The physico-chemical fields of the pelagic environment are constantly
fluctuating at different spatial and temporal scales. Storms are extreme
events of such fluctuations that cascade down to small scales to alter
nutrient availability to microscopic algae or swimming and mating behaviour
of motile plankton. Mediterranean storms sometimes are also responsible for
the transport of micro and macronutrients from Saharan origin, albeit the
significance for marine production is still under question. In coastal
ecosystems, storms represent dissolved nutrient injections via run-off and
resuspension that trigger planktonic succession events. Storms may also have
a role in the development and mitigation of harmful algal blooms, events
with economic and health consequences that are of growing societal concern.
Based on laboratory experiments on the effects of turbulence on swimming
behaviour and population growth of dinoflagellates, a conceptual sequence of
events is proposed for bloom initiation.
Overall, storms affect, directly or indirectly, the dynamics of plankton and
hence ecosystem production and cannot be considered catastrophic or
hazardous in this context. The full potential of such relationships will be
evidenced once biological time series match the resolution and spatial
coverage of meteorological and oceanic data. As the frequency and intensity
of storms is subject to global change, future oceanic ecosystem production
should be affected as well. |