Sinking rates of phytoplankton in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary: A comparative study between Prorocentrum dentatum and Skeletonema dorhnii bloom

Sinking rates of phytoplankton community with variable taxonomic composition in the offshore Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary were measured during two cruises in spring and summer, 2011. A homogenous-sample method SETCOL was used to determine the sinking rates. Phytoplankton community was dominated by dinoflagellates in spring and diatoms in summer, and two species Prorocentrum dentatum and Skeletonema dorhnii formed algal blooms in the survey area during the two cruises, respectively. Phytoplankton sinking rates ranged from 0.13 to 1.04m day−1 (average=0.61±0.24m day−1) in spring and 0.28 to 1.71m day−1 (average=0.80±0.34m day−1) in summer. In the surface layer, phytoplankton sinking rates at the P. dentatum bloom stations in spring were lower than that at the S. dorhnii bloom stations in summer. No significant correlation was found between phytoplankton sinking rates and most of the environmental parameters during the two cruises, except for temperature and nitrite concentration in summer. A significant correlation was observed between phytoplankton sinking rates and phytoplankton community structure in the surface layers: the higher dominance of diatom in the phytoplankton community corresponded to higher phytoplankton sinking rate. Therefore, the phytoplankton community structure other than the environmental parameters, is the important factor to affect the sinking rates greatly. The consequent carbon flux caused by phytoplankton sinking was estimated, and results suggested that the carbon flux to bottom water during the S. dorhnii bloom (average=63.13±48.16mg C m−2 day−1) in summer was about 2.4 fold of that during the P. dentatum bloom (average=26.10±26.25mg C m−2 day−1) in spring. These findings provide us some insight in understanding the carbon export contributed by marine phytoplankton in the coastal sea, where frequent phytoplankton blooms and high following carbon export occur. •Sinking rates of Prorocentrum dentatum and Skeletonema dorhnii bloom were determined with SETCOL method.•Sinking rates of P. dentatum bloom were lower than that of S. dorhnii bloom.•Phytoplankton community structure other than environmental parameters influence the sinking rates greatly.•Sinking mechanisms of these two blooms differed and were discussed.