zones of Sea, (3), pp. 25–40.

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