US EPA

7447710 

Journal Article 

Bloom of the marine diazotrophic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum in the Northwest African upwelling 

Ramos, AG; Martel, A; Codd, GA; Soler, E; Coca, J; Redondo, A; Morrison, LF; Metcalf, JS; Ojeda, A; Suarez, S; Petit, M 

2005 

1 

Marine Ecology Progress Series
ISSN: 0171-8630
EISSN: 1616-1599 

INTER-RESEARCH 

OLDENDORF LUHE 

301 

303-305 

English 

10.3354/meps301303 

WOS:000233569700025 

http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v301/p303-305/
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A bloom of the non-heterocystous diazotrophic cyanobacterium. Tiichodesmium erythraeurn Ehrenberg is reported in the Canary Islands Archipelago during August of 2004, the warmest period of a meteorological series recorded by the National Institute of Meteorology (Spain) since 1912. Samples showed massive occurrences of T erythraeurn (1000 filaments ml(-1)) in different sectors of northern and southern waters off the central Canary Islands. Water analyses also showed a relatively low presence of dinoflagellates and diatoms. Quasi-true colour satellite images of dust storms, elevated sea surface temperature (the warmest satellite-derived record), chlorophyll a and geostrophic current fields showed satellite-derived optical positives of Trichodesmium in an African upwelling advective, jet-drifting westward current off the south Canary Islands. Analyses for cyanotoxins using HPLC found microcystins, which was confirmed by immunoassay, at concentrations from 0.1 to 1.0 mu g microcystin-LR equivalents (g(-1) dry weight of bloom material). A T. erythraeum bloom such as that observed in August 2004 in the NW African Upwelling does not appear to have been recorded for the area previously. The bloom may have developed due to the exceptionally warm weather and/or to the massive dust storms from the Sahara Desert observed in the NE Atlantic in August 2004. 

cyanobacteria; Trichodesmium erythraeum; remote sensing; NW African upwelling; advective jet; toxicity