Unusual coccolithophore blooms in Scottish waters

Renshaw, Richard; Bresnan, Eileen; Kay, Susan; McEwan, Robert; Miller, Peter I.; Tett, Paul

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-1-osr7-13-2023

Articles | Volume 1-osr7

https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-1-osr7-13-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Report:

7th edition of the Copernicus Ocean State Report (OSR7)

https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-1-osr7-13-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 1-osr7

27 Sep 2023

| OSR7 | Chapter 4.1

| 27 Sep 2023 | OSR7 | Chapter 4.1

Unusual coccolithophore blooms in Scottish waters

Richard Renshaw, Eileen Bresnan, Susan Kay, Robert McEwan, Peter I. Miller, and Paul Tett

Data sets

Atlantic - European North West Shelf - Ocean Physics Reanalysis EU Copernicus Service Product https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00059

European North West Shelf/Iberia Biscay Irish Seas - High Resolution L4 Sea Surface Temperature Reprocessed EU Copernicus Service Product https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00153

North Atlantic Ocean Colour Plankton, Reflectance, Transparency and Optics MY L3 daily observations EU Copernicus Service Product https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00286

ERA5 hourly data on single levels from 1940 to present Copernicus Climate Change Service https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.adbb2d47

Short summary

There were two unusual blooms in Scottish waters in summer 2021. Both turned the sea a turquoise colour visible from space, typical of coccolithophore blooms. We use reanalysis and satellite data to examine the environment that led to these blooms. We suggest unusual weather was a contributory factor in both cases.