The signal of phytoplankton responses to climate-related forcing can be obscured by the heterogeneity of shelf seascapes, making them difficult to detect from fragmented observations. In this study, a physical–biological model was applied to the Northwest Atlantic Shelf to capture the seasonality of phytoplankton. The difference in phytoplankton seasonality between the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) and the Gulf of Maine (GoM) is a result of the interplay between nutrients and temperature: In the MAB, relatively high temperature in the cold season and longer oligotrophic environment in the warm season contribute to an earlier winter bloom and a later fall bloom; in the GoM, low temperature and strong mixing limit phytoplankton growth from late fall to early spring, resulting in a later spring bloom and an earlier fall bloom. Although the temperature difference between the GoM and the MAB might decrease in the future, stratification and surface nutrient regimes in these two regions will remain different owing to distinct thermohaline structures and deep-water intrusion. The spatial heterogeneity of phytoplankton dynamics affects pelagic and benthic production through connections with zooplankton and benthic–pelagic coupling.

中文翻译：

---

西北大西洋大陆架上浮游植物季节性的空间变化：基于模型的模式评估、驱动因素和影响

浮游植物对气候相关强迫的反应信号可能被大陆架海景的异质性所掩盖，使得它们难以从零散的观察中检测到。在这项研究中，将物理-生物模型应用于西北大西洋大陆架以捕捉浮游植物的季节性。中大西洋湾 (MAB) 和缅因湾 (GoM) 之间的浮游植物季节性差异是营养物质和温度相互作用的结果：在 MAB 中，寒冷季节的温度相对较高，而温暖的季节有助于较早的冬季开花和较晚的秋季开花；在GoM，低温和强烈的混合限制了晚秋至早春的浮游植物生长，导致春季开花较晚，秋季开花较早。尽管未来 GoM 和 MAB 之间的温差可能会减小，但由于不同的温盐结构和深水侵入，这两个地区的分层和地表养分状况将保持不同。浮游植物动力学的空间异质性通过与浮游动物和底栖-远洋耦合的联系影响远洋和底栖生产。