Date of Award
2023
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Oceanography
Specialization
Biological Oceanography
Department
Oceanography
First Advisor
Colleen Mouw
Abstract
Phytoplankton are a diverse group of photosynthetic microorganisms and are critical components of global biogeochemical processes. Rapid changes in the U.S. Northeast Shelf (NES), a region where multiple marine heatwaves have occurred and is warming faster than the global ocean, may have far-reaching effects on ecosystems and biogeochemical processes; this study seeks to describe how these changes impact the drivers of phytoplankton abundance and community size composition within this region. Environmental drivers were characterized using multivariate modeling via partial least squares regression (PLSR) and the importance of each predictor variable was determined via variable influence on projection (VIP) scores. To illustrate the rapidly changing conditions within the NES, trends of sea surface temperature, phytoplankton abundance, and community size composition were constructed via the Theil-Sen approach. Our analyses suggest spatial variation across thermal regimes determines environmental drivers of phytoplankton abundance and community size composition within the NES. Euphotic depth is the primary environmental driver across all size classes, however, the relative impact of other drivers varies across size classes. Predictably, size classes less suited to warmer conditions are more impacted by drivers associated with these conditions. The changing community size composition, distribution, and abundance may have negative implications for biogeochemical processes within the region as well as consequences to the marine carbon cycle and food web.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Cirivello, Rowan Murphy, "ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS OF PHYTOPLANKTON ABUNDANCE AND COMMUNITY SIZE COMPOSITION ACROSS THERMAL REGIMES IN THE U.S. NORTHEAST CONTINENTAL SHELF ECOSYSTEM" (2023). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 2313.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/2313