Phytoplankton standing stock and primary production in the western Baltic

The main studies on phytoplankton ecology carried out in Kiel Bight during the last decades are briefly reviewed. Special emphasis is laid on the hydrographical structure of this transitional area between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, as it strongly affects the seasonal cycle of phytoplankton standing stock and species succession through vertical stratification and advection processes. Both these hydrographical features prevail during the growth period of phytoplankton and are responsible for large variations in population density and nutrient supply. The seasonal species succession is also influenced by advection. The annual primary production figure of about 150 g C·m-2 approaches the upper limit of values recorded for other parts of the western and southern Baltic. Total irradiation appears to exert the strongest influence on the seasonal cycle of primary production as long as water temperatures are low, giving way in summer to temperature as the determining factor for the production rate