![]() In lower-latitude areas, including the Arabian Sea and the waters around Indonesia, seasonal blooms are often linked to monsoon-related changes in winds. Phytoplankton use up the nutrients available, and growth falls off until winter storms kick-start mixing. With warm, buoyant water on top and cold, dense water below, the water column doesn't mix easily. As surface waters warm up through the summer, they become very buoyant. In the subtropical oceans, by contrast, phytoplankton populations drop off in summer. Recent research suggests the vigorous winter mixing sets the stage for explosive spring growth by bringing nutrients up from deeper waters into the sunlit layers at the surface and separating phytoplankton from their zooplankton predators. ![]() In high latitudes, blooms peak in the spring and summer, when sunlight increases and the relentless mixing of the water by winter storms subsides. ![]() Like plants on land, phytoplankton growth varies seasonally.
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