LONG-TERM REGULATING MECHANISMS OF PHYTOPLANKTON BIOMASS IN An TRADITIONAL SHELLFISH AQUACULTURE AREA

摘要

Using 14 years of environmental data, we investigated distribution of thermohaline properties and phytoplankton biomass in Mali Ston Bay, which is the major shellfish farming area on the eastern Adriatic coast. Sampling was conducted biweekly during summer and monthly during the rest of the year throughout period 1999-2012. Due to strong river inflow and many submarine springs, continuous thermohaline stratification was recorded throughout the entire investigated period. The salinity effect on s