CHLOROPHYLL BLOOM IN THE WESTERN EQUATORIAL PACIFIC DURING THE 1998 EL NINO/LA NINA TRANSITION: THE ROLE OF KIRIBATI ISLANDS AS SEEN FROM SATELLITE, IN-SITU DATA, AND A HIGH-RESOLUTION SIMULATION

摘要

An uncommon bloom occurred in the western equatorial Pacific near 170°E, during the transition between El Nino and La Nina conditions in 1998. Previous studies attributed this bloom to large-scale wind-driven upwelling and vertical mixing, but they do not explain its particular location that coincided with the presence of small coral atolls: Gilbert Islands, Republic of Kiribati. In this study combining satellite and in-situ data with a regional physical model, we assess the impact of Kiribati Islands on the different bloom phases. We show how the islands disrupted the dynamics and the nutrient fields in this region, in such a way that bloom-favorable conditions could be created.