Ph.D. Program in Oceanography and Global Change at the Canary Islands, Spain
Zooplankton biomass in subtropical waters varies within the annual cycle and during the so-called late winter bloom when organisms burst due to an increase in productivity due to mixing during winter. In spring the seasonal thermocline is reestablished remaining through the summer and autumn, restricting the injection of nutrients into the euphotic zone, and therefore limiting primary production. Transport of organic matter from the ocean surface to depth is being altered due to changes in the carbon cycle as a consequence of climate change, so the knowledge of the variability of the carbon pump during these contrasting periods is of paramount importance to relate climatology (cold or warm years) and the functioning of this downward export.
