Dynamics of phytoplankton community structure in the South China Sea in response to the East Asian aerosol input

Abstract. Recent studies have demonstrated atmospheric de-position as an important source of bioreactive compounds to the ocean. The South China Sea (SCS), where aerosol load-ing is among the highest in the world, however, is poorly studied, particularly on the in situ response of phytoplank-ton community structures to atmospheric deposition. By conducting a series of microcosm bioassays at different hy-drographical locations and simulating different aerosol event scales, we observed both positive and negative responses to the input of East Asian (EA) aerosol with high nitrogen (N) and trace metal contents, in terms of biomass, com-position and physiological characteristics of phytoplankton communities. High levels of aerosol loading relieved phy-toplankton nitrogen and trace metal limitations in SCS, and thus increased total phytoplankton biomass, enhanced thei