Early-Spring Export of Phytoplankton Production in the Northeast Atlantic-Ocean

Detailed observations of water column temperature and phytoplankton biomass in the northeast Atlantic Ocean prior to the advent of the spring bloom in 1989 show brief periods of water column stabilization and phytoplankton production, interspersed with times where temperature and biomass are constant over greater depths. Since stable layers re-form from the surface, the observed variability in mixed layer depth is analyzed as isolating phytoplankton beneath the euphotic zone, potentially contributing to the annual exported production in the temperate North Atlantic.