Space-time variability of phytoplankton biomass, diversity and production over the last 27 years in the Mediterranean Sea

Colella, Simone; Brando, Vittorio Ernesto; Di Cicco, Annalisa; Volpe, Gianluca

doi:10.5194/sp-7-osr10-9-2026

Articles | Volume 7-osr10

https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-7-osr10-9-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Report:

10th edition of the Copernicus Ocean State Report (OSR10)

https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-7-osr10-9-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 7-osr10

30 Sep 2026

| OSR10 | Chapter 2.6

| 30 Sep 2026 | OSR10 | Chapter 2.6

Space-time variability of phytoplankton biomass, diversity and production over the last 27 years in the Mediterranean Sea

Simone Colella, Vittorio Ernesto Brando, Annalisa Di Cicco, and Gianluca Volpe

Data sets

Mediterranean Sea - High Resolution L4 Sea Surface Temperature Reprocessed EU Copernicus Marine Service Product https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00173

Mediterranean Sea, Bio-Geo-Chemical, L4, monthly means, daily gapfree and climatology Satellite Observations (1997-ongoing) EU Copernicus Marine Service Product https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00300

Mediterranean Sea Physics Reanalysis EU Copernicus Marine Service Product https://doi.org/10.48670/mds-00375

Short summary

Phytoplankton dynamics in the Mediterranean Sea was investigated over the period 1998–2025 using a suite of Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service satellite products. Two main processes control more than 80 % of total phytoplankton variability: the basin scale seasonal cycle (> 70 %) and the local spring bloom dynamics. The main factors controlling this space-time variability are the solar light annual cycle and cloud cover on one side and the water column dynamics on the other.