Seasonal versus synoptic variability in planktonic production in a high-latitude marginal sea: The Gulf of St. Lawrence (Canada)

The Gulf of St. Lawrence (Canada) is a subarctic marginal sea characterized by highly variable hydrodynamic conditions that generate a spatial heterogeneity in the marine production. A better understanding of physical-biological linkages is needed to improve our ability to evaluate the effects of climate variability and change on the gulf's planktonic production. We develop a three-dimensional (3-D) eddy permitting resolution physical-biological coupled model of plankton dynamics in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The planktonic ecosystem model accounts for the competition between simplified herbivorous and microbial food webs that characterize bloom and post-bloom conditions, respectively, as generally observed in temperate and subarctic coastal waters. It is driven by a fully prognostic 3-D sea ice-ocean model with realistic tidal, atmospheric, and hydrological forcing. The simulation shows a consistent seasonal primary production cycle, and highlights the importance of local sea ice dynamics for the timing of the vernal bloom and the strong influence of the mesoscale circulation on planktonic production patterns at subregional scales.