Conveners:
Alexandra Kraberg (Germany)
Eileen Bresnan (UK)
Marie Johansen (Sweden)
Contact conveners
Interest in the phytoplankton community in the ICES region is
increasing. This ecosystem component forms the food source for higher trophic levels, including fish, which in turn provide vital ecosystem services. Phytoplankton spatial and long-term dynamics are complex and driven by a range of factors - including eutrophication, hydrography, and climate - the impact of which might vary regionally. Moreover, some species can form harmful algal blooms (HABs) and/or become toxic, which may have devastating impacts on the ecosystem and ecosystem services.
In Europe, an understanding of phytoplankton communities is required to determine Good Environmental Status for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and Good Ecological Status for the Water Framework Directive (WFD).
The interest in climate change as a driver of changing phytoplankton (including HAB) dynamics is increasing as EU member states and marine ecologists attempt to understand and assess the status of phytoplankton communities in their regional seas and provide advice. This advice supports sustainable fishing and aquaculture industries and fulfils monitoring and assessment requirements of the MSFD, WFD, and the EU Shellfish Hygiene Directive. However, addressing these issues requires quality-controlled long-term data and robust statistical analyses of individual and comparisons of multiple time series (using relevant spatial and temporal scales).
This session aims to bring together phytoplankton time-series experts, HAB scientists, and statistical experts to discuss observed long-term changes in the phytoplankton communities and associated impacts within the ICES area. Presentations are welcome on the following topics relating to phytoplankton and HAB ecology:- Dynamics of algal bloom development
- Long-term changes in phytoplankton communities including species specific responses
- Large-scale comparisons (meta-analyses) of long-term trends
- Phytoplankton/HAB response to environmental drivers, e.g. eutrophication and climate change
- Monitoring methods and assessment of ecological/environmental status
- Ecosystem impacts
- Effects on ecosystem services
