Factors controlling phytoplankton stocks within and at the base of the surface mixed layer in sub-polar and polar Australian waters

Project aim

Phytoplankton are the building block of, and thus the main determinant of, the productivity of Southern Ocean pelagic ecosystems, and play an important role in regulating climate. Different factors control the distribution and magnitude of phytoplankton stocks in the lit portion of surface waters South of Australia. We propose to further elucidate the relative importance of chemical and physical factors on the observed distribution of phytoplankton stocks in late spring in the Australasian-Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean.